Extended Benefits programs provide financial assistance to individuals who have exhausted their regular Arizona unemployment insurance benefits and are still seeking employment. These benefits are typically offered during times of high unemployment, natural disasters, and national pandemics.
Are Extended Benefits currently available in Arizona?
Arizona does not currently offer any Extended Benefits. As of 2023, unemployed workers are eligible for 24 to 26 weeks of benefits, depending on the current unemployment rate. To estimate how much you’ll be paid each week, you can use the Arizona unemployment calculator.
Arizona Unemployment Extended Benefits (EB) Program
Extended Benefits is a federally-funded unemployment program that provides additional financial assistance to people who exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits and are still seeking work. The program is designed to provide support during times of high unemployment and help those who are struggling to make ends meet while searching for employment.
Arizona triggers Extended Benefits (EB) when the state’s insured unemployment rate (IUR) reaches or exceeds 5% for three consecutive months. The IUR is the percentage of people who are unemployed and receiving Arizona unemployment benefits. Once the EB program is triggered, eligible claimants can receive up to 13 weeks of additional benefits, provided they meet the program’s requirements.
Arizona Disaster Unemployment Assistance
If you lose your job or can’t work because of a major disaster, you may be eligible for financial help from the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program.
DUA is a program that gives temporary financial help to people who can’t get regular unemployment compensation and who lost their work because of a disaster. In Arizona, the DUA program is managed by the Arizona Department of Economic Security for the US Department of Labor, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
To be eligible, you must have lost your job or self-employment directly because of the disaster, not because of other things that happened because of the disaster.
CARES Act and American Rescue Plan
The CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act were federal laws designed to provide economic relief to individuals and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of these laws, the federal government has provided additional funding and expanded eligibility for UI benefits programs.
These programs offered financial support to individuals who lost their jobs or had their hours reduced due to the pandemic, and who may not have been eligible for traditional unemployment benefits.
Additionally, the laws provided for increased funding for state unemployment programs and extended the duration of benefits for those who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits.
Under the CARES Act, Arizona received $1.86 billion in funding to support a wide range of programs and services, including UI benefits, small business assistance, and healthcare initiatives. The American Rescue Plan Act allocated an additional $4.6 billion to Arizona, with a significant portion of the funds earmarked for economic recovery efforts, including support for unemployment benefits, rental assistance, and infrastructure projects.
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) was a program designed to provide unemployment benefits to individuals who were not eligible for traditional unemployment insurance, such as self-employed individuals, gig workers, and those with limited work history.
In Arizona, the Department of Economic Security administered the PUA benefits program and provided cash assistance to eligible individuals who were directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offered up to 79 weeks of benefits, which included a weekly benefit amount plus an additional $300 per week in federal pandemic unemployment compensation.
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program was a federal program that provided additional weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who exhausted their regular unemployment insurance benefits.
In Arizona, the PEUC program provided up to 53 weeks of additional benefits to eligible unemployed workers.
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program provided additional financial support to individuals who were receiving unemployment benefits.
In Arizona, FPUC payments provided an additional $300 per week, in addition to their regular UI benefits. The program provided much-needed financial assistance to those who lost their jobs or had their work hours reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. FPUC benefits were available for up to 25 weeks and were paid automatically to those who qualified.
Mixed Earnings Unemployment Compensation
The Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) program was a federal program that provided additional benefits to individuals who had both traditional employment wages and self-employment income.
In Arizona, eligible individuals received an additional $100 per week in MEUC benefits, in addition to their regular unemployment benefits, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), or other eligible unemployment benefits programs.
To be eligible for MEUC in Arizona, individuals must have earned at least $5,000 in self-employment income in the most recent taxable year, were eligible for regular unemployment benefits or PUA, and were receiving at least $1 of benefits under those programs.
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