I know there are many out there temporarily out of work due to the coronavirus. As stated yesterday at the Governor’s press conference, the Department of Labor is instituting some changes to help those who may be out of work during this crisis.

First is a short-time compensation program. This program allows employers to reduce affected workers’ hours by 10 to 60 percent while still allowing those workers to receive a prorated unemployment benefit. Employers can apply for this program at https://dol.nebraska.gov/stc.

The second change is a temporary change to unemployment benefits. For those of you who are not able to work and not collecting a paycheck during this period, you may want to check out these changes. From March 22nd through May 2nd:
The waiting week for benefits has been waived. You will start receiving benefits immediately instead of needing to wait a week.
The work search requirements have been waived. You will not be required to apply to jobs to receive benefits.
For employers, benefits will not be charged against your individual accounts.
Those who need this program can find more information at https://dol.nebraska.gov/uibenefits.

If you are attempting to contact the Department of Labor for either of these programs or other questions or concerns, please be patient as they are currently handling a high volume of calls. The best thing to do is leave a message with your name, number, and concern, and they will return your call as soon as they are able.

I know this is a difficult time for everyone, but I want to thank everyone for their patience, and thank all of our leaders from the federal level down to the city and county level for their leadership during these times. We will get through this and be back to normal soon.