The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) administers the unemployment compensation program for the Commonwealth. This includes the now expired pandemic enhanced unemployment benefits, for which all current and retroactive payments have now been issued, other than those under appeal or litigation.
Fortunately, the lessons learned from and system upgrades as a result of the pandemic mean the VEC now has better systems and process to take, pay and monitor unemployment benefits. See the sections below for current and past unemployment programs in the states, including some FAQs and following comments forum.
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How Much Unemployment Can I Get Paid In Virginia?
With the expiry the pandemic unemployment programs, only traditional/regular state unemployment is available for full or partial unemployment claims. The table below provides key details on the latest unemployment benefits and qualifying wage requirements.
You will need to submit a claim or certify your application via the state’s unemployment website (see section below on filing a claim) to get your actual weekly benefit amount.
Note that to qualify for unemployment, your job or hours worked loss will generally need to be involuntary. I.e. through no fault of your own or via directly quitting. Your job and wages must also have been paid/covered by an employer or source that deducted unemployment insurance taxes per state law (see your paycheck).
Further if you are being paid severance via a layoff or able to use sick leave or paid vacation, you cannot claim unemployment.
You will also need to certify for benefits at weekly intervals, demonstrate ongoing work availability and evidence of job search requirements to keep getting weekly unemployment benefits.
| Weekly Unemployment Available with Dependents (Min – Max) | $60 – $378 |
| Benefit Duration | 12 to 26 weeks, in addition to first week waiting period where no benefits are paid |
| Minimum Qualifying Income over Base Period | Earned greater than $3,000 in two quarters in the base period. To get maximum benefit amount, must have earned over $18,900 in same period |
| Part-Time Income or Workers – UI benefits impact | If weekly gross income is less than WBSA, that gross income less $50 will be deducted from your weekly benefit amount. If weekly earnings > WBA, no benefits will be paid. |
Why is my weekly benefit payment lower than the maximum amount?
Your actual weekly benefit amount (WBA) is the amount of money your state agency has determined you and your dependents may receive for regular unemployment insurance after filing a claim. This can change weekly based on your certification or claim for benefits.
Your actual WBA is based on the amount that you earned over the states pre-defined base or alternate wage period, which are generally based on four out of the last five completed calendar quarters spanning 12 to 18 months.
The higher your earnings, the higher your approved WBA will be, up to the maximum amount allowed in the state. All earnings must be subject to UI tax (covered employment) to be eligible for factoring into your benefit determination.
Any part time or temporary earnings from employment or other activities during eligible weeks you are claiming and certifying for benefits, will potentially reduce the amount of benefits you may get.
Also note that that your state UI agency may deduct overpayments and court-ordered child support from your weekly payment. This will reduce your WBA.
What if I worked or lived in another state?
If you worked or lived in another state during the base year, you should file your unemployment benefits claim in the state you worked in and where your wages were reported. Not where you reside at the time of claim. You can file a claim in multiple states.
Your claim will be paid and governed by laws of that state in which you applied for. You will need to report this on your state and federal income taxes per form 1099-G issued by the state’s UI agency.
Claimants will also need to apply or reapply for UI benefits when they reach the end of their benefit year.
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End of Federal Enhanced Benefits in Virginia (PUA, PEUC, $300 FPUC and $100 MEUC)
The VEC has confirmed that claimants on the PEUC, PUA, MEUC and FPUC programs will file/certify for benefits for the last time covering the week ending September 4, 2021. Since the beginning of these programs, the VEC has issued over $14 Billion in benefits.
Any active claims, with or without remaining balances, will expire after this date and any weeks after Sep 5th will NOT be paid. The only exception are retroactive payments for validated claims after a successful determination or appeal.
While there has been a lot of discussion around extending pandemic unemployment benefits, the Biden administration has confirmed (see video) that states will have to use already allocated stimulus funding to expand or extend traditional state unemployment programs. The VEC has not indicated that is planning to do so at this stage, but I will post updates if things change.
Some claimants may be eligible for State Extended Benefits (SEB), but after September 4th all claimants must have a regular UI claim to continue receiving benefits. Also see the VEC website for other support and benefit programs.
Work Search Requirements Causing Benefit Payment Issues
Over the last few months many claimants have reported that their UI benefits have stopped, particularly since the VEC reinstated work search requirements, which their antiquated systems have struggled to process (especially for PUA claims). This is despite eligible claimants applying for jobs and reporting this on their weekly claims. The Benefit Year End Date (BYE), discussed in earlier updates below, does not seem to be the cause of the issue in most cases.
Governor Northam had asked claimants to be patient, despite Virginia being ranked among the worst states in paying claims, but this is not of much help to the many jobless workers who rely on federal and state unemployment benefits to pay for essentials and make ends meet.
Coupled with ongoing fraudulent claims many claimants have been caught in a web of automated call systems and process bureaucracy as their claims go unpaid. Getting hold of a live VEC agent has also been a challenge with many reporting hours of hold times and/or getting an untrained/new agent who is not able to help them (see some VEC contact options)
While the VEC, in a recent court hearing, said it had made significant progress in resolving thousands of unpaid and retroactive claims, it is estimated over 50,000 claims are still pending for review. Because a lot of these claims have to be checked manually so it could unfortunately take several months for eligible claimants to get paid – which the VEC has to legally to so. I will post updates as I get them and check the comments forum below for more information.
Reminder for Work Search requirements (Required for claims to be paid)
You must register online to get paid or at a workforce services agency if you live outside Virginia. Beginning the week of May 30th, you must actively make at least two job contacts each week and report the details online or over the phone: For regular UI claimants, online at www.getgov2go.com or over the phone at 800-897-5630; For PUA claimants, you must call 866-832-2363 and follow the prompts to file your weekly claim
Is Virginia Ending ALL Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Early – Including $300 Supplementary Weekly Benefit
Following recent job reports and state wide labor shortages, many states have announced an end to participation in one or more federally funded pandemic unemployment programs in the coming weeks. This covers the termination of PUA, PEUC, $300 FPUC and $100 MEUC programs extended under the Biden ARPA stimulus bill discussed below.
