DWS News
June 1, 2010

Unemployment Insurance Additional Compensation Program Set to Expire

Salt Lake City - For the third time in four months, the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program and the Federal Additional Compensation (FAC) program that pays unemployed workers an additional $25 per week in benefits will lapse on June 2, 2010 unless Congress authorizes the Extensions. 

The Department of Workforce Services (DWS) will begin sending out notices to about 1,100 claimants per week informing them that they have exhausted their regular UI state benefits and are not currently entitled to any further benefits, including EUC.  Congress was unable to agree on the extension, the Senate will not begin discussions on the matter until after the Memorial Day recess which ends on June 6th.  The department will begin notifying the 1,500 impacted unemployed workers that have exhausted their benefits each week.  However, if the extension is granted, retroactively back to June 2, 2010, the unemployed workers will be notified and may get paid for each week they have filed, provided they are otherwise eligible.

The federal EUC program provides three tiers of up to 47 weeks of additional unemployment benefits beyond the states maximum 26 weeks of regular state benefits.  Unemployed workers who exhausted their regular UI claim after May 29, 2010 will not qualify for emergency unemployment benefits.  Unemployed workers who exhaust an existing EUC Tier I or Tier II claim after June 5, 2010 will not qualify for the next tier of EUC benefits.  The EUC and FAC federal programs paid about $130 million dollars to unemployed Utah workers in emergency benefits during the first quarter of 2010 according to Bill Starks, DWS Unemployment Insurance Director.  

To get more information or file a claim for EUC benefits, go to the Internet at JOBS.UTAH.GOV or phone the state UI Claims Center.  (Salt Lake/South Davis Counties: 801-526-4400; Weber/North Davis Counties: 801-612-0877; Utah County: 801-375-4067; and elsewhere in the state and out-of-state: 888-848-0688)

###DWS###