New Oregon Unemployment Program Launching Soon To Help Self-Employed And Contractors Out Of Work

Portland, Ore. – New unemployment help is almost here for self-employed Oregonians, contractors, and gig workers who are off the job. The Oregon Employment Department says they’re close to launching the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, that’s meant to help those workers. They are currently testing the system over the next few days. Once it’s ready and open, self-employed and contractor workers can apply for their benefits. You can sign up here for alerts to be notified when the PUA program launches.

1/5 The Employment Department is close to launching the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. We have been training staff, and are trying out the process, and monitoring the effects on our systems, with a testing group over the next few days.

— Oregon Employment Department (@ORemployment) April 26, 2020

3/5 Once we launch the program, we will continue to try to streamline and automate the process for everyone who has filed or needs to file for PUA.

We know self-employed, contract, and gig workers affected by COVID-19 closures need benefits as badly as anyone.

— Oregon Employment Department (@ORemployment) April 26, 2020

5/5 Subscribe for automatic updates on our COVID-19 page, and you’ll receive a notification when we open the PUA process and post application materials. https://t.co/oJ6BITokty

— Oregon Employment Department (@ORemployment) April 26, 2020

On Sunday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown Apologized for unemployment delays. She tweeted “I hear your frustration,” and says she’s committing to making sure eligible Oregonians receive the maximum benefits available, as quickly as possible. A record one in six Oregonians have filed for unemployment since the stay-at-home orders were issued.