Unemployment Insurance Relief: Volunteer lawyers can help

A new website provides resources for filing an unemployment claim and can match attorneys – free of charge – with persons whose claims are unsuccessful:

On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed the CARES act, which provides additional Unemployment Insurance assistance to workers impacted by COVID-19. This new law provides:

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – Extended eligibility for individuals who have traditionally been ineligible for UI benefits (e.g., self-employed workers, independent contractors);

• Pandemic Unemployment Compensation – An additional $600 per week, on top of regular benefits, to all UI recipients; and

• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation – An additional 13 weeks of UI benefits, beyond the regular 26 weeks already provided, for a total of 39 weeks of coverage.

 

New York Public Employees Will Be Entitled to Paid Leave for Cancer Screenings

New York State has amended Civil Service Law to entitle most public sector employees to take up to four hours of paid leave per year to be screened for all types of cancers.

Currently, the law allowed paid leave only for screenings for breast cancer and prostate cancer. The new law provides for these screenings without deducting any leave time (e.g., sick, personal, or vacation) from the employee.

The new law is effective March 18, 2018. For more on the legislation, click here.