For Immediate Release:	Contact: Kathy Toelkes
June 5, 2009	785-296-0901

Additional Emergency Unemployment Compensation available

Kansas Department of Labor notifying individuals who may be eligible

   TOPEKA - Kansas has become eligible to provide a second tier of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits to qualifying individuals effective June 7, 2009. The 2008 EUC program provides for a second tier of benefits when a state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reaches 6.0 percent or higher for three consecutive months. Kansas has reached that threshold and now individuals who have exhausted their original EUC benefits may be eligible for up to 13 weeks of additional benefits.

The Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) has identified nearly 10,000 potentially eligible individuals and will be mailing an application for the new EUC benefits to them on June 5. Individuals who are still receiving original EUC benefits will also be notified of their potential eligibility for Tier II benefits as their original EUC benefits exhaust.

"These additional federal unemployment benefits will provide some much-needed relief to thousands of Kansans who are continuing to struggle through this economic downturn," said Kansas Labor Secretary Jim Garner. "Our staff will be working diligently to get these benefits to eligible Kansans as quickly as possible."

The first week for which Tier II EUC benefits can be paid is the week ending June 13, 2009. Claimants will first need to be notified of their potential eligibility for these benefits before they can apply. Instructions for applying for the Tier II benefits will be included in the notification.

To be eligible for the Tier II EUC benefits, individuals must meet the following criteria:

• Exhausted regular state unemployment insurance benefits;
• Exhausted original EUC benefits;
• Not eligible for a new state unemployment insurance claim
  in any state or in Canada;
• Currently unemployed or working less than full-time.

The Tier II EUC benefits are federally funded and do not impact the Kansas Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. To date, more than $105 million has been paid out to unemployed Kansans through the federal EUC program. In addition, more than $20 million in weekly supplemental benefits have been distributed in Kansas through the Federal Additional Compensation (FAC) provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The $25 weekly FAC benefit is also payable with the Tier II EUC benefits.

"These funds have not only been a lifeline to those who have found themselves out of work for an extended time, they have also provided an infusion to the Kansas economy at a time when it has been sorely needed," Garner said.

Individuals who think they may be eligible for Tier II EUC benefits are encouraged to wait for notification from KDOL. More information about the Tier II EUC benefits and eligibility criteria is available on the KDOL Web site at www.dol.ks.gov.

Kansas Department of Labor News Room

Kansas Department of Labor News Room Archive

---

For media information contact:

Kathy Toelkes
Director of Marketing & Communications
Kansas Department of Labor
Phone: 785.296.0901
e-mail