August 25, 2021 3:20 a.m. 

Starting September 5th, the waiting week will again apply to unemployment insurance benefit claims.

A release from the Oregon Employment Department said the waiting week does not impact the number of weeks claimants receive in benefits or the total amount they may be paid. It does mean that people need to wait until after the first week they are otherwise eligible unemployment for benefits to get those benefits.

The release said last year Governor Kate Brown declared an emergency and waived the waiting week during the pandemic, so people were able to receive benefits the first week they filed a claim. Even after the expiration of the emergency declaration, the Governor waived the waiting week further, through the duration of federal pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs. The release said this decision was based on the Oregon Employment Department’s findings that this further waiver would help Oregonians by providing additional federal resources to people in need. With those federal pandemic unemployment programs ending, Oregon law requires that the normally applicable waiting week resume.

The department’s resources webpage has a list of organizations and services that may help people during this one-week gap in benefits: https://unemployment.oregon.gov/resources