By Rob Gilmore & Melissa Yasinow
Although the State of Ohio is slowly starting to reopen, COVID-19 continues to take its toll on employment. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported another 35,430 initial jobless claims to the U.S. Department of Labor for the week ending June 6, 2020. These recent additions bring the 12-week total of initial jobless claims to over 1.3 million, which is more than the past three years combined.
So far, ODJFS has distributed more than $3.8 billion in unemployment compensation. This amount is in addition to the $1.5 billion in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments to those who traditionally would not qualify for unemployment compensation, such as self-employed workers, independent contractors and part time workers. PUA is a temporary federal relief program authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and it provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment assistance for those who are not covered under regular unemployment.
If you have any questions about unemployment or PUA in Ohio, we are here to help. Please contact Rob Gilmore (rsg@kjk.com or 216.736.7240), Melissa Yasinow (may@kjk.com or 216.736.7205) or any of KJK’s Labor & Employment professionals.