The argument is that these generous unemployment benefits deter lower income workers (who make less than $15 p/hour) from returning to work. Opponents argue that the reason people are not going back to work is due to fears around getting COVID, child care and schooling constraints.
At this stage the VEC has not received any instructions from the Governor to end the unemployment programs early, but given the worker shortage in the state there will likely be a lot of pressure from businesses to end these programs earlier than planned, as was the case in neighboring Maryland. I’ll update as more information comes to hand.
Biden Stimulus Bill Extensions
Under President Biden’s $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan (ARP), enhanced unemployment benefits have been extended until September 6th (week ending September 4th in Virginia). This includes further extensions to the PUA program, PEUC program, $300 weekly payment under the FPUC program and $100 Mixed Earners (MEUC) program.
There were also provisions in the Biden Stimulus package for Unemployment tax breaks on the first $10,200 of benefits received in 2020.
VA VEC Latest News and Status on PUA, PEUC and $300 Weekly Payment or Claim Issues and System Updates
The VEC has provided the following updates for claimants around the extended coverage period funded under the Biden ARP stimulus bill:
- You do not need to reapply for the extended benefit weeks. The VEC will automatically enroll you in the appropriate program extension (PUA or PEUC).
- However, if you are notified that your benefit year (BYE) has ended you must file a new traditional claim (UI) to establish a new benefit year.
- You should continue to file your weekly claim for benefits as you normally would as long as you remain unemployed.
- You will not need to contact the VEC in order for these program extensions to take effect. The VEC will mail you a Monetary determination that reflects the increase in eligibility.
- The additional weekly payment of $300 under the FPUC program will be extended through September 4, 2021 as well.
- The Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) program which provides $100 extra per week to non PUA recipients who have had mixed income (W2 and 1099) will be available from April 26, 2021.
There are however some known issues many claimants are reporting per the comments forum below this article. This includes:
- PUA payment delays due to additional documentation requirements per updated DOL guidelines or proof of ongoing job searches as part of reinstatement of the weekly work search requirement.
- Its still hard to get through to someone at the VEC for those whose benefits have lapsed. Keep trying as in some instances you will need a VEC rep to manually progress your claim or to provide additional information to verify your claim.
- Certifying over the app has caused some issues in which case calling to certify (1 866 832-2363) has provided a workaround.
- Many are reporting scam emails to potential claimants asking for personal and private data. Do not share this online or to people you don’t know. Only go to the VEC site to load documents and provide required certifications. If an email address doesn’t end in vec.virginia.gov, it’s not a real VEC address!
- While the PUA and PEUC extensions are now available till Sep 4th, many people are reporting a lapse in benefits, which is mainly due to the need to provide additional documentation (PUA claimants) or not filing a new claim after you have reached your benefit year end.
- Some people who returned to work and stopped claiming benefits, but are now unemployed again are having a tough time reinstating claim due to manual checks the VEC has to do, which is taking more time than expected. Retroactive payments will be made for eligible weeks but this is a known issue.
I will post ongoing updates as they are released so stay tuned via the options below.
2021 Unemployment Program Extensions Under COVID Relief Bill
The $900 billion COVID-19 relief package was passed into law on Dec. 27, 2020, which among several other pandemic relief measures extends and provides additional federal funding for enhanced unemployment benefits. This includes the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and a reinstatement, but halving of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) Program which provides a $300 supplemental weekly unemployment payment.
These programs have been funded and extended for 11 weeks, covering the weeks of December 27th, 2020 to March 14th, 2021. PEUC and PUA programs have a phase out period where existing claimants with remaining weeks/balances can file for benefits until the week ending April 10th, 2021. The first week people would be eligible for these payments under the extended coverage period would be the week ending January 2nd, 2021. You can see a summary of the latest VA VEC payment dates in this video and in the commentary below. Also scroll to the end of the article where some helpful readers have provided comments on working through challenges with unemployment claims and getting through to the VEC and talking to a live agent.
2021 PEUC and PUA programs extension – Reinstatement and Reapplying for benefits
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(Feb 17th, 2021 update) The PUA program eleven-week extension is now showing up for most claimants in line with the VEC update below. As a result existing claimants can certify and should start getting payments, including retroactive payments, in early February. New PUA applications are also being accepted. For those who have yet to receive their payment it is like due to some issues with your claim that may need manual processing (e.g. flagged for fraud or additional wage evidence), which the VEC is working through and sending notices to impacted claimants.
The PEUC program 11-week updates have now been rolled out for those who exhausted their benefits and for new claimants. If you have exhausted the original 13 weeks of benefits under the PEUC program you can then be considered for an additional 11 weeks of extended benefits under the CAA COVID relief bill. After several weeks of delay the VEC finally announced the rollout of the extended PEUC weeks (PEUC 2.0) in two different stages based on claimant group as follows:
Group I – PEUC claimants who have exhausted their initial 13-week benefit and have claimed weeks through 12/26/20 will have the additional 11 weeks automatically added to their claim and should not file a new claim. They should continue filing weekly claims. Payment for weeks claimed beginning with the week ending 01/02/21 will be automatically released from 02/09/21 and customers should receive money (including retroactive payments as well hopefully) as early as Thursday 2/11/21.
Group II – PEUC claimants who are not able to file a weekly claim must file a new PEUC 2021 claim. The application is not available via going to getgov2go.com. New claimants can create an account online or by calling 1-866-832-2363. Those who file a new claim can start claiming weeks for payment once their application has been processed, usually in 1-2 business days. The extra $300 FPUC weekly payment will be also be paid for the 11-weeks of extra PEUC.
