Starting today, the Oregon Employment Department is providing unemployment benefits through the CARES Act Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. In preparation, the agency has recruited and trained staff to process PUA claims.
Oregonians who are eligible for this program include individuals who do not qualify for or cannot collect benefits on a regular unemployment insurance claim. This includes Oregonians who:
In addition, to be eligible, you must be unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable and unavailable for work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Covered situations include individuals who:
Federal law provides that PUA benefits are retroactive to the first week a worker was impacted by a qualifying COVID-19 reason, potentially from the week starting February 2, 2020, through the week ending December 26, 2020. The PUA process can take as little as one week or several weeks, depending on the claim complexity.
Access the PUA application and certification forms on the CARES Act section of the Employment Department’s COVID-19 web page. There are three ways to start a new application for PUA benefits.
E-mail: You can email [email protected] to request a secure email link, then attach your PUA application and weekly claim reports to the secure email. Be sure to only use the secure e-mail link you will be sent to provide personal identifying information relevant to your claim.
Mail: You can mail your PUA application and weekly claim reports to Oregon Employment Department at P.O. Box 14165, Salem, OR 97311.
Fax: The office has several fax machines linked to the 503-371-2893 fax number for your PUA application and weekly claim reports.
The CARES Act page also provides information for self-employed, contract, gig, and other PUA-eligible workers who filed regular claims for unemployment benefits prior to the start of the program.