This was posted on the VA Employment Commission's website today:

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

News / Announcements:

When Will My Benefits Run Out?
Federally Funded Extensions to the Unemployment Insurance Program are Scheduled to Phase Out.

The Following Important Information Concerns Unemployment Insurance (UI), Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC), Extended Benefits (EB), and Federal Additional Compensation (FAC)

** Note: You must establish a UI claim and exhaust eligibility for those benefits before you can access the first Tier of EUC benefits. Likewise, you would have to exhaust a Tier balance before you could move into the next higher Tier of benefits. With that in mind the following dates will apply.

The Effective Date for an initial UI claim will be established when a claim is filed with the VEC. (The phase out of federally funded extensions does not affect the regular UI program.)

Last Effective Date for EUC Tier I: 11/21/10
Last Effective Date for EUC Tier II: 11/28/10
Last effective Date for EUC Tier III: 11/28/10
Last effective Date for EB: 12/05/10

Last Effective Date for a UI initial claim to receive FAC: 05/23/10

** Note: FAC had provided an additional $25 in benefits to the normal weekly benefit amount. Claims effective after May 23, 2010, have not been eligible for FAC and those who had been receiving it will stop receiving it after the week ending December 11, 2010.

Last payable week for EUC Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III: 04/30/11
Last payable week for EB: 12/11/10
Last payable week for FAC: 12/11/10

** Note: The effective dates and last payable dates were established through Federal law.

Below are some examples of claim scenarios.

** Note: The acronym (BWE) refers to Benefit Week Ending date. The BWE is used to identify the week benefits are being claimed.

Scenario 1: If regular UI is exhausted with BWE 11-27-10 or later, we will look to see if the claimant has a Tier balance on a prior claim. If there is a remaining Tier balance on a prior claim, then the claim will be paid from that remaining Tier until it is exhausted or until we reach BWE 4-30-11. If there is no Tier balance on a prior claim, the claim will go to EB and can claim EB through BWE 12-11-10 from EB.

Scenario 2: If regular UI or Tier III is exhausted with BWE 11-27-10, an EB claim can be established, but the claimant will only be able to claim EB through BWE 12-11-10. (two weeks)

Scenario 3: If regular UI, Tier I, Tier II or Tier III is exhausted with BWE 12-04-10, an EB claim can be established, but the claimant will only be able to claim EB through BWE 12-11-10. (one week)

Scenario 4: If regular UI is exhausted with BWE 11-20-10, that claimant can move into Tier I because it would have an effective date of 11-21-10. Claimant would not go to Tier II after exhausting Tier I.

Scenario 5: If Tier I or Tier II is exhausted with BWE 11-27-10, then the claim can be augmented with the next higher Tier and draw the balance of that higher tier until that Tier is exhausted or BWE 4-30-11 is reached.

Scenario 6: If a regular UI, Tier I, Tier II, or Tier III claim is exhausted with BWE 12-11-10 or later, then there is no more eligibility associated with this claim year.


I am pretty sure I am "Scenario No. 6." I was laid off in January of this year and Tier 1 is up. I was told by someone at the VEC to keep going online and putting in my contacts as long as the system will allow me to.

What I'm wondering is if the tax cut deal is passed (in its current or any other form), will this change any of the above scenarios?

Oh, and I heard (after going to lunch w/ a former coworker of mine) that the company that laid me off has done "really well" this year. Yeah, that's probably because they laid me and four other people off. Another person who works there put on her FB page that she just got a raise in November and "will probably get another one in January."

Assholes.

[thunder rising]

1. I take it you're a Vet? One vet to another...never take anything personally. It don't mean a thang.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

2. Actually, I'm not a vet. I thank you for your service, though.

:)