As COVID-19 continues to spread around the nation the inevitable jump in unemployment claims is seemingly now beginning in earnest. According to the weekly initial unemployment claims data from the Department of Labor, seasonally-adjusted initial claims were some 70,000 higher for the week ending March 14 than they were in the prior week. Total initial claims were 281,000, a major increase over the 211,000 for the week ended March 7, and the highest total since September 2, 2017. The spike underscores the importance of the unemployment benefits enhancements ($1 billion in additional federal funding for unemployment claims) included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act as well as other state-level adjustments to unemployment insurance. In that vein, a steadily growing number of states are rapidly waiving the customary one week waiting period for unemployment claims to be accepted as well as the “work search” requirements. Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin, Nevada and New Jersey are just some of the many states that have already waived the obligatory one week waiting period.