Nevada’s unemployment insurance program will sometimes join federal programs that offer additional benefits to people who have exhausted their regular unemployment compensation benefits. These programs are typically put in place when there are high rates of unemployment.
In the past, the state has also set up a voluntary program to help individuals navigating uncertain economic times, such as a national pandemic.
Are Extended Benefits currently available in Nevada?
Right now, Nevada does not offer any Extended Benefits. If you apply for unemployment insurance, you can receive up to 26 weeks of benefits.
Nevada Extended Benefit (EB) Program
The federal extended benefits program for unemployment is a program that provides additional weeks of UI benefits to eligible individuals who have already exhausted their regular unemployment benefits. This program is available during periods of high unemployment or economic downturns and is usually funded by the federal government.
The basic Extended Benefits program provides an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits, though Nevada has previously opted to pay unemployed workers an additional 7 weeks. When both programs are in place, Nevada workers are eligible for a total of 20 weeks of additional unemployment benefits.
When Nevada’s three-month average unemployment rate drops below 8%, the state-provided 7 weeks of benefits are triggered off. When the rate drops below 6.5%, all extended unemployment benefits expire, and the state goes back to its normal 26 weeks of unemployment benefits.
Nevada Disaster Unemployment Assistance
The Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program is a federal program that provides financial assistance to individuals who have lost their jobs or self-employment income due to a major disaster. This program is intended to provide temporary relief to workers who are not eligible for regular unemployment compensation.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits are funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and administered by the state workforce agencies. To be eligible for DUA, individuals must meet certain criteria, including being unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster and not being able to work or find work because of the disaster.
Trade Adjustment Assistance
If you lost your job because of competition from imports, you may be eligible for benefits through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. This program was established in 1974 to help workers who are affected by international trade.
If you lost your job because your employer was affected by imports from Canada or Mexico OR moved production to those countries, you might be able to receive assistance through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This is a trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and it has allowances to help workers who are unemployed by the agreement.
Benefits you may be eligible for include money to help you move or look for a new job, job training opportunities, and weekly payments while you look for work.
If you think you might be eligible for this program, you can visit your local Nevada JobsConnect office to help you file the necessary paperwork.
CARES Act and American Rescue Plan
The CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act are two significant pieces of legislation passed by the United States government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CARES Act was signed into law in March 2020 and provided Nevada with more than $4.1 billion in relief to individuals, businesses, and state and local governments. The American Rescue Plan, signed into law in March 2021, provided an additional $2.7 billion in relief.
These bills created several unemployment benefit programs, including:
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program was established by the U.S. government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This program provided unemployment benefits to individuals who did not meet the eligibility requirements for regular benefits, such as self-employed workers, independent contractors, and gig workers.
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC benefits) program was a federal program that provided additional unemployment benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits. It provided an additional 13 weeks of benefits to eligible individuals.
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program was established as part of the CARES Act and provided a $600 weekly benefit amount to eligible individuals from April 2020 through July 2020. A subsequent extension provided a $300 weekly supplement to eligible individuals from December 2020 through March 2021.
Mixed Earnings Unemployment Compensation
The Mixed Earnings Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) program was a federal program that provided additional benefits to individuals who had both traditional W-2 employment and self-employment income. The program provided an additional $100 weekly benefit to eligible individuals. To be eligible, individuals must have earned at least $5,000 in self-employment income in the most recent taxable year.
These benefit programs, as well as Nevada’s participation in them, expired as of September 2021.
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