On April 15, 2020, the state of Utah rolled out a new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program that may benefit U students who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19. This emergency benefit provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment insurance to people not otherwise eligible for regular unemployment if they qualify.

• Students should first check the online eligibility tool to see if they may qualify for a traditional unemployment claim.
• If the tool shows an unemployment benefit amount of zero dollars and zero week(s) then they should apply for the new PUA benefits.
• Students who have already applied for traditional unemployment benefits and have been denied are encouraged to apply for PUA.

FAQs regarding the CARES Act and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance can be found here.

Student-workers with additional questions can contact the U’s Human Resource Management Solution Center at 801-581-7447 to help navigate the guidance from the state of Utah.