CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The thousands of state residents who have filed for unemployment benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance will begin seeing benefits next Friday, May 8.
A news release from WorkForce West Virginia said as of Friday more than 13,600 applications had been received under the PUA benefits program.
“Under the direction and leadership of Gov. Justice, WorkForce has been working around the clock to deliver this much needed benefit to West Virginia business owners,” said Scott Adkins, acting WorkForce Commissioner. “The CARES Act requires us to fully review and vet PUA applications to determine eligibility before paying benefits. I am happy to report our staff is diligently working to follow these guidelines and benefits will begin to be delivered to qualified PUA applicants beginning Friday, May 8.”
PUA benefits are for those workers who usually don’t qualify for regular unemployment compensation because they fall in the self-employed category. Congress, under the CARES Act, opened the door for those residents file for benefits similar to residents who seek benefits following a natural disaster. It took WorkForce until Friday, April 24, to get the program in place to begin receiving claims.
Adkins is scheduled to be a guest Saturday on MetroNews “Talkline” to answer more questions about regular unemployment and PUA.