The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) continued to see a post-holiday jump in new jobless claims last week, as it prepared to send $300 supplemental unemployment payments to claimants on their first week of eligibility under the expanded Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The supplemental benefit, which should hit the debit cards and direct deposit accounts of eligible claimants beginning Tuesday depending on their bank, is for anyone collecting unemployment for any amount and is in addition to their regular benefit payment.

Also, under the expanded CARES Act, those currently collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) will see no interruption in benefits, and should continue certifying for weekly benefits.

According to Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo, the fact that these additional benefits would immediately be available for hundreds of thousands of out-of-work New Jerseyans was due, in part, to staff increases and automation upgrades completed since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold 10 months ago. “We know what a welcome relief these additional benefits will be to hundreds of thousands of unemployed residents who are struggling to find work,” said Asaro-Angelo.

Anyone whose benefits expired on December 26 or later will also be eligible for the 11-week extension, but there will be a lapse while NJDOL reprograms its systems to allow for the additional payments. These claimants will be notified when they can resume certifying for weekly benefits.

For more information on state or federal unemployment programs, visit myunemployment.nj.gov.

Visit New Jersey’s jobs portal here: jobs.covid19.nj.gov.

For national unemployment data, visit https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf. For archived NJ claims data, visit https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/DataDashboard.asp. 

*This represents the final number for the week ending Jan. 2. The number listed for New Jersey by the US Department of Labor – 19,375– is based on advanced reporting.

The post Eligible Workers Set to Receive $300 Supplemental Unemployment Payments appeared first on TrentonDaily.