CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services has begun issuing payments to Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC). This program provides $300 per week in addition to each claimant’s UI benefit.
“We have completed the reprogramming of the computer system for FPUC,” said Holly McKamey Simoni, Workforce Programs Administrator for DWS. “The additional payment is automatically being applied to all claims currently being paid, and the first payment includes back pay for eligible claims back to Dec. 27.”
At this time, only UI claimants receiving regular Wyoming UI benefits will receive the FPUC payments, though DWS is working diligently to provide assistance to those eligible for the federal UI programs. These include Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). Those programs ended on Dec. 26, 2020, and the extension of both programs for up to 11 weeks took effect Dec. 27. When the system reprogramming is complete, the FPUC payments will be automatically applied to claimants filing under those programs, as well. DWS will post updates on the status of the system updates on the UI Updates page of the DWS website.