PUA stands for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which is a program that temporarily expanded unemployment insurance eligibility to people who wouldnt otherwise qualify. The program was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a $2 trillion coronavirus emergency stimulus package that then-President Donald Trump signed into law on March 27, 2020. The PUA program was intended to support workers who didnt otherwise qualify for unemployment insurance, such as self-employed workers, freelancers, independent contractors, and part-time workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. To qualify for PUA, workers were required to certify that they couldnt work due to one or several conditions related to COVID-19. The program expired on September 6, 2021, along with other employment-related programs that provided COVID relief.