TRENTON January 9, 2009 – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) will automatically file a claim for additional weeks of federal Extended Unemployment Compensation Tier II benefits (EUC Tier II) on behalf of approximately 60,000 individuals who are currently collecting federal Extended Unemployment Compensation Tier I benefits (EUC Tier I), so that these individuals can continue claiming benefits without having to complete a separate application.  These claimants do not need to contact the Department – they will seamlessly transfer from EUC Tier I to EUC Tier II.  For the approximately 700 individuals who have already exhausted their existing EUC Tier I benefits, and who are potentially eligible for additional EUC Tier II benefits, the Department will mail the instructions on January 12, 2009 for claiming these benefits via the internet or by telephone.

Federal legislation enacted November 21, 2008, provided for a second tier of Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits, providing additional weeks of EUC benefits in states where the unemployment rate reaches or exceeds an average of 6.0 percent for three consecutive months.  The federal government has determined that New Jersey reached the 6.0 percent average unemployment rate for the three-month period ending November 2008, qualifying workers in the state for Tier II EUC benefits as of the week ending January 10, 2009.

This second tier of EUC provides up to 13 additional weeks of benefits after an individual has collected EUC Tier I benefits.  Currently, EUC Tier I provides a maximum of 20 weeks of additional federally-funded benefits to claimants who exhaust their regular state unemployment insurance benefits.  Thus, with the addition of the new Tier II benefits, New Jersey’s unemployed workers are eligible for a combined maximum of up to 33 weeks of federally-funded extended unemployment insurance benefits.  To be eligible for the EUC Tier II benefits, an individual must qualify for, and exhaust, EUC Tier I benefits and cannot be eligible for a new unemployment claim in New Jersey or in any other state or Canada. 

The federally-funded EUC Tier I benefits originally provided up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment compensation beginning in July 2008.  Those EUC Tier I benefits were extended for up to seven (7) additional weeks, for a total maximum of 20 weeks, through the November 2008 legislation.  The additional EUC Tier II benefits for which New Jerseyans now will be eligible will begin after individuals exhaust their entire regular and EUC Tier I benefits.

The Department has taken several steps to accommodate the heavy volume of unemployment insurance claims.  Call Center hours have been extended to operate from 7 AM to 6 PM Monday to Friday and Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 12 pm.  The Department is also adding staff to provide direct customer service to unemployment insurance claimants, through new hires, staff transfers from other agencies, and overtime hours.  Because of the large volume of calls going into the Call Centers, the Department encourages all claimants to use its enhanced internet application for filing unemployment insurance claims on the web, which is available at www.njuifile.net.

More information about the EUC program is available by following the links on the Department’s Website at www.nj.gov/labor.

Extension programs information 

Call Center Information


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