The waiting week is being waived temporarily for unemployment benefits in Kansas, according to Gov. Laura Kelly.
Gov. Kelly on Monday announced a new executive order for temporary relief from the waiting week requirement.
“Kansans who have a 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,” Gov. Kelly said in a news release. “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 “waiting week” is a required non-payable week that typically needs to be served on new benefit years. The executive order temporarily waives the waiting week requirement for all claimants. For states that have temporarily waived the waiting week requirement, Congress will federally fund 50% of the first week of compensable regular unemployment until March 14, 2021.
The order is currently in effect and remains in force until rescinded or until the current statewide State of Disaster emergency expires, whichever is earlier.
The executive order is online at https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EO-20-71-Executed.pdf.
Some of the federal unemployment benefits expired on Saturday, but then were extended when the federal bill was signed Sunday. Earlier Monday, the Kansas Department of Labor stated on social media that it was awaiting guidance from the federal government regarding federal unemployment extensions, and it could not issue payments until the guidance was issued, and that could take up to two weeks.