TRENTON – A June 30, 2008 agreement between the State of New Jersey and the U.S. Department Labor will provide federally-funded Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits to eligible unemployed individuals in the state.
The federal supplemental appropriations act that was signed into law on June 30, 2008 provides extended unemployment insurance benefits for up to thirteen additional weeks. Individuals who are unemployed and exhaust their regular state unemployment insurance benefits may be eligible for these federally-funded EUC benefits. Those who filed a claim for UI benefits dated May 7, 2006 or later may be eligible for EUC, if they subsequently exhausted their benefits and are currently unemployed.
Commissioner David J. Socolow of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development said, “The Department is working to ensure that New Jersey workers who may be eligible for Extended Unemployment Compensation receive the information they need to apply for the benefits.”
For individuals who are unemployed and exhaust their maximum UI benefits on July 6, 2008 or later, the Department will automatically file a claim for EUC on their behalf, so that these individuals can seamlessly transition to the EUC benefits without having to complete a separate application.
New claims for EUC benefits can be filed beginning July 6, 2008. The first week for which EUC payments may be issued is the week ending July 12, 2008. Under the recently-enacted federal law, no initial claims can be filed after March 22, 2009, although eligible claimants may collect benefits through June 27, 2009.
The Department is mailing letters with filing instructions to individuals who have exhausted their regular Unemployment Insurance benefits and who are potentially eligible for the EUC benefits. These individuals should expect to receive notification within the next two weeks.
Information about the EUC program is available by following the link on the Department’s Website at
www.nj.gov/labor.
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