Maryland reopens federal unemployment programs, will issue payments this week

Maryland has begun accepting applications and issuing payments for two federal unemployment programs that were recently extended under the new stimulus package, meaning claimants should be able to get benefits without payment delays or eligibility gaps. The state Department of Labor reopened the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Compensation (PEUC) programs as part of a soft launch on Sunday, one week after President Donald J. Trump signed into law a $900…