Jobless Benefits For Thousands Of Unemployed Nevadans Set To Resume With Approval Of Extension
Submitted by admin on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 10:39am
Approval means up to 73 weeks of federal jobless benefits for the unemployed who have already exhausted their 26 weeks of state benefits. The measure will cost $34 billion nationwide.
“The department continues proactive work and planning in order to restart benefits as soon as possible after the EUC programs are reinstated,� said DETR Deputy Director Cynthia Jones. “We have carefully staged our systems to ensure their ability to handle the accurate processing of claims; and with the help of our claimants in following the plan, benefits will be paid in an efficient and expedient manner.�
The department has continued accepting EUC applications to help the process move more quickly in anticipation of the bill passing, said Jones, who also serves as administrator of the Employment Security Division.
“There are some things in this legislation that require interpretation and instructions for program implementation as the bill contains other provisions that impact unemployment programs, on top of reinstating the Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs,” she said.
Within seven to ten days of the bill passage, claimants will start receiving letters stating they are on the list of individuals potentially eligible to receive extended benefits, Jones said. The letters will have specific instructions to prevent claimants from waiting unnecessarily on the phone lines. Claimants are asked to refrain from calling telephone claim centers until they receive this notification in the mail, signaling that their claim has been automatically reopened; the new funds have been added and that the agency is now ready for their weekly claims to be filed.
“We are asking for the public’s cooperation so that these much needed benefits can be paid out as soon as possible,� she said.
Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., was one of 31 Republicans in the House who supported the program’s restoration.
Heller said he voted for the bill despite failing to get the Democratic majority to support an amendment to use unobligated stimulus funds to pay for the benefits.
“Nevadans across the state are struggling to get by,� he said. “While I believe that this legislation should have been paid for, I do not believe the unemployed should be held accountable for the failed economic policies of the Administration and this Congress.
“There are ways to pay for this extension, and help the unemployed, without contributing to the deficit,� Heller said.
CARSON CITY – Thousands of unemployed Nevadans will soon see their jobless benefits restored with final Congressional approval Thursday of a six-month extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program.
There are currently about 93,670 people receiving unemployment benefits in Nevada, according to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR). The number of individuals who are affected by the May expiration of EUC and State Extended Benefits (SEB) programs continue to grow as well. There are nearly 40,000 people who have lost their benefits since the EUC and SEB programs expired.
The EUC extension signed by President Obama on Thursday will last through November. The mid-term general election is Nov. 2.
Approval means up to 73 weeks of federal jobless benefits for the unemployed who have already exhausted their 26 weeks of state benefits. The measure will cost $34 billion nationwide.
“The department continues proactive work and planning in order to restart benefits as soon as possible after the EUC programs are reinstated,� said DETR Deputy Director Cynthia Jones. “We have carefully staged our systems to ensure their ability to handle the accurate processing of claims; and with the help of our claimants in following the plan, benefits will be paid in an efficient and expedient manner.�
The department has continued accepting EUC applications to help the process move more quickly in anticipation of the bill passing, said Jones, who also serves as administrator of the Employment Security Division.
“There are some things in this legislation that require interpretation and instructions for program implementation as the bill contains other provisions that impact unemployment programs, on top of reinstating the Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs,” she said.
Within seven to ten days of the bill passage, claimants will start receiving letters stating they are on the list of individuals potentially eligible to receive extended benefits, Jones said. The letters will have specific instructions to prevent claimants from waiting unnecessarily on the phone lines. Claimants are asked to refrain from calling telephone claim centers until they receive this notification in the mail, signaling that their claim has been automatically reopened; the new funds have been added and that the agency is now ready for their weekly claims to be filed.
“We are asking for the public’s cooperation so that these much needed benefits can be paid out as soon as possible,� she said.
Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., was one of 31 Republicans in the House who supported the program’s restoration.
Heller said he voted for the bill despite failing to get the Democratic majority to support an amendment to use unobligated stimulus funds to pay for the benefits.
“Nevadans across the state are struggling to get by,� he said. “While I believe that this legislation should have been paid for, I do not believe the unemployed should be held accountable for the failed economic policies of the Administration and this Congress.
“There are ways to pay for this extension, and help the unemployed, without contributing to the deficit,� Heller said.
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