February 17, 2009
Contact: Curt Stewart (801) 526-4315
Salt Lake City – On Tuesday, February 17, 2009, President Obama signed an extension to the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program as part of the federal stimulus package. The EUC program authorizes up to an additional 20 weeks of unemployment benefits. While the federal stimulus bill does not provide unemployed workers any additional weeks of EUC, it does extend the program to December 31, 2009 with a phase out provision to May 31, 2010 according to Unemployment Insurance Director Bill Starks. The Utah Department of Workforce Services administers the unemployment insurance program in Utah. Workforce Services will continue to notify claimants who may be eligible for the extension by mail.
The federal stimulus package also included a provision to increase the weekly unemployment benefit by $25 per week for all unemployment claims from February 22, 2009 to December 31, 2009 with a phase out of the program to June 30, 2010. The state of Utah is required to execute a participation agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) before it can be implemented according to Starks. “DOL should have the agreements in place by the end of the week. In the meantime we are programming our systems to begin paying these additional benefits by March 16th. Claimants who were eligible for the additional $25, beginning on February 22, the expected effective date of the program, will have their claims backdated and receive their $25 to $75 in additional benefits on or after March 16, 2009.”
Utah currently has almost 44,000 unemployed workers who are filing for weekly unemployment benefits, of which about 4,400 have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits and are receiving EUC. Last year, during this time, only about 16,500 unemployed workers were filing for unemployment benefits. Starks indicated almost 500 unemployed workers per week are exhausting their benefits and are now eligible for EUC. Starks said the additional benefits should help individuals who have become unemployed through no fault of their own, as well as help provide a positive stabilizing impact on the local economy.
To get more information or file a claim for unemployment 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)
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