Emergency Unemployment Compensation

On June 30, 2008, the President signed Public Law 110-252 creating the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program. This law originally provided for EUC of up to 13 weeks to unemployed workers who exhausted their regular unemployment insurance benefits.

The extension was EFFECTIVE July 6, 2008, and is referred to as EUC Tier I. The first week that can be paid under the EUC program is the week ending July 12, 2008.

On November 21, 2008 the President signed PL 110-449 ( HR 6867), that provides up to an additional seven-week extension of EUC Tier I, bringing the possible total EUC Tier I benefits up to 20 weeks. The law also created EUC Tier II which provides up to 13 weeks of benefits for individuals that exhaust their EUC Tier I benefits if the state Insured Unemployment rate is 4% or higher.

Effective January 25, 2009, EUC Tier II benefits became available for claimants that have exhausted their entitlement to EUC Tier I benefits.

On November 6, 2009 the President signed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 that provides up to one additional week of EUC Tier II benefits, up to 13 weeks of EUC Tier III benefits for states that have a total unemployment rate of 6% or higher or an insured unemployment rate of 4% or higher. In addition, the EUC II unemployment rate triggers mentioned above have been eliminated. Arkansas is in a Tier III period effective the week ending November 14, 2009. All individuals that are potentially eligible for these new Tier II and Tier III benefits will be notified by DWS.

On March 2, 2010, President Obama signed the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 which temporarily extended the EUC and FAC programs through April 5, 2010.

EUC Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III claims that are established and have benefit amounts remaining on or before April 5, 2010 may continue to be paid through the week ending September 4, 2010. EUC Tier I claims cannot be established after the week ending April 3, 2010. EUC Tier II and Tier III claims may only be established after the week ending April 3, 2010, if the previous tier of EUC benefits is exhausted on or before the week ending April 3, 2010. No payment for any type of EUC can be made for weeks of unemployment after September 4, 2010.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Have Base Period Wages:
  1. equal to 40 times the weekly benefit amount, or
  2. 1.5 times the high quarter wages, or
  3. 20 weeks of full time work
• have had a claim for regular benefits that ended after May 1, 2007, or
• have exhausted all available benefits from a claim that ended after May 1, 2007, and
• have no rights to regular or extended compensation under any other state or federal unemployment compensation law, and
• have not received compensation with respect to such week under the unemployment compensation law of Canada.

• From week ending July 12, 2008 through November 22, 2008 the weekly benefit amount of EUC will be equal to the amount received on the regular claim that the extension is based upon.
• The amount in the EUC account will be the lesser of:
• 50 percent of the total amount of the regular claim, or
• 13 times the individual's weekly benefit amount for the benefit year.
• From weekending November 29, 2008 the weekly benefit amount of EUC Tier I will be equal to the amount received on the regular claim that the extension is based upon.
• The amount in the EUC Tier I account will be the lesser of:
• 80 percent of the total amount of the regular claim, or
• 20 times the individual's weekly benefit amount for the benefit year.
• The amount in the EUC Tier II account will be the lesser of:
  • 54 percent of the total amount of the regular claim, or
  • 14 times the individual's WBA for the benefit year.
• The amount in the EUC Tier III account will be the lesser of:
  • 50 percent of the total amount of the regular claim, or
  • 13 times the individual's WBA for the benefit year.