Unemployment claims continue to decline, new rules affect claimants

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported 4,472 initial unemployment claims during the week ending May 1, down from 5,825 the prior week and just a fraction of weekly totals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were also 618 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance initial claims filed.

Since last March, Colorado workers have filed a total of 1,195,287 claims.

The state paid out $12.7 million to out of work Coloradans during the week ending May 1.    

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment has “adopted a new emergency rule this week designed to strengthen claimants’ work search activities,” according to a CDLE news release. “The rule allows CDLE to disqualify claimants from receiving continued unemployment benefits for failing to show up to a scheduled interview, failing to show up for a scheduled exam, failing to report for the first scheduled day of new work, and failing to complete required pre-employment activities unless the claimant can verify reasonable justification for the specific failure. The new rule also allows for a disqualification if false or incorrect information is knowingly provided during the course of the interview that would result in the applicant to be considered unqualified for the job.”

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