Colorado contract workers who have lost work or had a previous unemployment claim can now access Colorado Department of Labor and Employment systems to apply.

The state’s new cloud-based claim processing technology needed to be programmed to handle the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, and issue new benefits to previous ones.

New unemployment claims down in Colorado

New claims, and re-establishing existing ones, will be rolled out in phases, according to CDLE.

Emails were sent to 230,000 existing claimants Thursday with instructions to reopen claims Monday by logging in to their MyUI+ account or check existing balances.

“Once reopened, claims will be automatically backdated for all available weeks under the program extensions,” according to a CDLE release.

Additional phases will include PUA claimants whose balances ran out Dec. 26.

PUA was part of the CARES Act. The new round of funding under the Continued Assistance Act was approved by Congress on Dec. 27 and provides an additional 11 weeks of benefits for those still unable to find other work, plus an additional $300 for those previously under Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation.

Here’s some total payout numbers from CDLE, since March 29:

• Regular unemployment: $2.6 billion
• PUA payouts: $1.06 billion
• FPUC payouts: $2.51 billion
• Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PEUC – extended benefits 13 weeks): $360.5 million
• State approved benefits (13 weeks extended benefits): $29.7 million