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(PEUC claimants with remaining original balances) If you did not exhaust your 13 weeks of PEUC prior to December 27th, 2020 you will be allowed to claim additional weeks. VEC has updated their UI benefit systems to allow for these changes. Individuals in this category should now be able to claim the remaining weeks beginning with the benefit week ending January 2nd, 2020. Payments, including retroactive payments, will be made shortly after that.
(PUA claimants with remaining balances) If you did not exhaust your 39 weeks of PUA you can now claim the additional weeks.
Getting the $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) in Virginia
The program will add an additional $300 each week that you receive benefits under the following programs: regular Unemployment Insurance (UI), State Extended Benefits (EB), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). This additional benefit will be added to and retroactive to the week ending January 2, 2021. FPUC will be payable as long as you are eligible through benefit week ending March 14, 2021. This is NOW available to all people who can claim benefits, which are subject to the PUA and PEUC dates noted above.
Final guidelines on these programs and final eligibility (including additional document verification procedures to combat Fraud) have been issued by the Department of Labor and the VEC is rolling out these changes (see latest VEC update)
Claimants with existing or expired claim balances should be aware of the following general guidelines:
- PUA and PEUC, FPUC will be automatically added to the claimants’ benefits if they are eligible for the weeks outlined in the new legislation.
- Claimants with weeks remaining in UI should continue to file weekly claims
- Claimants who will have additional weeks in UI and PUA or PEUC due to state provisions (where applicable) should watch their state agency UI portal or website for updates that will allow additional weeks to be filed (see potential scenarios where you need to take action to get benefits under the new extension)
- Claimants will be retroactively caught up on payments for all weeks they are eligible.
I will post additional updates as they are released by the VEC in coming days
Backlog of UI payments continue to be processed
After being threatened with a lawsuit, the VEC decided to pay unemployment benefits (from 12/10) to thousands of Virginians whose claims had previously been on hold because they were “awaiting a staff review.” State officials decided to go ahead and proactively pay the applicants while their claims make their way through the determination process.
But if the determination process finds the recipients were not due the money, they will have to pay it back, possibly along with interest and fees. So ensure your application is valid and you are eligible for program benefits.
Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) in Virginia – Payments now processing and being paid
The VEC has processed and made all weekly payments under the Lost Wages Assistance program (LWA). That started processing payments around October 16th and payments started hitting people’s bank accounts or debit cards from October 19th.
Amounts to qualified applicants were paid retroactively to August 1 for 6 weeks (up to $1800 in total if you qualified for all 6 weeks). Several readers have acknowledged the lack of information and delayed payment relative to other states as you can see in the comments below. The original payment date was Sep 30, but got changed several times by the VEC due to ongoing system programming issues. This is much later than other states. I will continue to post updates if new information comes to hand. See further details in the section below including a link to the VA LWA page.
Update from Bill on VEC issues – “So thanks to the assistance of all those on this site I was able to call the VEC [on October 13th] and actually speak to someone regarding the $300. If you are on UI, PEUC, or anything but PUA you will have to call or self certify for LWA to receive the extra $300 retro pay. Also I was told that the payments will start being processed on the 15th of October and the money will hit accounts Thursday the 15th, Friday the 16th or Monday the 19th just depending on your institution or payment method. October 15th is the processing date. So I was told not to panic if the money is not in on the 15th. I hope this helps y’all Virginians.”
COVID 19 Enhanced (CARES Act) Benefits in Virginia
Under the CARES act, there are three types of federal unemployment assistance available:
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA): expands eligibility for traditionally ineligible individuals for unemployment benefits, including independent contractors and self-employed individuals. Recipients may receive up to 39 weeks of benefit payments under this program.
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC): adds $600 per week and the regular benefits that recipients of Unemployment Insurance are entitled to receive; the benefit is retroactive to the week beginning March 29, 2020, and the program expired on July 31, 2020.
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC): provides an additional 13 weeks of Unemployment benefits to regular unemployment insurance recipients.
If you have exhausted benefits paid through the regular unemployment and PEUC program, you may be entitled to receive up to 50% of the total amount received on your regular unemployment benefits through the Extended Benefit (EB) program. This program covers an additional 6 to 13 weeks of unemployment benefits, depending upon the number of weeks you were eligible for benefits on your original unemployment insurance claim.
VA Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) Payment Details and Schedule
In addition to the above enhanced benefits, you may be eligible for Lost Wage Assistance (LWA) if you are out of work due to COVID-19. If your weekly benefit payment is at least $100, and you were eligible for unemployment benefits, you may receive an additional $300 in assistance retroactive through weeks ending August 1, 2020 to September 5th, 2020. You do not need to file a separate request/application for LWA; however, you may need to self-certify to confirm that you are unemployed or partially unemployed because of COVID-19.
Applicants only need to self-certify that they are unemployed/partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. If they don’t self-certify by 10/15/20 they may not be eligible to receive any of the $300 due to FEMA funding limitations. See more details on the VA LWA page.
Because of VEC programming/IT issues, the LWA payment will be made after October 15th, well after the funding approval from FEMA (Sep 12th). So most likely the payment to VA residents eligible for this payment will be for the full amount they are eligible for (up to $1800) during the covered period.
Initial Claims: If this is the first time that you are filing an unemployment claim under any of the federal or state programs available, you must first file an initial unemployment insurance claim to determine your eligibility and which programs may apply to you.
If you are eligible for regular unemployment benefits, you will receive a Monetary Determination Letter and PIN, typically within 7 to 10 business days of filing your initial claim. Your Monetary Determination letter lets you know what financial benefits you may possibly be eligible for; however, this may change based on the weekly claims you submit (addressed under Existing Claimants below).
If you receive a Monetary Determination letter stating that you are ineligible for regular unemployment benefits, you will then be directed via a phone call or text message to apply for PUA here.
Existing Claimants: Claimants receiving unemployment benefits due to the coronavirus pandemic must continue to certify every week to receive unemployment benefits under any state or federal program. This includes the additional FPUC $600/week benefit and the PUA program.
The extra $600/week compensation is retroactive to the week beginning on March 29 and ends on July 31. FPUC payments are automatically added to the weekly benefit payment.
