Joblessaid

eligible for regular state aid but lose work, through no fault of their own, in the midst of the ongoingCOVID19 pandemic.

Previously, when PUAwas first enacted, theU.S. Department of Labor urged states to let claimants “self-certify” their eligibility and their earnings history, in an attempt to get payments to those citizens quickly.

“Unfortunately, that opened the door to criminal activity,” Henderson said.

Thenewrequirementisan effort to address fraudulent claims happening nationwide, she said.

The economy has struggled anew under a surge of COVID-19 cases in recent months. The pace of hiring has slowed considerably fromthe summer, and Ohio payrolls are down about 6% from a year ago.

Todeal withwhat hasbeen a recent increase in phone calls from Ohioans seeking benefits, Henderson said she hopes to scale the number of OD JFS employees who can take calls up to 1,900 by March.

The department began the pandemic with just over 450employees takingphone calls.

People who exhaust regular unemployment benefits may be eligible for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation. If they exhaust that , they are potentially eligible for extended benefits. If they exhaust all three programs, they could be eligible for

PUA.

The PEUC program now offersupto24weeks, instead of the previous 13 weeks. Ohioans can file new applications for those benefits now, Henderson said.

And the “Federal PandemicUnemploymentCompensation” program now offers $300 a week, down from the previous $600 a week.

Those programswere left in limbo before Congress passed its latest aid package in late December. President Trump signed the package into law Dec. 27.

In the week ending Jan. 2, more than 334,00 Ohioans received unemployment benefits of some kind .