Weekly minimum, maximum benefit amounts to increase July 4
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The Oregon Employment Department announced the annual change to the minimum and maximum weekly benefit amounts (WBAs) for regular unemployment insurance (UI) Monday.
Minimum and maximum WBAs each will increase by approximately 9% after July 4, 2021, OED said. The increase will also apply to new PUA claims.
"This increase will be a significant income boost for new claimants who receive the minimum or maximum WBA," the agency said Monday. "During the most recent quarter, 16% of regular UI recipients received the minimum WBA, and 24% received the maximum WBA."
OED said the 9% increase came from growth in Oregon’s average weekly wage during 2020. Starting July 4, the minimum WBA for new regular UI claims will increase by $14, from $157 to $171 per week, according to OED. Additionally, the maximum WBA for new regular UI claims and new PUA claims will increase by $60, from $673 to $733 per week.
The minimum WBA for new PUA claims will not be affected because it is set by the US Department of Labor, according to OED.
Oregonians who file new regular UI or PUA claims before July 4 will continue receiving the same WBA they had been receiving. Federal rules prohibit the benefit increase for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and Extended Benefits (EB).
For more information, visit OED’s regular UI benefits calculator or the PUA benefits calculator.