VIRGINIA, USA — Editor's note: The video above aired on July 8, 2021.
Four pandemic-era unemployment programs are set to end in Virginia on Sept. 4, the state's Employment Commission (VEC) announced Friday.
The programs were authorized by the CARES Act of 2020 and extended through two coronavirus relief packages in 2021. The VEC said $14 billion in benefits have been issued to Virginians over the course of the pandemic.
The programs affected are:
- Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which provides an additional $300 weekly payments on top of state payments
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which provides benefits for those not typically eligible for unemployment, such as self-employed or gig workers
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which provides extended benefits after a person exhausts regular unemployment insurance benefits
- Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation, which provides additional $100 weekly payments to certain people who have at least $5,000 in self-employment income in the most recent taxable year
The VEC says it will continue to process and pay benefits to eligible people leading up to Sept. 4. People who claimed benefits are being notified of the programs ending.
If a person is entitled to benefits and their claim is found to be valid after the programs end, they'll be paid what they're owed.