Federal extended jobless benefits to be cut

Special to the Journal

Thousands of jobless workers in Georgia receiving federal

Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) will soon see a reduction in their

weekly benefits because of sequestration. EUC is a federally funded benefit for

long-term unemployed workers who have exhausted regular state unemployment

insurance (UI) benefits.

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) has been told by the

U.S. Department of Labor to reduce EUC benefits by 10.7 percent, effective the

week beginning March 31. There are presently 61,360 recipients of EUC in

Georgia.  

The current maximum weekly benefit is $330, while the

average benefit is $260.

Regular state-funded unemployment insurance benefits will

not be affected.

 

The federal government will also reduce the state labor

department’s administrative funding grant by approximately $3 million.

The

grant is used to pay costs of administering the unemployment insurance program.

The cuts will negatively impact the department’s operations, but it is too soon

to know the extent.

The GDOL will notify jobless workers who will be affected.

Also, complete information will be available at www.dol.state.ga.us.

HHJ News