Missouri Unemployment Extension

Note: Currently, there are no extended benefits available in Missouri.

All UI extension programs that were available during the COVID pandemic ended on June 12, 2021.

Missouri Extended Benefits (EB) Program

The Missouri Extended Benefits (EB) program can extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks. However, the program is only activated during periods of high unemployment in the state of Missouri.

Like regular Missouri unemployment, the EB program requires claimants to be actively seeking work and to accept any offer of suitable employment. To stay eligible, claimants may be required to provide evidence of their work search activities when filing a weekly claim.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

When natural disasters like floods, droughts, tornadoes, severe storms, and earthquakes hit, they can cause a lot of damage. The Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Program can help if a major disaster interrupts or ends your employment or self-employment. The U.S. Department of Labor oversees the DUA Program in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

DUA benefits are for workers who don’t qualify for Missouri unemployment insurance benefits. The weekly benefit amount is the same as standard UI compensation. Use the Missouri unemployment calculator to estimate your weekly payments.

What Counts as a Major Disaster?

A “major disaster” is a big natural event like a tornado, earthquake, snowstorm, flood, or drought. It could also be an explosion or natural gas leak. These events become “major disasters” when the President makes an official declaration.

The presidential declaration specifies which Missouri areas are available for disaster benefits. If you are eligible, you have 30 days to file your DUA claim.

DUA Eligibility

To qualify for DUA benefits, one of these statements must be true:

• You had a week of unemployment starting the day the major disaster began.
• You couldn’t get to your place of employment.
• You were going to start work, and the job is gone, or you couldn’t get to the job.
• You became the main money maker in your home because the head of the household died due to the disaster.
• You can’t work because of an injury that happened because of the disaster.
• You can’t get DUA benefits if you can get regular unemployment insurance benefits or waiting week credit.

There’s no waiting week for DUA claims, to help you get benefits faster.

CARES Act – COVID Pandemic Extended Benefit Programs

To help Missourians navigate through the COVID pandemic, a variety of unemployment programs became temporarily available.

Please note that all COVID unemployment programs ended in Missouri on June 21, 2021.

During the pandemic, regular unemployment benefits were available to eligible workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Weekly benefit amounts varied based on a claimant’s previous wages. For some, however, regular benefits were not enough.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) helped workers who wouldn’t usually qualify for regular unemployment benefits, like independent contractors and self-employed individuals. PUA benefits provided a vital safety net to many Missouri workers who normally would have been denied benefits.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)

The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) offered an unemployment extension, granting additional weeks of benefits to those who exhausted their regular unemployment benefits. The PEUC was a crucial lifeline for many Missourians, extending their benefits in a time of high unemployment.

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)

Unemployed workers in Missouri also had access to the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC). This program provided an extra weekly benefit amount on top of regular unemployment or PUA benefits. Payments were initially $600, then it was later lowered to $300. FPUC benefits offered substantial additional benefits to unemployed workers at a time when they were most needed.

Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)

The Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) was another program that provided support for Missouri workers. The program was aimed at workers who had both traditional employment and self-employment income.

MEUC benefits provided an additional $100 per week to eligible mixed earners who received at least $5,000 a year in self-employment income but were disqualified from receiving PUA because they were eligible for regular unemployment benefits.

Employment security was a significant concern during the pandemic. However, as the economy started to recover and unemployment rates decreased, these programs came to an end on June 21, 2021.

If you have lost your job through no fault of your own, you can apply for Missouri unemployment, which lasts for up to 20 weeks. For additional help with extended benefits, contact the Missouri Dept. of Labor.