Federal Extensions of Unemployment Benefits Set to Expire at Close of 2013

TENNESSEE’S UNEMPLOYMENT PROGRAM CONTINUES TO SUPPORT JOBLESS

The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development is alerting more than 18,000 Tennesseans currently receiving federally extended unemployment insurance that those payments will soon end. The federal legislation that extended Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) expires at the end of 2013 in the absence of congressional action.

“We don’t want people who are presently receiving EUC to be caught unaware, expecting their EUC benefits to continue into 2014,” said Labor Commissioner Burns Phillips. “We also want workers to know that the Tennessee unemployment insurance program that provides the first 26 weeks of benefits is not affected by the expiration of the federal EUC extension.”

After December 28, 2013, Tennessee will return to the system in which an approved new claim can have a maximum of 26 weeks of Tennessee Unemployment Compensation (TUC) benefits.

  • The last week for which EUC will be paid is the week ending December 28, 2013.
  • If claimants certify for that week in a timely manner, they will receive their final EUC payment during the week ending January 4, 2014.
  • All EUC payments stop at that time, regardless of the number of weeks claimants were initially notified they would receive.

The latest date for which claimants must have received their final regular state payment in order to transition to EUC federal benefits is the week ending December 21, 2013; in those cases claimants will receive EUC for one week only.

Only individuals who have worked and met the re-earnings requirement will be eligible for Tennessee unemployment compensation.

The Department of Labor encourages claimants to explore the Jobs4TN.gov database, which contains more than 90,000 jobs. Once registered, jobseekers can easily connect with employers and be notified when suitable openings are posted. Additionally, the department’s network of Tennessee Career Centers across the state offers services including job placement, training referral, Internet access, and helpful workshops. Find the Career Center nearest you by visiting http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/cc/cccounty.shtml.

Source: TENNESSEE’S UNEMPLOYMENT PROGRAM CONTINUES TO SUPPORT JOBLESS