Tennessee to end federal pandemic unemployment benefits this week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — All federally funded pandemic unemployment compensation programs will end in Tennessee on Saturday, July 3.

Back in May, Gov. Bill Lee announced that the extra federal unemployment aid offered amid the COVID-19 pandemic would not be available in Tennessee starting July 3, including the $300 weekly additional payments. With the decision, Tennessee joined several other states refusing the weekly payments.

Federal pandemic unemployment programs set to end on Saturday include the following:

• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), which provides for an additional $300 weekly payment to recipients of unemployment compensation
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides benefits for those who would not usually qualify, such as the self-employed, gig workers and part-time workers
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which provides for an extension of benefits once regular benefits have been exhausted
• Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC), which provides an additional $100 benefit to certain people with mixed earnings

Unemployment claimants in Tennessee have been required to complete three weekly job searches in order to remain eligible for benefits since Oct. 4, 2020. Any weeks filed before July 3 that are eligible under federal program requirements will continue to be processed.

If you or someone you know is searching for a job, resources can be found on the Tennessee Virtual American Job Center, which allows Tennesseans to research different programs that can help remove barriers to employment so they can more easily reenter Tennessee’s workforce. You can also search theTennessee Department of Labor and Workforce jobs site.