After the news that millions of jobless Americans and their families will stop receiving the long-term federal unemployment benefits from the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) over the weekend, three U.S. states have assured their resident workers that they will continue to receive financial aid for at least 13 weeks more, under a different program.
According to a CNBC report, the states of Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Mexico will continue with Extended Benefits (EB), a federally funded aid program that kicks in depending on the unemployment rate of a state, for at least 13 more weeks.
The EB program comes with requirements from PEUC, and the requirements vary depending on the state you’re in, so those who are interested will need to apply for the new program separately within their state.
In some states like California and New Jersey, eligible beneficiaries of the EB aid program will be automatically moved over when they certify for their weekly benefit. To check on the actual state processing for the EB program, the long-term unemployed workers can check with their state’s labor department for specific information regarding the qualifications and claiming process for the EB.
The same benefits are also currently enjoyed in a handful of other states, but aside from these three, most of them are all set to expire soon. The reports revealed that the program will cease in the other states at the end of this week, which coincides with the date when it is no longer 100% federally funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Some states including California, Illinois, Nevada, and Texas announced that their EB programs will no longer be available after Sept. 11.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration had already called on the states to use their emergency coronavirus funds to provide additional benefits to millions of people across the country who are still out of work. Nevertheless, many state labor departments have categorically confirmed that they have no intention of extending or providing additional benefits on their own.
