The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation or PEUC is a program of the federal that offers up to 13 weeks of unemployment benefits to people who have already used up their regular unemployment under federal or state law.

As stated in Floridajobs.org, Florida citizens may qualify for a maximum amount of "$275 + $600 in weekly benefits." The latter-mentioned additional amount applies to the weeks of being unemployed from March 29.

During the first week, the website indicates, a claimant can be remunerated on this benefit, is the week starting, specifically on March 29 this year, and the last payable week is the week that ends on December 26, also this year.

Secretary John Satter, whom Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to oversee the surge in pandemic unemployment of the state said, in end-April that the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity or DEO or was already working on being able to govern such benefits.

Application through the DEO CONNECT System

Prior to this week, according to reports, those who have already exhausted their regular unemployment benefit and receive an instruction to apply for the federal benefits were not able to find the application on Floridajobs.org as the state was not yet ready to have the benefits processed.

According to Satter, they are developing the system so they can accept the applications since they are federal dollars.

He also added it could take five to seven days more for the said applications to be processed via the DEO CONNECT system.

Early this week, the department said Florida can now process applications for PEUC. This means that Florida citizens who have exhausted their unemployment benefits already, or those with a claim that expires after July 1, can seek application to the said benefits.

Since March, based on the DEO Dashboard, over two million claims for unemployment benefits have already been filed in the state. Florida, reports said, has already remunerated, as of June 2, over $4 billion to more than one million claimants

The PEUC and FPUC

PEUC is a federal CARES Act program that the Florida DEO administers. The said benefit allows a maximum of an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits until the "end of state Reemployment Assistance benefit."

Meaning, qualified claimants may collect benefits for unemployment for a longer time compared to when under normal conditions.

The PEUC will provide the claimants with a maximum of $275 each week in benefits, on top of the $600 through the FPUC or Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, also in weekly benefits.

Floridians can apply for this unemployment benefit if they have already exhausted their Federal Reemployment Assistance or regular state benefits. They can apply as well, if their benefit year had already reached its expiration after July 1 last year.

It is important to know that Floridians should apply for PEUC benefits if their current claim balance shows that it has been exhausted, or they have already used up their benefits. They can apply too, if they have "a Reemployment Assistance Claim" that expired after July 1 last year.

The Florida DEO will be providing notice to those who have used up their benefit, or their claims have expired following the July 1, 2019 due. Along with the notice, are the detailed instructions on the process of application for PEUC benefits.

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