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State-Federal Extended Benefits End June 1st
Labor Advises UI Recipients Extended Jobless Benefits End

 

May 24, 2002
Friday - 2:25 pm


Commissioner of Labor Ed Flanagan announced Wednesday that because Alaska's insured unemployment rate fell below six percent this month, the Unemployment Insurance State-Federal Extended Benefits (EB) Program ends as of June 1, 2002. However, benefits under the Federal Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act (TEUC) are still available through the week ending December 28, 2002.

According to the news release, the Department of Labor's Employment Security Division, which administers the Unemployment Insurance program, has notified each claimant who has filed for Extended Benefits (EB) of the June 1 ending date and advised them to file for TEUC, if they have not already done so.

Entitlement for the State-Federal EB Program is based on an individual's basic eligibility and provides up to a maximum of 13 additional weeks of benefits during periods of high unemployment. The idea is to pay an extension of regular unemployment insurance when the labor market is depressed and there is not much work.

According to a federal triggering formula, the State-Federal EB Program is authorized when Alaska's insured unemployment rate rises above six percent. Because Alaska's rate just fell below six percent, the State-Federal EB Program ended with the last payable week of June 1, 2002. The formula is based on how many claims are received in a thirteen-week period, which causes the insured unemployment rate to rise or fall. According the the news release, the rate fell because more people are seasonally employed during the summer in Alaska, causing the Extended Benefits (EB) program to trigger off.

The unemployment rate for Ketchikan for April 2002 was reported by the Alaska Department of Labor to be 9.6%.

 

 

Related:

Unemployment Rate Declines In April

 

Source of News Release:

Alaska Department of Labor
Web Site
 

 

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