Claimants May be Required to File New Claim

On July 5, the calendar used to determine unemployment benefits experienced a change in the quarter.

This change will not allow an impacted claimant to complete the latest weekly certification and the claimant will be prompted to file a new claim.

Anytime a change in the quarter occurs, the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) requires all claimants drawing federal benefits to file a new claim. This includes the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) programs. If you receive benefits from either of these federal programs, you need to file a new claim.

This is necessary to establish whether the claimant has eligibility for state unemployment at each quarter change. Federal unemployment benefits are only intended if someone does not qualify or has exhausted regular state unemployment. Every state is required to do this per USDOL guidance.

If a claimant is directed to file a new claim, they will find a link in the message they received notifying them to file a new claim. Claimants can also select “Start an Unemployment Claim” from their dashboard on Jobs4TN.gov.