HONOLULU – The State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announced today that the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program will expire on November 30, 2010 after the U.S. House of Representatives today failed to pass a bill that would have provided a three-month extension of benefits for the long-term unemployed.
EUC benefits are paid to individuals who exhaust the 26 weeks of state funded regular benefits. The 47 weeks of EUC benefits are divided into three tier levels and individuals must exhaust each tier before moving on to the next level.
Individuals who exhaust their tier of benefits after November 30, 2010 will not be able to move to the next tier. In addition, individuals who exhaust regular benefits after the week ending November 20, 2010 will not be eligible for EUC benefits. All EUC benefit payments will stop on April 30, 2011.
“The end of the EUC program means that each month approximately 1,600 individuals who exhaust their 26 weeks of regular benefits will not be able to apply for the first tier of federal EUC benefits,” said Colleen LaClair, deputy director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. “In addition, 2,500 individuals who exhaust their first and second tier of EUC benefits each month will not be able to move to the next tier of benefits.”
Between June 2008 and July 2010, there were eight pieces of federal legislation which created, amended and extended the EUC program over the past two-and-a-half years:
Public Law 110-252, Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, signed by President Bush on 6/30/08. Provided 13 weeks of EUC benefits.
Public Law 110-449, Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, signed by President Bush on 11/21/08. Provided an additional 7 weeks on Tier I and created Tier II with 13 additional weeks for states with IUR of 4% or TUR of 6%.
Public Law 111-5, The Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act, signed by President Obama on 2/17/09. Extended EUC program from 3/31/09 to 12/31/09.
Public Law 111-92, The Workers, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, signed by President Obama on 11/6/09. Expanded Tier II to 14 weeks and created Tier III of 13 weeks for states with IUR of 4% or TUR of 6%. Also created Tier IV of 6 weeks for states with IUR of 6% and TUR of 8.5%. (Hawaii did not qualify for Tier IV.)
Public Law 111-118, The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, signed by President Obama on 12/19/09. Extended EUC program from 12/31/09 to 2/28/10.
Public Law 111-144, The Temporary Extension Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on 3/2/10. Extended the EUC program from 2/28/10 to 4/5/10.
Public Law 111-157, The Continuing Extension Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on 4/15/10. Extended the EUC program from 4/5/10 to 6/2/10.
Public Law 111-205, The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on 7/22/10. Extended the EUC program from 6/2/10 to 11/30/10.
In Hawaii, over $400 million in EUC benefits have been paid out to 48,000 claimants since the program started in July 2008.
Unemployed workers should update their information on Hirenet Hawaii, the state’s online job listing service, and seek free job assistance services at the One-Stop Career Centers. For more information and assistance, go to https://hirenethawaii.com or https://hawaii.gov/labor/rapidresponse.
Submitted by the Hawaii Dept. of Labor & Industrial Relations
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