Unemployment Extension Legislation Update
November 6 Update: President Obama has signed the unemployment extension legislation. Check with your state unemployment office for details on when payments will start being made. The extension provides for 14 weeks of extended benefit coverage for every state and an additional 6 weeks, for a total of 20 weeks, in high unemployment states where unemployment is over 8.5%.
October 28 Update: The Senate is moving closer to voting to extend unemployment insurance. The Senate agreed on an 87-13 procedural vote. However, the legislation is being negotiated in the Senate and may not be voted on until next week.
The National Employment Law Project has clarified who would be covered by the extension:
If you have exhausted your full range of federally funded benefits before the passage of this bill, you WILL be eligible for these additional weeks... However, in another important aspect, the bill is NOT retroactive. You will not receive a lump sum payment dating back to the time when you exhausted benefits. The benefits will only be paid going forward.
October 2 Update: Senator Max Baucus, Chairman of the Finance Committee, introduced legislation - the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2009 - that provides additional weeks of federal unemployments benefits to workers in all states. Baucus and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid propose four extra weeks of extended unemployment benefits for all states, plus 13 additional weeks for the 27 hardest-hit states.
In addition, Senator Jeanne Shaheen will introduce an amendment to give all states 13 weeks of extra unemployment benefits, plus an additional four weeks on top of that for Michigan and other hard-hit states. Hopefully, we'll see action early next week on the proposed legislation.
July 24, 2009: Millions of unemployed workers are going to start running out of unemployment benefits soon. What can you do if your unemployment runs out or you're about to run out of unemployment benefits? First of all, check with your State Unemployment Office to make sure that you are receiving all the extended benefits you qualify for. If you're close to being out, take a look at the other resources that are available for unemployed workers and take advantage of whatever you can to help you get by until you find a new job.
February 22, 2009: The National Employment Law Project (NELP) has a Q&A (PDF) that details the new options available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which allows high unemployment states to provide up to 13 to 20 weeks of additional extended benefits to workers who run out of federal funded unemployment benefits. The Department of Labor has a weekly trigger notice with an update of which states have reached the unemployment level to qualify for the extended benefits funding.
Additional information on the extension will be available on state unemployment office web sites.
February 19, 2009: The National Employment Law Project reports that the economic stimulus plan (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) will continue the temporary emergency federal benefits program through the end of December, enabling more than 3.1 million additional jobless workers to receive extended benefits.
The National Employment Law Project also notes that "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) also ensures that workers exhausting EUC benefits this year will have access to an additional 13 - 20 weeks of extended benefits under the permanent Extended Benefits (EB) program if they live in a state that meets certain definitions of high unemployment."
For updates on extended benefits, check on your State Unemployment Office web site for details on the extension.
If you need to call, expect long delays in getting through to a representive and be prepared to keep calling. Early or late in the day are the best times to call.
State Extended Benefits
Extended Unemployment Benefits are available to workers who have exhausted regular unemployment insurance benefits during periods of high unemployment. There are triggers (calculations based on the state unemployment rate) that determine when a State will extend benefits.
The basic Extended Benefits program provides up to 13 additional weeks of benefits when a State is experiencing high unemployment. Some States have also enacted a voluntary program to pay up to 7 additional weeks (20 weeks maximum) of Extended Benefits during periods of extremely high unemployment.
Amount of Benefits
The weekly benefit amount of Extended Benefits is the same as the individual received for regular unemployment compensation. The total amount of Extended Benefits that an individual could receive may be fewer than 13 weeks or fewer than 20 weeks.
How to Collect Extended Benefits
When a State begins an Extended Benefit period, it notifies those who have received all of their regular benefits that they may be eligible for Extended Benefits. You may contact the State Unemployment Insurance agency to ask whether Extended Benefits are available.
Check with your State Unemployment Office for information on what benefits you are entitled to.
DISCLAIMER:
The private web sites, and the information linked to both on and from this site, is opinion and information. While I have made every effort to link accurate and complete information, I cannot guarantee it is correct. Please seek legal assistance, or assistance from State, Federal, or International governmental resources to make certain your legal interpretation and decisions are correct. This information is not legal advice and is for guidance only.
