OHIO —Unemployment benefits are set to expire across the U.S. on Sept. 4 as several federal programs created during the COVID-19 pandemic are scheduled to end. 

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) recipients will stop receiving benefits in the coming days. The PUA extended unemployment benefits to workers who traditionally would not qualify for unemployment, including freelancers and independent contractors. The PEUC provided additional weeks of standard unemployment benefits. 

According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 200,000 Ohioans were receiving unemployment benefits through the PUA, and 85,000 Ohioans were in the PEUC program, as of July 31. 

The state of Ohio said it's reminding those set to lose unemployment benefits this week that additional resources are available through the OhioMeansJobs website. Additionally, the state said that food, medical and employment assistance is available through county departments of job and family services. 

While Ohio stuck with the PEUC and PUA throughout its duration, Ohio ended another federal program ahead of schedule.  In hopes of encouraging more Ohioans to leave unemployment and return to work, Gov. Mike DeWine ended $300-a-week unemployment subsidies on June 26. His decision, however, has caused a legal battle.

Ohio’s unemployment rate has risen slightly in recent months as more Ohioans have decided to reenter the workforce. The state’s unemployment rate was 5.4% in July. The unemployment rate bottomed at 4.7% in the state in April. 

Workforce participation increased to 60.5% in July after the rate dropped below 60% in May. Participation in the workforce remains down 3% from pre-pandemic levels, which has caused staffing shortages in a number of industries. 

Currently, OhioMeansJobs lists more than 200,000 open positions throughout the state with more than half of those jobs offering more than $50,000 per year. 

Meanwhile, Ohio Jobs and Family Services said it is notifying nearly 700,000 Ohioans who may have been overpaid unemployment benefits of waivers. As of late last week, 18% of those contacted have applied for a waiver. 

“This application process will ensure that individuals whose overpayments were not their fault will not be required to pay for mistakes they didn’t make,” Director Matt Damschroder said. “I encourage everyone who received a notice to follow the instructions for completing a waiver request.”