Upon exhausting regular unemployment benefits, you must file a separate application to receive PEUC benefits.
Claimants that have exhausted both regular unemployment and PEUC benefits may be eligible for an additional 6 to 13 weeks of unemployment benefits under the Extended Benefits program. A separate application is required.
Filing an Initial Claim (Post-Pandemic)
You must file your initial unemployment claim through the VEC Virginia Workforce Development online or via their call center. You will need the following information to file your first claim.
- Social Security Number
- Personal mailing address and contact information
- Employment history for the past 18 months, including:
- Employers’ business names
- The physical address for each employer
- Telephone number
- First and the last date that you worked for each employer
- The reason you are no longer employed
- Alien Registration number and the date your work authorization expires if you are not a US citizen
- The name and local number of the union hall (if you obtain work through a union)
To be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits in Virginia, you must meet the following eligibility requirements during the pandemic:
- Unemployed or had a reduction in hours due to no fault of your own
- Earned enough wages to be eligible for unemployment benefits
Filing Weekly Claims
You must file a weekly claim to prove that you are still eligible and qualify for unemployment benefits. Your weekly claim cannot be filed until the end of the workweek, which is Saturday at midnight. You have up to 28 days after the end of each week that you are unemployed to file this weekly claim. Weekly claims can be filed online or over the phone.
If you don’t file your weekly claim within the required time, you will not be paid unemployment benefits for this week. You must call the VEC for assistance.
Existing claimants that are eligible for regular unemployment log in here to file their weekly claims.
To find out your claim’s status, call the Voice Response System at 800-897-5630, and choose “Claims and Benefits.”
If there is a problem with your claim that must be resolved before benefits can be paid or you have appealed a denial in benefits, you must still file a weekly claim online or over the phone. If it is determined that you are eligible or if you win your appeal, you will be paid these benefits retroactively. However, if you win the appeal but have not claimed benefits, you will not be paid for these weeks.
I filed my unemployment claim several weeks ago. Will I receive back pay once my claim is approved?
Over the past few months, the VEC has improved its telephone response and claim processing time. However, the large volume of unemployment claims will result in continued delays. If you are eligible to receive benefits but have not heard anything back yet, you will receive retroactive benefit payments up to the date that you were determined eligible as long as you filed your claims each week.
This also applies to the FPUC $600 per week additional benefit, which expired on July 31. If you have filed an unemployment claim before that date and are still awaiting a response regarding your eligibility for unemployment, you will receive retroactive payments for the back weeks of FPUC. This is the case even if the decision is not made until after the July 31 expiration date.
If you are not eligible for regular unemployment, you may collect benefits under the PUA program. To determine eligibility, you must file a new unemployment insurance claim if you have not already done so. Once your eligibility is determined, you may complete a separate PUA application. You should continue to file weekly certifications during this process. If you are eligible for PUA benefits for weeks that have already passed, you may recover back pay if you submitted weekly certifications.
Can I still collect unemployment benefits if my hours have been reduced?
Individuals who work reduced hours may still be eligible to collect partial unemployment benefits if your gross earnings are less than the weekly benefit amount. You must continue to file your weekly certification and report any of your wages in the week they were earned, not received. Wages earned may reduce your unemployment benefit.
See additional FAQ from the Virginia Employment Commission about unemployment benefits.
I called VEC yesterday twice. Spoke to two different people that verified those currently on PUA do not have to do anything. They even entered my SS# to verify. The $300 per week is retroactive to August 1st and will be paid. No need to send any documentation.
Hope this helps.
Are you referring to the Gov2Go request for income verification for increase from 158 per week?
Thanks.
I got the same information Dave.
is it still coming the 15th ?
My question is I get PUA and I got 4 back weeks of 158 only and currently get each week on time current and no attest weeks to do now will I get the retroactive 300 being on PUA I started on 8/9/20 and 12/26/20 is my end date and it say I can receive 39weeks do I automatically get the 300 with out doing anything self employed and affected by Covid 19?
I never received my first payment which included my backpay,I received all the rest…can’t get any help from anywhere
I guess I have been lucky. I had no problem filing for initial UI benefits. My last payment was 9/23. I received a text on 9/23 about the PECU. I went to Gov2Go filed for my PECU on 9/23 received a confirmation number and was approved in less than 24 hours of doing so. I received my first payment for PECU on 9/30. I received a text and email about the LWA on 9/24, applied and received a confirmation number the same day. I guess I was doing something right!
Call 1-800-897-5630 to get your information
My situation is the same as yours and I am in Virginia as well. The numbers i have called wil not forward me to a live agent, Nor is there any way to certify the claims on the gov2go site.
I applied for PUA in July, they only gave me $1200 but I did all my weeks over the phone. I never got all of the back pay and I can’t get a hold of anyone on the phone. Has anyone else had that issue?
My fiance was approved and filed all his back weeks on the phone he gets all his payments in time since he was approved but still hasn’t received his back pay either which is like 1we and we cant get ahold of anyone either!
So this happened to me as well and i was freaking out!! I couldnt get ahold of anyone either nor could I think of what happened until one day by the grace of god I ran across my old unemployment way2go debit card they load your payments on if you dont have a bank account for direct Deposit.this was the card I had used when I was on unemployment a year and a half ago before all this started keep in mind… When ever everyone started applying when the PUA program started you had to make a whole new account even if you already had a existing account for the VEC if you were on unemployment before which until the program issues started starting the PUA you could only have and use the same VEC account you started unemployment with even down the road and you had to apply for unemployment again you could only file the initial claim thru you original VEC account. Everyone had to make a new account no matter what it was you were applying for. Doing that the way I took it considering they were asking how I wanted my payments received as well as the option to send me a whole new payment card I never thought they would possibly deposit my back payment onto my old unemployment card thru them until I happened to run across it in a drawer and I just left it on the counter with the possible idea that my back pay was maybe loaded on. Later that week before I put it back in the drawer I called and checked the balance and $4,658 was on it i swear to gosh!!! Grace of god seriously!! So if anyone was on unemployment before and you are missing your back pay i bet you what happened is similar to my situation
Yes!!! I found mine !! They loaded it to my old unemployment payment card I used when I was on unemployment over a year and a half before all this! Called the balance on the card just to see with slim to none chance I thought that it would be there and $4,658 was the balance I almost cried because I really needed it i was so behind on my bills due to this pandemic I was so stressed especially when I was supposed to have gotten that already and didnt.. I hope that helps
What joke these people are in vec etc ,you keep us hanging by a string like starved people trying to get a bite to eat! Shame on you! The almighty God is watching and is not pleased w your actions to the people who are depending on this!
