To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com.
Upon taking office, President Joe Biden, through an executive order, instructed the U.S.
Department of Labor (DOL) to review prior guidance on the
availability of an individual to receive unemployment benefits if
the individual has refused to return to work or take new work due
to a fear of contracting COVID-19. On February 25, 2021, the DOL
issued new guidance related to a return to work under a scenario in
which an individual feels unsafe. The DOL also extended
unemployment coverage to educational workers and individuals
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Upon taking office, President Joe Biden, through an executive order, instructed the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to review prior guidance on the availability of an individual to receive unemployment benefits if the individual has refused to return to work or take new work due to a fear of contracting COVID-19. On February 25, 2021, the DOL issued new guidance related to a return to work under a scenario in which an individual feels unsafe. The DOL also extended unemployment coverage to educational workers and individuals impacted by part-time or reduced hours work.
The DOL’s Unemployment Insurance Program Letter No. 16-20, Change 5 instructs state unemployment agencies that individuals in the following three circumstances and categories are eligible to receive unemployment benefits:
Mark Warner (D-VA).
Senator Hassan and colleagues are raising this issue after hearing from constituents who have been denied Pandemic Unemployment Assistance even though they had their hours reduced or have been temporarily laid off due to changes in how businesses are operating amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current Department of Labor policy states that these workers are ineligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance if their workplaces are open, and the Senators are calling for this to change. We believe workers who have their hours reduced or are temporarily laid off when their employer reduces business operations due to COVID-19 are covered under PUA, and that the
5 Min Read
(Reuters) - Many workers called back by employers resuming or expanding operations despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic face a dilemma: return to jobs that put them at high risk of the virus, or say no, and risk going without pay or unemployment benefits.
FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden talks with a worker at the FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) Mack Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
President Joe Biden argues workers should not have to make that choice.
An executive order signed on his second full day in office could make it easier for people to still qualify for jobless benefits if they quit or refuse a job that puts them at undue risk of infection from the coronavirus.
Workers Refusing Unsafe Work May Be Able to Get Unemployment Insurance
Many workers called back by employers resuming or expanding operations despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic face a dilemma: return to jobs that put them at high risk of the virus, or say no, and risk going without pay or unemployment benefits.
President Joe Biden argues workers should not have to make that choice.
An executive order signed on his second full day in office could make it easier for people to still qualify for jobless benefits if they quit or refuse a job that puts them at undue risk of infection from the coronavirus.