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Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

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Apply for PUA Benefits

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PUA Handbook

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Contact UI Benefits

Overview

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On March 11, 2021, the President signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) which extends certain federal unemployment programs authorized by the CARES Act, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

  • Will provide 29 additional weeks of benefits, for a maximum of 79 weeks. The 29 extension weeks will be payable beginning with the benefit week ending March 20, 2021;
  • The PUA program has been extended through benefit week ending September 4, 2021.
  • Weekly certifications will continue to be required.Per federal law, individuals who have exhausted benefits will not be eligible for weeks of benefits prior to benefit week ending March 20, 2021. Eligible claimants can file for ARPA benefits beginning March 21, 2021 and benefits will be payable beginning March 22, 2021.
  • All claimants who receive a PUA payment on or after December 27, 2020, must submit documentation substantiating their prior employment or self-employment, or planned employment or self-employment during the most recent tax year that ended prior to the date they filed their initial PUA application. Learn more about PUA employment verification.

PUA provides benefits to individuals who have exhausted their entitlement to or are not otherwise eligible for any other unemployment program under state or federal law.

ID.me

ID.me is a federally-certified identity verification provider specializing in digital identity protection. It is a secure, online service available 24 hours a day and can be accessed on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. This service helps the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) verify legitimate claimants are the ones applying for benefits – and not someone who has stolen a claimant's identity. Find more information about ID.me and its privacy policy.

Eligibility

PUA provides benefits to covered individuals. This includes individuals who:

  • are determined to be monetarily ineligible
  • have exhausted all rights to such benefits,
  • are self-employed,
  • are seeking part-time employment,
  • lack sufficient work history, or
  • otherwise do not qualify for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits under state or Federal law or PEUC.

Eligible individuals may continue receiving PUA benefits without returning to work if one of the below criteria (from the CARES Act) applies:

  • The individual has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and is seeking a medical diagnosis;
  • A member of the individual’s household has been diagnosed with COVID-19;
  • The individual is providing care for a family member or a member of the individual’s household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19;
  • A child or other person in the household for which the individual has primary caregiving responsibility is unable to attend school or another facility that is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency and such school or facility care is required for the individual to work;
  • The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because of a quarantine imposed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency;
  • The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because the individual has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19;
  • The individual was scheduled to commence employment and does not have a job or is unable to reach the job as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency;
  • The individual has become the breadwinner or major support for a household because the head of the household has died as a direct result of COVID-19;
  • The individual has to quit his or her job as a direct result of COVID-19;
  • The individual’s place of employment is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency; and/or
  • The individual meets any additional criteria established by the Secretary of Labor. In UIPL 16-20, the Secretary indicated that independent contractors (including gig workers) with a reportable income may also qualify for PUA if he or she is unemployed, partially unemployed, or the COVID-19 public health emergency has severely limited his/her ability to continue performing his/her customary work activities.

For state unemployment insurance, individuals may continue to receive benefits if they have good cause not to return to an employer, which can include pandemic-related situations. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.

In order to be eligible for PUA benefits you must self-certify that you are otherwise able to and available for work under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 23, Chapter 4, except that you are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work as a direct result of one of the COVID-19 related reasons identified in Section 2102(a)(3)(A)(ii)(I) of the CARES Act. This is a requirement of receiving PUA benefits and will be asked when you file your initial claim and again when file your weekly certifications in the PUA portal.

Additionally, you must acknowledge that you understand that making this certification is under penalty of perjury, that intentional misrepresentation in self certifying is fraud, and that you may be subject to criminal prosecution if you are found to have committed fraud.

Next Steps

Please note that the quickest and easiest way to apply for PUA is online by using the PUA portal. However, if you are unable to apply for PUA benefits online by using the PUA portal, you may complete and submit this paper application. Upon completion, please fax or mail your application to DES. Please note that you will still be required to complete identity verification with DES.

The PUA system access will allow you to update your claim to include basic demographic information and information about your wages and earnings. Your PUA weekly benefit amount is based on your wages paid and/or net income from self-employment earned during your PUA base period, which is the most recent tax year that ended prior to your unemployment that was a direct result of COVID-19. Please be prepared to provide documentation of these wages and/or self-employment. Acceptable documentation can include, but is not limited to:

  • Tax Returns, including Schedule C (if completed);
  • W2s; 
  • Copies of paycheck stubs
  • 1099s;
  • Bank receipts showing deposits
  • Business records, including ledgers, invoices or billing notices you provided to your clients or customers, business licenses, business lease agreements and invoices, and advertisements for your business or services.

You do not have to have all of the documents listed above; only those relevant to your work history. Additionally, if you do not have any of the documents listed above, or those documents do not reflect your full income, you may submit copies of other documents that you believe would demonstrate your income. The documents will be evaluated by DES.

Please also be prepared to report any compensation you have received each week since your last day of full-time employment.

As a reminder, the fastest way to receive your PUA benefits will be through direct deposit. You can provide your banking information to register for direct deposit through the PUA system so you can receive your benefits faster.  If you do not register for direct deposit, you will receive an Electronic Payment Card through Bank of America and your benefits will be loaded onto that card.

 

 

Filing Weekly Certifications

In order to receive payment for PUA benefits, claimants must complete a weekly certification for each week they wish to claim benefits for unemployment.

  • Claimants who submitted an initial application for PUA on or after December 27, 2020 can file certifications for each week they were eligible for PUA, but no earlier than benefit week ending December 5, 2020.
  • Claimants who submitted an initial application for PUA before December 27, 2020 can file certifications for each week they were eligible for PUA, but no earlier than February 1, 2020.

DES will provide information to the claimant if additional action is required.

How to Submit Work Search Activities for PUA

Learn more about Arizona’s work search requirements on the work search web page.

Additional Resources

You may qualify for other benefits such as:

The extra $600 per week for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) is not counted against eligibility for some programs:
Program FPUC UI PUA
AHCCCS Medical Assistance Not Counted Counted Counted
Nutrition Assistance Counted Counted Counted
Cash Assistance Not Counted Not Counted Not Counted

 You can apply for one or more of these programs online at www.healthearizonaplus.gov. Find more contact details regarding Nutrition, Cash, and Medical Assistance Benefits.

1099-G Tax Information

On January 28, 2021, the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) began mailing 1099-G tax forms to claimants who received unemployment benefits in the state of Arizona in 2020.

Find more information regarding the 1099-G tax forms.

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