The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) announced today that unemployed workers would start receiving $300 in supplemental unemployment benefits early next week.
The additional benefits will last for 11 weeks and are being provided as part of the $900 billion federal stimulus package signed into law on Dec. 27. The law includes an extension of a federal CARES Act program that had originally provided $600 in supplemental benefits that expired in July.
The NJDOL plans to start processing the payments this weekend, with the money appearing on claimants’ debit cards or as direct deposits on Tuesday. It typically takes 2 to 3 business days for the money to get to claimants after the payments are processed, depending on their bank.
“We were among the first states to distribute the earlier federal supplemental payments to workers after the passage of the CARES Act in April and are equally proud to get this new federal relief out the door quickly,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo.
“Staff hires and automation upgrades completed since the spring have helped make it possible for us to get this benefit to struggling New Jerseyans with no gap or delay,” Asaro-Angelo said.
The $300 weekly benefit is in addition to regular unemployment payments and is for anyone eligible for any amount of unemployment from any federal or state program. The first week of eligibility is the week ending Jan. 2, 2021 and the program runs through March 13, 2021.
Enactment of the Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act of 2020 also means current recipients of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which extended benefits to gig workers and the self-employed, are likely eligible to receive benefits for 11 additional weeks, through March 13. These claimants should continue to certify for benefits weekly, according to the schedule found on NJDOL’s website, myunemployment.nj.gov.
For claimants who have exhausted PUA or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) on or after Dec. 26, it will be a few weeks before weekly benefit certifications can again be processed. NJDOL is working to reprogram its systems to get this extended program up and running.
Once these claimants are notified that the 11 additional weeks have been added to their account, they will be able to certify for all past weeks, starting with the week ending Jan. 2, 2021.
More information on unemployment benefits can be found at myunemployment.nj.gov. To view current job openings in the state, visit New Jersey’s jobs portal at jobs.covid19.nj.gov.
