Nebraska received nearly 8,200 new unemployment claims last week as the fallout from coronavirus-related restrictions on business continued. The latest number from the U.S. Department of Labor is about 4,000 lower than the previous week, but is still higher than average.
The number of new claims has been falling since it peaked at a record-setting surge of 26,700 in early April.
Unemployment has soared in Nebraska and nationally due to state-mandated social distancing restrictions on businesses as well as Americans who are staying sheltered at home to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
Initial claims are filed by individuals to request a determination of eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. NDOL processes initial unemployment insurance claims and, if an individual meets eligibility criteria, benefits are paid for each week of continued unemployment.
Claims by Industry
The highest counts of initial claims were in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry (940), which decreased 38.5 percent from the prior week (1,529). All industries had declines in initial claims from the prior week except for Management of Companies and Enterprises and Mining which saw an increase of 25.7 percent and 75 percent respectively. Both of these have very low numbers to begin with so this is not significant at this time.
Filing A Claim
Any worker in a non-paid status due to COVID-19 may file a claim for unemployment insurance benefits. Unemployment claims in Nebraska are filed online at NEworks.nebraska.gov. The NEworks mobile app is available to download for free. After filing a new initial claim, applicants must certify their eligibility every week that they continue to be unemployed by logging into their NEworks account.
These weekly certifications must be completed even while the new claim is still being processed. Claim and payment status can also be viewed by logging into the NEworks account.
CARES Act
The federal CARES Act created a temporary program that offers benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits including the self-employed, independent contractors, gig workers, and others (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA).
The act also increases the amount an individual on regular unemployment or PUA will receive by $600 for every week an individual is unemployed. All individuals who qualify will receive $600 in additional benefits for each eligible week of unemployment through July 25.
Workers who have been affected by the pandemic should file a claim for unemployment. NDOL will automatically review every claim that comes in for eligibility under the CARES Act.