Gov. Kelly waives one-week waiting period for receiving unemployment benefits
Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday issued an executive order that waives the one-week unpaid waiting period for Kansans receiving unemployment benefits.
Newly unemployed Kansans usually have to wait a week before applying for jobless benefits, unless it’s because the company that laid off the worker closed down in Kansas or declared bankruptcy.
“Kansans who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19 cannot afford to wait a week to receive the unemployment benefits they need to make rent payments or feed their families,” Kelly said in a statement. “This executive order will be crucial in our state’s ongoing response to the pandemic and to ensuring unemployed Kansans can access their benefits as soon as possible.”
The order remains in effect until it is rescinded or the state of emergency declared during the special session of the Kansas Legislature earlier this year expires.
Kelly’s executive order comes as Congress extended federal unemployment benefits as part of a $900 billion coronavirus economic stimulus package that President Donald Trump signed on Sunday.
Millions of Americans could potentially miss out on a week of unemployment benefits because the president waited until Sunday, the start of a new week after the programs expired Friday. The COVID-19 relief package he signed extends the unemployment program for 11 weeks.
There would not have been a gap in benefits if Trump had signed the bill the previous week.
Neither Kansas nor Missouri’s labor departments could give clear answers Monday about the impact to Kansans and Missourians from the delay. Both said they were awaiting guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on implementation of the legislation.
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 5:27 PM.
