The United States Department of Labor has issued instructions regarding the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Insurance Compensation (FPUC) program. FPUC provides an additional $600 per week to individuals who are receiving regular unemployment insurance, including Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees and Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers. In addition, FPUC is available to persons receiving Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Extended Benefits, Short-Term Compensation, Trade Readjustment Allowances, Disaster Unemployment Assistance and payments under the Self-Employment Assistance program. FPUC is available until the week ending on July 31, 2020.
FPUC is not available to persons receiving extended benefits for persons in approved training who have exhausted benefits (in California that is persons receiving California Training Benefits).
FPUC benefits are disregarded for purposes of Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
States must notify potentially eligible individuals of their entitlement to FPUC. That notice should include the beginning and end date of FPUC.
All terms and conditions of state or federal unemployment insurance that apply to claims for regular unemployment insurance apply to FPUC.
Individuals who are having their regular unemployment insurance intercepted to recover an overpayment are eligible for FPUC.
Child support obligations are deducted from FPUC in the same manner as they are deducted from regular unemployment insurance.
FPUC payments are taxable. (Unemployment Insurance Program Letter No. 15-20, April 4, 2020.)