Unemployment Extension 2009 – H.R. 3548
U.S. Gov’t Extends Unemployment Benefits, Compensation for 20 Weeks
Nov 15, 2009
According to the White House, 36% of unemployed Americans had been without work for more than twenty-seven weeks as of November 2009. Many unemployed workers in the United States began running out of state-funded unemployment insurance, so the federal government passed new legislation authorizing additional federally-funded assistance.
2009 Unemployment Extension
The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, signed by President Barack Obama on November 6, 2009, will provide up to twenty weeks of additional unemployment benefits to some Americans. The White House estimates that this aid will go immediately to 700,000 or so individuals who have already maxed out unemployment benefits.
Obama Economic Stimulus Plan & United States Unemployment Benefits
This is not the only time the federal government authorized unemployment extensions in 2009. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (otherwise known as the 2009 economic stimulus plan), signed by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009, provided two enhancements to weekly unemployment benefits.
Federal Additional Compensation – U.S. Unemployment Insurance
The 2009 economic stimulus plan created a temporary program called Federal Additional Compensation. Under this program, eligible individuals receive $25 more per week in unemployment compensation. These additional federally-funded unemployment payments began around March 2009 and will continue to be available through mid 2010.
Note: Individuals should check eligibility rules and state-specific start and end dates for Federal Additional Compensation with their respective state unemployment agencies. Even though FAC is federally-funded, states and territories distribute checks to residents.
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extended by 2009 Economic Stimulus Plan
The 2009 economic stimulus plan also extended an existing plan called Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008, or EUC08. The EUC08 program provides federally-funded extended unemployment compensation to qualifying individuals once they have exhausted normal state unemployment compensation. In some states, twenty weeks are available; in states with high unemployment rates, an additional thirteen weeks may be available.
This program was set to expire on August 17, 2009; the economic stimulus plan extended the expiration date to May 31, 2010.
Extension of Unemployment Benefits in the United States
Each state’s unemployment office is responsible for handling unemployment insurance claims. Unemployed individuals should check with the appropriate unemployment office to see if the federal government unemployment benefits mentioned in this article are available in their states.
Related articles:
Extended Unemployment Benefits in North Carolina – Find out what types of extended unemployment insurance benefits are available to individuals who receive unemployment checks from the state of North Carolina.
Find NC Unemployment Benefits Info on ncesc.com – Learn what kind of information can be found on the NC Employment Security Commission’s website.
Resources:
Fact Sheet: The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov on November 7, 2009.
H.R. 3548, The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. Retrieved from the U.S. Government Printing Office website, gpo.gov, on November 6, 2009.
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