States Limit Unemployment Insurance, President Says Americans Cannot Reject Employment And Qualify For UI

As Connecting the Dots reported last week, some U.S. states are opting out of providing extended federal unemployment benefits as a means of getting Americans back to work. That list appears to be growing rapidly.

According to The National Law Review, the following states will no longer participate in enhanced federal unemployment benefit programs: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming. Other states have made changes to federal benefit eligibility. Read more here.

While states are taking things into their own hands, the White House also made an announcement last week that will help businesses bring employees back to work. Specifically, President Joe Biden issued an order that will require the U.S. Department of Labor to clarify that, under all unemployment insurance programs including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program put in place last year, workers may not turn down a job due to a general, non-specific concern about COVID-19 and continue to receive benefits. A worker can turn down a job and still receive unemployment benefits only if they meet certain criteria, including if they have a child at home who cannot go to school because of the pandemic or are offered a job at a worksite that is out of compliance with federal or state health requirements.

Read the order here.