As the global pandemic continues, employers and individuals across the state continue to grapple with the initial and ongoing impact of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

PPP Funding and Unemployment Benefits Perhaps the most well-known part of the CARES Act is the Paycheck Protection Program. This program was implemented by the Small Business Administration and U.S. Department of the Treasury to use forgivable loans to incentivize employers to keep employees on the payroll. In addition to the PPP, the federal government has provided states with the flexibility to expand their unemployment insurance benefits for individuals where:

• An employer temporarily ceases operations due to COVID-19;
• An individual is temporarily quarantined with an expectation of returning to work after quarantine; or
• An individual leaves work due to risk of exposure or infection or to care for a family member.

Georgia has opted to extend provisions of unemployment benefits under the first of these three options, but defers to federal leave laws (recently expanded under the CARES Act) in scenarios two and three. Additionally, in Georgia, expanded federal and state benefits combine via the following programs:

• The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which provides an additional $600 weekly payment to any individual eligible for any of the federal or state unemployment programs ending on July 31, 2020 (effectively ending on July 25, 2020 in Georgia);
• The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides unemployment benefits to individuals who would ordinarily be ineligible or would not qualify for state unemployment benefits, such as individuals who are self-employed, gig workers, 1099 independent contractors, employees of churches, employees of nonprofits or those with limited work history; and
• The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which provides an extension of 13 weeks of benefits to the end of regular unemployment insurance benefits for those who are eligible.

Interplay of State Law in Federal Relief Programs