Pre-registration for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance begins today
Starting today, Ohio REALTORS and others who are unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but don't qualify for regular unemployment benefits can begin the pre-registration process for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), a new federal program that covers many more categories of workers including self-employed workers and 1099 tax filers.
To pre-register for PUA benefits, Ohioans should visit unemployment.ohio.gov and click on “Get Started Now.”
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' (ODJFS) online tool will allow self-employed, 1099 workers to get in line early, so that as soon as they have the technological ability to process their claims, they will already have their paperwork in and be in line for review. The department expects to be able to begin processing those claims by May 15, 2020.
As previously reported in the buzz , Ohio officials have worked to implement PUA since receiving final guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on April 5. Remember, all eligible recipients will receive their full payments, retroactive from the date their income was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It's important for recipients to retain all records.
Ohio REALTORS is continuing to have ongoing discussions about the the PUA program with the DeWine Administration, ODJFS and other state officials, specifically as it pertains to REALTORS. We will continue to provide you with updates as they become available.
