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Arkansas officials say pandemic unemployment assistance system to go live 'very soon'; back pay promised
Summary
The Department of Workforce Services told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance online system is in final testing and 'should be up and running, very soon,' and eligible claimants will receive retroactive payments including a minimum $133 and the additional $600 weekly federal benefit.
CHARLESTON, Ark. — The Department of Workforce Services told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that the state’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) system is in the final stages of testing and should open within days, with retroactive pay for those who qualify.
"It is being developed. It is being tested. ... It should be up and running, very soon, possibly in the next couple of days," Charice Childers of the Department of Workforce Services told the committee during a virtual meeting. In the meantime, she said a hotline remains available to help applicants prepare for the rollout.
Why it matters: The PUA program covers people who ordinarily would not qualify for regular unemployment benefits — including self-employed people and independent contractors — and was created to provide temporary income during the COVID-19 emergency. Officials said the program is retroactive to individuals’ qualifying unemployment dates and can cover as many as 39 weeks for those who meet eligibility rules.
Childers explained how payments will be made: once eligibility is established, claimants will receive a minimum initial payment of $133 and are "also eligible for the $600 $600 payment as well," she said, referring to the federal pandemic unemployment compensation. Those who want more than the minimum must upload documentation of 2019 income, such as tax records, to verify prior earnings.
The department also described communications plans. Childers said the governor will announce the soft opening on his regular press call; those who registered on the PUA site during testing have received notification emails, and the state will use press releases and other channels to notify additional applicants.
What officials could not say at the meeting was an exact go-live date; Childers said it depends on the outcome of final testing. Committee members pressed for clarity on timing and outreach because many constituents have been waiting for payments for weeks.
The committee did not take formal action on the PUA rollout during the meeting; staff indicated the governor would make public announcements when the system is available.
