DETR’s emergency regulation to offer unemployment benefits to education support staff
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Sat, 03/27/2021 - 10:05am
The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation’s (DETR) proposed Emergency Regulation would make unemployment benefits available to the state’s education support staff for the upcoming summer.
Under current statutes, education support staff are not eligible for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in the summer term except in limited circumstances. DETR has the authority, under SB3 from the special session in 2020, to propose emergency regulations.
This proposal would take advantage of a provision in the American Rescue Plan that allows the federal government to cover up to 75 percent of the cost for reimbursable employers, such as school districts, who are essentially on a “pay-as-you-go unemployment compensation program.
The regulation, if approved by the Legislative Commission, would allow education support staff to apply for unemployment benefits in between terms this summer as a response to the COVID pandemic. Covered staff would include individuals employed by a county school district, a charter school, or a private elementary or secondary institution licensed in the State. Individuals would be able to apply once the current school year is completed with benefits collected only for weeks of unemployment in the time period the emergency regulation is effective. All UI eligibility requirements would apply.
Staff covered under the regulation would not be eligible for PUA benefits since federal law states that UI is the program of predominance with no exceptions in this particular claimant scenario.
“We understand the state’s education support employees are in a unique situation due to the pandemic. Many will be able to return to their jobs this summer. This proposed emergency regulation will provide targeted relief for those employees who don’t have that option,” said Lynda Parven, DETR’s ESD Administrator.
For more information and to view a copy of the emergency regulation, employers can visit: ui.nv.gov and detr.nv.gov . Employers with questions can contact DETR’s Contributions Office at (775) 684-6310 or the online registration Help Desk at (866) 429-9758.
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ABOUT DETR: The Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation (DETR) is the state’s lead workforce development agency. It consists of divisions that offer workforce related services, job placement and training, services for people with disabilities, investigation of claims of discrimination, unemployment insurance benefits, labor market data and more. Many of these services are provided through Nevada JobConnect career centers and in cooperation with its community partners.
