Individuals not eligible for State Unemployment Benefits may now qualify for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance due to COVID-19. This includes:
- Self-Employed or Independent Contractors
- Gig Economy Workers
- Church employees, Nonprofit and Governmental Workers
- Individuals previously found monetarily ineligible
- Workers who have exhausted regular unemployment compensation benefits
NMDWS will begin accepting Pandemic Unemployment applications on Sunday, April 26th so complete Step 1 now!
STEP 1: Apply for State Unemployment.
- Go to www.jobs.state.nm.us and set up an account.
- File a State Unemployment Insurance claim to determine if your income is covered by the State Unemployment Insurance program.
- Disclose all income for the past 18 months. Acceptable forms of proof of earnings include copies of income tax return forms such as; 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040NR, 1040NR-EZ, 1040 Schedule C, E, F, SE, and K-1.
- After you submit your application, the process may take several days.
- Once you are deemed ineligible for regular benefits, you will be provided a link to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. This application will become available on Sunday, April 26.
- If you have already filed a claim for State Unemployment Insurance, you do not need to file a new one.
This video will show you how to set up an account:
STEP 2: After receiving notice of State Unemployment ineligibility, open the link to access Pandemic Unemployment Application.
- Beginning Sunday, April 26, eligible workers will be able to access the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance application link through their online claim.
- You will submit additional information required including proof of earnings and proof of employment.
- Provide proof of earnings from your most recently filed tax return (2018 or 2019) for NMDWS to determine your weekly benefit amount.
- Pandemic Assistance is payable for weeks of unemployment, partial unemployment, or inability to work caused by COVID-19 related reasons beginning on or after January 27, 2020. It is not payable for any week of unemployment ending after December 31, 2020.
- The minimum weekly benefit amount is $169, while the maximum is $461. The weekly benefit amount does not include the $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. The $600 is in addition and is also paid for any week that you receive a Pandemic Unemployment payment. This additional $600 can be paid between the week beginning March 29, 2020 and the week ending July 25, 2020. There is no additional action you need to take to receive the $600 beyond filing your weekly certification.
- If approved and after certifying (and if there are no other issues that require further review), you may be able to receive your first payment within 3 business days through direct deposit or an existing Unemployment benefits debit card.
- Claimants must certify weekly, and once these claims are processed, all eligible weeks will be paid retroactively.
- Do not call to confirm your claim has been filed or to check status. If there are any unresolved issues impacting your claim or if we have questions, we will contact you directly.
This video will provide answers to FAQ's:
Resources
Important note: None of the benefits described above, nor unemployment benefits of any kind, are available to employees who quit without good work-related cause, refuse to return to work or refuse to receive full-time pay. Refusing to return to work could result in a disqualification for benefit eligibility. Attempts to collect unemployment benefits after quitting a job without good work-related cause is considered to be fraud. The CARES Act specifically provides for serious consequences for fraudulent cases including fines, confinement, and an inability to receive future unemployment benefits until all fraudulent claims and fines have been repaid. Employers are encouraged to utilize the New Hire system to report those employees who fail to return to work.
Comments