DES launches Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program

The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) announced Monday the launch of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.This program is for individuals who were previously ineligible for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. It's also for self-employed people, independent contractors and gig economy works.DES is mailing checks to 165,000 individuals who filed an initial claim for benefits between February 2 and May 2 and did not meet the criteria for regular UI, but do meet the eligi