It seems as though I am approved for PUA, and I’ve already claimed my first week but I don’t see anything anywhere about claiming my prior weeks to collect back pay. Where do I find these past weeks claims? Also my monetary report didn’t say anything about previous weeks but yet I was approved. Its just very confusing
So if you receive va pua we automatically qualify for LWA and don’t have to self certify or do we?
Vec should be ashamed Of themselves to just change the date without letting anybody know at least you can be honest
Regular UI has to run out I’m getting PUEC now due to my regular UI running out
Why did it only take 2 weeks to program 600 but will take 12 weeks for 300. Virginia is a democratic state an is dragging their feet. 45 states are paying. Virginia needs to for their programmers an no they do not get unemployment.
I’m hearing we should be getting 6 weeks( the FULL amount) on 10/15. Crossing fingers because everyday something changes.
Everyone was eligible for the 600 but you have to make at least 100 in U/I to qualify for LWA. I wondered that that too
Part of it is because Va waited to the last moment to ask for the the money from the Gov to send out to pay people. Va is such a rich state thanks to Northern Va, and yet our min wage is 7.25 and the cost of living is to dam high. And Mass unemp rate is 1200. a week for unknown reasons and we are here at 378. max WTH
I live in Virginia and I’m on PUA aswell and I’ve been getting PUA payments since may..but now this will be the second week of me having no payments, even though they still left me file on the gov2go app…I’ve tried calling and calling but i can never get in touch with anybody.
Hello. I get my last Regular UI payment tomorrow. Tried applying for PEUC on Gov2Go— they’re saying “”SSN provided is not currently approved for PEUC”” Does this mean I can’t receive additional benefits? Any information anyone may have would be helpful. Thank you kindly.
I have the same problem wait til tomorrow and try it
I believe we have 39 weeks of coverage for UI. Assuming you started in April until now, that is only 24 weeks. So are you sure that tomorrow is your last payment of UI?
My bad. We dont have 39 weeks. Where do i check how many weeks do i have left? And how do i check?
You can check your account bal when you call in to file weekly claim. There is a option for account bal. take that amount and divide it by what you get weekly. The number you get will be your remaining Weeks.
Because it was done via Congress like unemployment is usually done but this 300 Trump issued isn’t going through in the usual unemployment manner
I had the same issue this morning. I just tried again and it went they with no problem. I used the Gov2Go app. I would suggest trying again in the morning.
KJ do this……. The date you get your last payment in your bank, call and press option 1 for Eng, then 1 again and then 4. A person will answer to apply for PEUC and you should get paid the very next week for 13 weeks. Keep up on those weeks yourself and when you expire that then it will be the EB you apply for.
Gov2Go auto sends everyone the same thing….. People need to know if it applies to them or not, that factoid is NEVER explained to people. AND we can only be on 1 asst program at a time til they expire.The mass emails, texts and Gov2go’s dont explain these things. Your gonna be OKAY !!!
I have a question idk if anyone else is having the same issue I am but I am on regular unemployment for pua but it is telling me I need to provide documents for pua why is that if I am on regular unemployment not pua..does that mean I wont get the extra 300?
To get 300 you need to certify that job loss was due to COVID. This is similar to PUA criteria, so maybe asking for the same paperwork
Tiffany, there are 4 levels of unemp. 1st is regular for 26 weeks, then you apply for PEUC for 13 weeks, then EB for 6 to 13 weeks and then PUA is the last step. We can only be on 1 level at a time til it expires.
For the ppl that work for themselves or gig workers they HAVE to start on the PUA. THOSE ppl are the ones that have to submit their w2 or 1099 to get the 300. extra. If you started on PUA then you would have to do that step. If you have been on reg unemp including the 600. all you have to do is apply for the LWA on the gov2go site, get your confirmation # and you will be Golden !!!
Im trying to apply for LWA and it keeps saying my SSN isn’t eligible.
I try calling customer service and they dont answer. Please help
If you are on PUA you don’t do the LWA certification…if you try it will come up ineligible ssn. If you’re on PUA you already certified for those weeks and you will get the LWA 300 payment.
How do you upload more than one document
your already ok no further action is needed
Jacki, That is a glitch on their system You need to call and press 1 for Eng 2 for Spanish, then opt 1 then opt 4. ONLY THEN (lol) will you get a person. Tell them the ssn prob and that you want to apply with them on the phone, get your confirmation # and you will be all good !!! Promise
Do you have to do the self certifybthat is on gov2go ritw now if your pua
No. PUA already requires that certification. But you should double check via portal for your specific situation
What do you mean by specific situation i have the same thing my wife and brother and edryone else has on there gov2go so I DO NOT HAVE TO DO THAT? Rite ?
Virginia will not make a payment until October the 15th.
What the officials in Virginia are trying to do is delaying the payment and hoping that congress will pass another relief bill before the end of next week. The Governor has to be blamed for this delay . He doesn’t care about the suffering of his citizens.
I agree!! The state got the fema loan on August 26!! Why are we now being told we have to wait til October 15?? Let governor northam try and live on 158$ a week and see how fast the system is updated. This is al a load of crap!! But my voice doesn’t matter we all need to go peacefully protest and try and get something done.
