Unemployment Extension News
02/12/12: Federal extended unemployment benefits programs are extended in all tiers of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) and Extended Benefits Program (EB) in 33 states with high unemployment through the end of February. Congress is working on legislation to continue extended benefits for the remainder of 2012.
Meetings are being held to resolve the differences between the House and the Senate and news reports indicate that an agreement is close. However, there may be a reduction in the maximum number of weeks (currently 99 weeks in high unemployment states) of extended benefits.
Qualifying for Extended Benefits
Check your State Unemployment Office website for details on who qualifies for extended benefits in your state and when and how benefits will be paid. Check the "Extended Benefits" section for information.
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.
Current Unemployment Extensions
Extended unemployment insurance benefits are in place through February 2012. This means that federal extended unemployment benefits (up to 99 weeks in states with high unemployment) will continue through the end of February.Under this unemployment extension legislation, unemployed workers collecting one of four tiers of benefits (ranging from 34 to 53 weeks) under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) will be able to move to the next tier. Workers collecting benefits under the Extended Benefits (EB) program which provides 13 to 20 weeks of additional benefits to workers living in high unemployment states will also continue to receive benefits.
In addition, unemployed workers who who are currently collecting up to 26 weeks of state unemployment benefits will be able to move into the federal unemployment compensation program once they have exhausted state benefits.
The agreement does not include a tier 5 of unemployment for workers (99ers) who have exhausted all state and federal unemployment benefits.
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 (EB) 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.
Federal Extended Benefits
In addition to state extended unemployment compensation, there may be additional benefits funding by the Federal government, including Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits.
Extended Unemployment Benefit Tiers
The extended benefits you are eligible for depend on the state you live in and the date you became unemployed.
Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Tiers
- Tier 1 - 20 weeks
- Tier 2 - 14 weeks
- Tier 3 - 13 additional weeks of benefits in states where the total unemployment rate 6% or higher.
- Tier 4 - 6 additional weeks of benefits in states where the total unemployment rate is 8.5% or higher.
Extended Benefits (EB) Program
The Extended Benefits (EB) program provides an additional 13 to 20 weeks of benefits to workers receiving unemployment insurance in states that have a specific unemployment rate.
As an example, depending on the unemployment rate and the extended benefit programs in place, in New York unemployed workers may be eligible for 26 weeks of state unemployment compensation and additional weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) emergency benefits and Extended Benefits (EB) extended benefits.
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, depending on the state unemployment rate.
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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.
