Pandemic Unemployment Assistance in Alabama - Supporting Individuals and Families During COVID-19

Pandemic unemployment assistance Alabama is a federally funded program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The said program provides assistance for the workers who lost their job as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance prioritizes those individuals who did not qualify for traditional Unemployment Insurance in order to support and give financial aid to them.

There are several programs offered by the federal government with regard to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance that continuously supports its beneficiaries to recover from the loss due to the pandemic and have a new beginning.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate of the United States is at 5.4% as of July 2021, the county’s unemployment rate continues to recover from its peak of 10.2% last July 2020 when the pandemic attacked.

This also means that Pandemic grants for individuals are effective in helping American Citizens, especially those individuals who belong to the low-income community who lost their job. Moreover, there are also programs within each local state that offer various programs related to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to support more eligible individuals on the said assistance program.

Available Programs for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

There are various available programs related to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, some of these are the following.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is a program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. that will give financial benefits to unemployed individuals. The beneficiaries of the said program will receive 79 weeks of benefits with a maximum of $450 a week.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation is an emergency agenda seeking to increase the benefits for unemployed Americans that are highly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The said program also serves as an extension as it will provide you an additional 53 weeks of benefits whenever you used all of your funding from the Insurance (UI).

Pandemic Additional Compensation

The Pandemic Additional Compensation is a federal program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act with a $2 trillion stimulus bill passed into law last March 27, 2020. Within the said program, the eligible beneficiaries can receive a total of $600 unemployment insurance benefits each week.

However, the Consolidated Appropriations Act and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) extend the program by giving its beneficiaries up to $300 per week.

Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation

Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation gives benefits to those individuals who are eligible for traditional unemployment but do have a self-income that’s excluded in the calculation of their regular benefits.

Also, individuals who are qualified for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) are automatically ineligible for this program. The said program provides an additional $100 weekly for its eligible beneficiaries.

Am I qualified to have Pandemic Unemployment Assistance?

The qualifications for the Pandemic grants for individuals differ from the offered programs. The following are the eligibility rules for the specific programs that are mentioned above.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

The qualifications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance are the following:

• You should not be eligible for the regular benefits of unemployed individuals.
• You can be a Business owner, Self-employed worker, or Independent contractor.
• Also, if you’re an individual with limited work history, an individual who used all of your regular Unemployment Insurance benefits, or an individual having false statement penalties on your regular Unemployment Insurance benefits.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation

There are also special considerations in order to qualify for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance (PEUC), these are the following:

• You can also qualify if your employer closed the business because of the pandemic and you’re not able to work.
• You are eligible if you are quarantined and need to anticipate after the quarantine

Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation

The qualifications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance are the following:

• You should be eligible for unemployment.
• You should receive unemployment benefits between December 27, 2020, and September 4, 2021.
• You must have at least $5000 of net self-income.

Application Process

The system for the application of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance depends on the type of program that you are applying for.

Here are some steps on how to apply for the mentioned programs.

1. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – You can apply for PUA online. Register and start the program application.
2. Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) - You can apply for PPEUC online. Register and start the program application.
3. Pandemic Additional Compensation (PAC) - You can apply for PAC online. Register and start the program application.
4. Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) – You can apply for MEUC online. Just print and fill up the application form on the official website.

Documents You Should Prepare for the Application

The required documents for the application for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance are different for each program. Here are some documents that you will probably need for the application process.

• Proof of Citizenship
• Employment History
• Federal and Military Documents (if you’re a federal employee)