YOUR VOICE DOES MATTER JUST DONT FORGET THIS NEXT YEAR WHEN GOV NORTHAM IS UP FOR REELECTION
i agree with you 100%, we need to protest this foolishness.
I think October 15th is bull. It didn’t take that long when we were approved for the 600$. Why is it that Virginia was approved for the fema loan on August 26 and we are still waiting for help!! I guess the little people don’t matter they are still getting paid no matter what they do or don’t do. Let them try and live on 158$ a week and see how fast something happens. Take away the governors pay til the computer system gets updated. It’s all bull.
What does ten digit state I’d mean when it comes to the self certify questions? My previous employer? My ID number? What ten digit number?
VEC told me to put ten zeros and it worked.. goodluck
Everybody keeps saying that va is only getting like 9 hun. I hope this is bad info considering the other states got 1800. Va is screwing us
no it would be a good thing for everybody in Virginia and maybe other places because of what Congress is doing about the stimulus and arguing Republicans and Democrats and they’re not worried about us they took a vacation during the middle of a stimulus debate they don’t care I really don’t think we should vote. This year nobody should vote everybody on this site who agrees do not vote for nobody they do not care about us because they’re not broke they are showing at every day and yeah they’re going to agree to give us that $600 back and all that stuff because as you can tell it’s almost January they’ll agree to do all this right about Thanksgiving so they only have to pay us for maybe six weeks and did not have their numbers correct but they don’t care about us
pray for sooner
No Make any sense living behind 260,000 Virginians who make Less than $100 Bucks Every body wants to eat I have 5 kids what can i do to pay my Bills Money for the people is money for the Economy ? God Bless Virginians.
U have to have earned at least $1 from UI between the weeks of Aug 1st & Sep 5th to get the $300
I just recently went back to work, this is my second week back. I was still eligible to receive unemployment, but once I started working I stopped filing claims. I was on unemployment from June 20th till September 20th. Will I still receive my retroactive payments even though I’m back at work now?
Yes, starting August 1 you will get the retro but you have to go to GOV2GO and self certify.
Yesterday VEC website said the back pay for LWA would be paid Sept. 30th. Suddenly today that date was changed to reflect Oct. 15th. The delay in these payments is affecting my ability to pay rent. None of our citizens, politicians, or media seem to have any sense of urgency in helping those of us who lost our job due to COVID-19. Many other states have already paid all.pr most of up to 6 weeks worth of back pay at $300 per week. Who is going to help me convince my landlord that it’s not my fault that I am going to be late again for rent this month. I have to pay late fees and risk eviction or unlawful detainer notices due to unknown reasons about it taking 2 and half months to reprogram and pay money promised by our government. I have worked regularly/paid taxes since I was 16 years old. For once in my life I am not working due to this pandemic and watching my family fall in and out of financial crisis due to congress being unable to pass a bill. They spend months arguing and leaving people in dire straits and why would they even care about us little folks anyway. They have there 3 or 4 homes, their yachts, their private jets etc etc. And here I struggle to find employment, struggle to collect unemployment benefits, struggle to pay bills including rent. My landlord isn’t going to just believe the state of virginia delay in paying me is why Im late. So I have to live next door to him and face awkward encounters and stress and embarrasment. How do we make voices heard? How do we put pressure on politicians? Does anyone even care??? I live in fear of not being able to pay rent or car insurance or other bills on time. This in turn costs me extra money and fees and the constant fear of losing my home or not having money for groceries and gas. Does anyone have any ideas what we can do to make sure people know this is happening and to make sure that our government is working to resolve these issues for us ASAP and not causing delays over pride or other political reasons. #lwa #virginia #vec #unemployment
If your landlord does not understand then either they can’t pay their bills too because they are relying on your rent to pay their mortgages (thats understandable) OR hes being a douche. If he knows you are unemployed due to the pandemic then Idk why he wouldn’t believe you. He can look up the status for himself regarding the VEC and their delay of paying out LWA. Thankfully my landlord is really understanding and I keep them updated every few weeks or so. I still don’t think they can evict you though. I thought Governor Northam had that extended.
https://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/rmrp
WELCOME TO VIRGINIA
I have been getting pua from the beginning. I am self employed. According to the gov2go I did not have to attest to prior weeks. I did get an email saying if I turn on documentation i could get a bump in benefits. I got to file for lwa and ot says my ssn is invalid. What am I to do? How do I turn in my documentation for the bump if it won’t let me attest to anything? Thank you for your time and help with this. I am so frustrated. My head hurts.
[VIRGINIA] LWA Self certification is now ready on Gov2Go APP
Information
See title.. UI, PEUC, and EB ONLY PUA does not have to do this!
Gov2Go app is where you do this! enjoy..
Edit: Seems a lot of people don’t understand the system they been using..
UI, PEUC, and EB have to self certify on the Gov2Go app! People on PUA do not have to because they been certifying all along with their weekly assertions! From what I understand, Per a rep who is in our FB group, People on PUA should be receiving a text sometime before the 30th telling them this!
You can thank the VEC for making this a gigantic cluster****
Second Edit: If you are an out of state worker getting VA benefits, You must change your location in the Gov2Go app! In your profile under location you put in the zip code of your employers location and refresh the page! LWA info will show up after that!
Can you please tell me how to get the back weeks to show up on my pua gov2go app ? I really need help understanding what I’m doing. I was supposed to get 600 from April 4 to July 25. Nothing. I get 158. I’ve called and emailed… Nothing! I can’t keep doing this. Please help if you can. Thank you!
Your okay – you do not need to do anything. Unless you believe you should be getting more than what you are getting then you could give them documentation and they will recalculate it. You will automatically get the extra $300 per week if you started on PUA.
Gov2gov app what is the Payment method for enter credit card ?? (What is that for ?? And how will I get paid is this connected to the vec unemployment website ???
Anyone who files the lost wage program did it tell you approved or did it just give you a confirmation number please help this is frustrating..
