DETR: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance initial claims filings over 1 million, Continued claims rise for programs

For the week ending January 30, initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) totaled 9,821, down 284 claims, or 2.8 percent, compared to the previous week’s total of 10,105 claims, according to finalized data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR).

Through the week ending January 30, there have been a total of 834,138 initial claims filed since the week ending March 14, 2020.

Continued claims, which represent the current number of insured unemployed workers filing weekly for unemployment insurance benefits, totaled 80,891 claims, a decrease of 36 claims from the previous week’s total of 80,927. Continued claims have seen little change over the last 6 weeks.

Nevada’s Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which provides up to 13 weeks of benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits, saw 65,308 claims filed in the week, a decline of 3,820 claims from last week’s total of 69,128.

The passage of HR 133, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, updated the number of available benefit weeks for the PEUC program. Originally 13 weeks, starting the week ending January 2, claimants may be eligible for up to an additional 11 weeks of PEUC in certain circumstances.

Nevada’s State Extended Benefit (SEB) program, which provides additional benefits to individuals who have exhausted both their regular and PEUC program benefits, saw 66,066 claims filed in the week, an increase of 6,285 claims from a week ago. New guidance from the Department of Labor may require DETR to change the sequence of applying and paying out SEB benefits.

The insured unemployment rate for the regular UI program, which is the ratio of regular continued claims in a week to the total number of jobs covered by the unemployment insurance system (also known as covered employment), was 6.1 percent, unchanged from the previous week’s rate. Including claimants in the benefit extension programs, the rate, more appropriately called the extended insured unemployment rate, was 16.0 percent. It should be noted that the calculation of the insured unemployment rate is different from that of the state’s total unemployment rate.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides benefits for self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers saw 70,368 initial claims filed in the week ending January 30, a decline of 41,294 claims, or 37.0 percent, from last week’s total of 111,662. Initial applications for the PUA program continue to be highly variable due to ongoing high levels of fraudulent applications. Through the week ending January 30, there have been a total of 1,032,652 PUA initial claims filed.

There were 118,708 PUA continued claims filed in the week ending January 30, an increase of 22,619 claims, or 23.5 percent, from the previous week’s revised total of 96,089. This is the highest number of continued claims for the PUA program since early September. Following the passage of HR 133, additional weeks of benefits were made available to PUA claimants which may explain the increase in continued claims.

To file for unemployment in the State of Nevada, please use the online application available 24/7 at http://ui.nv.gov/css.html. People unable to file online may file via telephone by calling a UI Claims Call Center between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Northern UI Call Center: (775) 684-0350;
Southern UI Call Center: (702) 486-0350;
Rural areas and Out-of-State: (888) 890-8211.

Claimants are encouraged to use the internet to file their UI claims, as it is the fastest and most convenient way to file and reserves the phone lines for individuals who are not able to file online. Online filing during non-peak hours, such as early mornings, at night or weekends is also highly recommended. To continue to receive benefits, claimants must file weekly.

DETR is actively working with law enforcement entities and the Department of Labor to detect, prevent and address unemployment fraud. Employers and individuals who believe they have been a victim of unemployment fraud, can file a report with the agency by visiting www.detr.nv.gov and selecting the Unemployment Fraud tab on the left under “Quick links” and clicking on “Report Fraud to DETR.”

Once a report is filed with the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), nothing else is required by the reporting party. DETR will flag the account so payments are not issued. If needed, the Department may reach out for additional information. To view what additional steps individuals and employers can take if they believe a fraudulent claim has been filed, review DETR’s fraud flyer located on the Bulletin Board at www.detr.nv.gov.

For Nevada workers who are self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers, Nevada’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA) is available. For further information regarding the PUA program visit, detr.nv.gov/pua#.

Individuals will be able to file online at www.employnv.gov or call the PUA Call Center at (800) 603-9681 or 775-298-6007 or 702-998-3081 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and

Saturday between 8 a.m. and noon.

Claimants are encouraged to visit http://ui.nv.gov/css.html and detr.nv.gov/coronavirus to view important announcements and access essential resources. Online tutorial videos are also available in both English and Spanish and can be viewed on the Nevada Unemployment Insurance YouTube page.

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