On September 4th, the pandemic-related unemployment benefits offered by the federal government ended. Those included:

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), for many left out of traditional unemployment;
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which extended the weeks for regular unemployment;
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), an additional $300 a week for all claimants; and
• Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC), an additional $100 to certain workers.

It’s a loss for so many vulnerable individuals and families struggling to put food on the table. In Massachusetts alone, more than 300,000 people have been impacted. There are many reasons individuals who lost unemployment are not able to access work right now – including child care barriers, lack of access to remote work jobs for those who are immunocompromised, concerns regarding the Delta variant of COVID-19, and more. For those who are able to access work, the hours or pay may not be consistent or pay a living wage. Benefits from the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) are a critical tool to ensure individuals and families can put food on the table.

So now what? (more…)