I didn’t see anything that said approved. I just got a confirmation number so I’m HOPING that was the approval. And yes I agree this is very frustrating.
Good morning if u receive weekly unemployment do u have to certify?
yes and you must do it before the 30th.
I already receive unemployment will I automatically get the 300 or do I have to certify on the gov2go website?
You have to re-certify.
How can you find out how many benefits you have left ? Is there a number to call ?
call the same number that you call to file the continued weekly claim and follow the prompts to check your account balance.
I’ve been getting PUA in VA since march, haven’t missed 1 week. When I go to certify for LWA it says SSN invalid??? What’s that? Why? Does PUA people not have to?
It was the same for me. Have you received any update message on the app? I did but it states with my being eligible, I have to provide my W2, I misplaced it in my move so I have no idea how to get it back. I am worried for sure. Because this would mean I am certain that they will cut my benefits all together. I believe that is the same thing. I replied to someone else lower down but I wanted to make sure you were answered too.
I’m having the same problem.
Mine does too. I am freaking out. Does this mean I won’t get lwa??
When I went in. Had to click on the services tab and then its was listed at the bottom. You check the box then go back to timeliness and once it refreshes it will show the LWA certification. Hope that helps. Have until Sept 30th to do it
Is it just for traditional UI?
I never received a email or text to certify for lost wage does that mean I’m not eligible but I went to gov2gov and did it and got a confirmation number does that mean I was approved
If you were approved after certifying you should get LWA. As a reminder to get LWA you need at least $100 per week in unemployment insurance compensation from current state UI or existing enhanced unemployment benefit programs (e.g PUA, PEUC, EB).
Ok I applied before july 31st hopeing to get the back pay from march when I had to stop work it is Sept 25th and the only thing I get is the 158 a week I never saw any back pay. Seems like I’ll never get the back pay that everybody else had received witch i dont know why and now it wont let me apply for the law so is it because I’m self employed I get screwed out of all the money? I was told for the lwa if u receive pua u dont need to do anything but if u receive any other unemployment u have to self certify.
The retroactive weeks should be available on your timeline. You have to certify each week to get the backpay.
My situation is exactly the same as yours please let me know if you find anything out and I’ll do the same thank you
Thank you, I really appreciate the info you provided.
You’re right the VEC is to blame ecspecially since they’re still using an early 1980’s computer infrastructure. I can’t help, but wonder what happend to the yearly funds they get for updating thier IT equipment.
I tried to self certify and it’s telling me my SSN doesn’t qualify!!! I’ve been of PUA since mid April & getting over $100. I had to do some self assessment thing for all my previous weeks last Saturday. Does anyone know what’s going on if it tells you you’re not eligible?
It did me the same way and I’ve had PUA since the beginning, I’m so confused
Same exact thing is happening to me! It’s really frustrating. When you figure something out would you post it here and I will do the same.
It keeps saying that for my friends and I that get PUA and over $100. Some articles stated in the state of VA you don’t have to do anything and then some say you have to self certify, it’s so frustrating.
You may have to do what I had to do and email gov2go support and ask them to reset your account and explain the situation .That’s what I did and they reset it when I tried again it worked fine
I heard if you are getting PUA you don’t have to do anything. It’s automatic!
I am so frustrated I receive pua my bennifits exceed $150 weekly I click on the new lwa link on gov2go enter my info and it says the ss# provided doesn’t qualify for lwa bennifits I never got a text but did do the self assesatation but it was for odd dates I’ve been on pua since all this mess started do I need to call vec or is it just a glitch?
We all need our money and answers it’s to many questions and no answers. We are out here learning, reading and teaching ourselves how this 300$ program suppose to work, who do we talk to
I was told it’s for hi only it’s lost wages if your on pua then your considered as you didn’t have wages that’s why your on pua so it won’t let you certify that’s what I was told
My VIrginia PUA was effective 7/27… I didn’t know about it til late July… On my initial application I stated that I lost work in mid March due to the Pandemic and hadn’t had any since. Will I receive the $600 backdated to mid March thru July 25th?
Also, was there a deadline for the $300 LWA on Sep 10?… Did I miss out on this too?
There is no info on how to self certify for LWA. When i tried to call the system says my social security number is not valid. What the heck? My benefits run out in 1 week. I received a robo call about PECU but nothing on how to apply. The website doesn’t work.
I got a text today about LWA certification. Gov2go is under maintenance but I clicked on a link it provided. It is for PUA. Is it the same? How do I remove that certification? And can I still apply for LWA? Help. TIA.
Returned to work 9/21. Will I still get the retro LWA? I would be due for the full 6 weeks. Do I have to do anything to get this money?
You will need to log in and go to my services and click on the box for LWA/ then go back to the timeline and you should see LWA at the bottom. click on this and put in your ssn and answer the question and hit submit
The site says you have to certify. How do you certify?
I received a text today from VEC to gov2go.com to self-certify. You can download the app as well. Create an account and you will see where you can go to do it.
I didn’t het mines when did va pay
Any info on how to certify? If payments start 9/30 how are we going to get payments if we haven’t been given info on how to do this?
I seen on vec website payments are going to start 10/15
Interesting because everything that I’m seeing says its starts 9/30.
The VEC just updated their web page to say – “The VEC is in the final stages of programming for LWA. We expect programming to be complete and the agency to begin making payments October 15, 2020. However, you must complete the LWA attestation process with Gov2Go.” Not great news for many Virginians waiting for this payment.
I didn’t file my initial claim till the beginning of August but was out of work way before that, is there any way to back date my PUA claim to the middle of April? I’m in Virginia.
Yes, since you’re on PUA, you should be able to claim for past weeks as long as you didn’t make over $50 on those given weeks. Same happend to me I worked through pandemic until I no longer could a couple of months ago.
I suggest using the Gov2Go app it’s easier. Once you login you should see all claim weeks back to week one with ‘over due’ on them. Claim for any weeks you qualify for and they should send you a lump sum for all of those weeks into your account. I received a $3k payment on one day and then like a $5k payment the day after.
