People receiving unemployment benefits in Texas will not have to begin searching for work to continue receiving unemployment benefits as previously planned, the Texas Workforce Commission decided Tuesday.
Due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the state, commissioners postponed an earlier decision to reinstate the work search requirements, which would have taken effect July 6.
“Due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Texas, TWC has decided to pause the return of work search requirements at this time,” said Ed Serna, executive director of the Texas Workforce Commission, in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation.”
Typically, workers receiving unemployment must look for jobs and document those efforts to keep getting benefits. That requirement was waived during the COVID-19 crisis. Earlier this month, the workforce commission said it would re-instate the requirement in line with the state’s efforts allowing businesses to reopen.
The commission will reassess the question of when to reinstate work search requirements in late July.
On HoustonChronicle.com: Hundreds of thousands still waiting for unemployment checks in Texas
Texas has also said that workers may refuse offers to go back to work and continue to receive benefits for limited reasons related to the pandemic, which are determined on a case-by-case basis.
The workforce commission considers the following reasonable reasons to refuse work: being at a high-risk of death from the virus, such as those 65 years of age or older; being diagnosed with COVID-19; living with someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19; living with someone who is considered high-risk, such as an elderly person; being quarantined due to close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19; or caring for a child full-time without access to other child care.
The Texas Workforce Commission has paid out $15.8 billion in unemployment benefits, according to agency data. More than 3 million claims for jobless benefits have been made in Texas since the second week of March, according to the commission.
The rate of new claims has slowed in the last month, but new weekly claims remain about six times higher than pre-coronavirus levels.
erin.douglas@chron.com
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