Attention: Important UI Messages
January 15, 2021: Be Aware of Suspicious Emails!
The Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance is aware of fraudulent emails soliciting payments to work UI claims.
Please be advised that at no time will a Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance staff member ask you to pay any amount of money to work your unemployment insurance claim.
Kentucky One Time Payment: Unemployment One-Time Relief Payment Program signed under Executive Order on January 12, 2021.
KY Unemployment One-Time Relief Payment Program
One time single payment of $400 to claimants:
- Under any program administered by the OUI who would have otherwise qualified for the 2020 FEMA Lost Wages Assistance Program except that their weekly benefit amount was below $100;
- Under any program administered by the OUI in November and December 2020 who had an approved claim but a weekly benefit amount of less than $176; and
- No claimant has the right to appeal the determination of the OUI regarding eligibility for this payment
One time single payment of $1,000 to claimants:
- Under any program administered by the OUI between March 4, 2020 and October 31, 2020 with verified identities but whose claims have not yet had a determination made and paid out
- No claimant has the right to appeal the determination of the OUI regarding eligibility for this payment
December 30, 2020: Important Message for Bank of America Benefit Debit Card Holders. An email message has been sent to debit cardholder recipients. To read the message click here.
December 28, 2020: On Dec. 27, 2020, a federal COVID-19 relief package that extends and provides additional federal unemployment benefits was signed into law. The Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance (OUI) is reviewing the new unemployment provisions and preparing to reprogram its system to process claims for the additional benefits.
As was the case with previous federal unemployment programs, the OUI must receive guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor before it can fully implement the changes and begin issuing payments. It is unlikely that all of the guidance will be issued before January 2021. More information will be provided on this website as it becomes available.
Extended Benefit (EB) Claimants - The US Department of Labor (US DOL) has advised Kentucky that the state will not be able to pay any extended benefits after Nov. 28. No new applications will be accepted after that date, and claimants who have yet to exhaust all benefits will not receive the balance of their funds. Find more information on the US DOL ruling. Affected UI claimants will receive an email notification from the Office of Unemployment Insurance.
Alert: Should you receive a message from PUA@unemployment.dol.gov requesting you to log into your account, please disregard as the email’s origin is not the state or federal government. Clicking the link could permit an unauthorized individual to access your account and commit fraud.
Due to the upcoming state holidays, the Office of Unemployment Insurance will be closed on the following days. Banks may also be closed which could delay UI benefit deposits.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday - January 18, 2021
- Good Friday (1/2 day) - April 2, 2021
- Memorial Day - May 31, 2021
- Independence Day - July 5, 2021
- Labor Day - September 6, 2021
- Veterans Day - November 11, 2021
- Thanksgiving - November 25-26, 2021
- Christmas - December 23-24, 2021
- New Year’s Day - December 30-31, 2021
The Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) Program was established on August 8, 2020, through a Presidential Memorandum signed by Donald J. Trump. The LWA program is administered through FEMA and ended on 12/16/20 due to the funds being exhausted. The FEMA grant funding to each state was based on the state’s projected estimate of the amount of lost wages supplemental payments to be made per week, the estimate of eligible claimants, and a planning estimate for the state, inclusive of FEMA’s budgetary authority. It is important to note that these funds are not guaranteed.
View frequently asked questions pertaining to the FEMA LWA program.
If you have been denied LWA benefits AND FILED AN APPEAL, you must fill out the stipulation below and submit it to the Appeals Branch for consideration in your appeal. Please fill out each section completely, sign or e-sign the stipulation, and return the entire document to the Appeals Branch by either selecting the “Submit” button, emailing the completed document to UILWAAppeals@ky.gov, or mailing the completed document to the Office of Unemployment Insurance Attn: Appeals Branch 500 Mero Street 4-SC, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601.
LWA Stipulation of Facts.
Security Incident Information
Unemployment Insurance claimants who uploaded identity documents to the UI Portal from March 1, 2020 through April 23, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. may have been subject to having their identity documents exposed. If you were potentially affected by this security breach, you will receive a letter via email or U.S. mail.