You have one waiting week and then you’ll get paid the week after.
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Since I’ve been approved for pua in March do I have to do anything different?my Gov2Go said they needed documentation. I don’t have the proper documents that’s why I applied for pua. It let me file for all my weeks with no problems and i cheeked in the box that I already did this. Do you think since it let me certify my weeks and got confirmation numbers that I’ll get paid? Thanks
I have the same situation. Initial claim was filed early August because I didnt know I could qualify and had issues applying. I was approved for the minimum PUA. I was hoping for retroactive payments but I haven’t received any. And using gov2go app I was only able to file claims starting the first week of August. I would really like to find out who I can call to figure out how to get the retroactive payments that every website is saying I should be able to get.
Good morning my name is Ashley Buckner i live in Virginia i did my weekly claim for 9/18/20 but i didn’t get my $192.66 or my 3 weeks of $300 each do you know if i have to wait a particular date to receive my money because the last time i received weekly claim money was 9/14/2020
VA has yet to start payments..likely towards the end of the month.
Did you check to see if your balance for weekly payments was at 0.00, you may have received it by now but if not, maybe thats what happened!! Today va added the LWA self certify to gov2go and it still says payment date confirmed September 30th for those payments!!
Will The $300 Retroactive VA Payments Be in One Lump Sum or Installments?
Likely one or two lump sums ($900 each)
I have been checking there website everyday still nothing on how to certify for the $300 ???? And I also never received mail or text or email regarding this ?????
Make sure that you have selected that you want to be notified in Settings. I find it easier to just look off the computer. Much easier to navigate.
Hey, I hope you have comments set up to notify you for a response. You have to click “My services” and then select “Virginia Lost wages I believe”, however it states on the application that payable eligible claimants began August.1st- September 5, 2020. Leaving people who didn’t now about it until now left out I believe. However when I filled it out anyways-One would think that they would remove it if it was no longer available, just to receive the message that my social did not qualify. Out of curiosity, did you check you messages yesterday or today? Mine claims that I will be getting $378 vs my typical $158. So it’s better.
Hi Dawn…. Can I all are you pua or regular ui claiment? I got a message saying to upload proof of my earnings but don’t really have any because I don’t file taxes…. Don’t make enough money. I’ve tried to attest weeks but it says I don’t have any to attest and the lwa thing says ss# doesn’t qualify! I receive 158 a week since July 25 from pua. Have not received any 600 payments even though my pua determination paper said I would from April 4 to July 25 … My timeline starts July 25. I was unemployed after first week in April. They have not put those weeks on my timeline as of Sept 29.i call and call…. Nothing! I’ve emailed…. Nothing! I’ve lost most utilities and keep promising my rent will get paid….. Of you know anything or anyone I could talk to…. Anything that could help…. Please let me know. Thank you all who try to help on this site! Your very much needed! Thank you….
Man I’m in the same boat that I don’t have any documents for my pua. It let me certify all my weeks so I’m hoping that’s a good sine. I’m hoping I’ll get paid. This sucks that’s why I got turned down for regular UI Benefits not having enough work history. Well why would I be able to come up with it when I told them that I didn’t have it. I can’t pull it out of my a—
I have one week left for my unemployment benefits I keep trying to file peuc and it says invalid social not approved why is this. And how many weeks total will Virginia get paid through the lost wage program
It wouldn’t let me apply for the PEUC until my balance was 0.00 which mine tapped out this past week, so I would wait and try the Tuesday or Wednesday following your last payment. I kept track of the LWA tracker and for weeks to be paid it says 6 as of today, so im crossing my fingers we get the full 6 weeks! I certified this evening, still says by September 30th!!
I went to certify and it gave me a confirmation number Did it do the same thing for you it’s didn’t say approved it just gave me a confirmation number please let me know
It never told me approved it just said I got a confirmation number did it do the same thing for you
My unemployment assistants expired on 09/16/20 do i still get the 300.00 retroactive payment from Virginia?
If you collected from August 1 til September 5 yes you will get it
Is there anything we need to do to get the extra 300 through unemployment
I was wondering the same thing since I did receive a text to go and self certify on the go2gov app (says updating for maintenance) .
I went to the website and there were no prompts to self-attest for the LWA. Am I missing something?
Go to the app, it send me a notification yesterday that I needed to send in documentation to be eligible, but that I was approved. The unfortunate bit is I have moved and have zero clue where my W2 is currently. So I may be losing my benefits. I also am trying to request a new pin.
I currently draw $96, will va cover the difference so I can get the $300?
I believe it has to be at least $100 a week to qualify.
Are you having taxes pulled out if your payments? Because as long as you’re getting $100+ *before* taxes you should be good.
thats the confusing part to me; I went back to work part time and I’m not making what I would with unemployment; however I’m only taking home from Unemployment like $80 so I guess I’m screwed out of the $300 a week because I am working and making $100 a week at my job.
I’m in the same situation as well. Wondering the same thing. I was getting $168 weekly. Got to go back to work part time, only getting to work 16 hours each week. Now I only receive $71 weekly. Will we not be approved for the 6 weeks of LWA?
I live in Virginia will I be paid 6 weeks for lost wage program the website says only three weeks why is other states getting 6 weeks
Virginia started paying late and so has to make first round of payments and then apply to FEMA for remaining 3 weeks. So eventually you will be able to get all 6 weeks.
I talked to VEC yesterday and they were just approved to pay out 6 weeks. I was told it would be issued in a lump sum payment. For a total of 1,800
VEC is open on Saturday??
I just was told only 900
Additional state resource while you are waiting. I am on UI and now extended. Recently applied for Renters Assistance and approved for double my request. It’s worth the hassle and stress. Apply NOW before funding runs out!!! We are in this together.
How long did it take for you to be contacted for the Renters Assistance approval? I submitted back in August and I’m still waiting to hear back.