NEW: RI Qualifies For Increased Federal Unemployment Funding
Monday, November 25, 2013
Due to a recent increase in the state's unemployment rate, Rhode Island has once again qualified for the fourth tier of the Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program.
This federal program provides up to 47 weeks of federally funded unemployment insurance benefits to the long-term unemployed who have exhausted their regular unemployment insurance benefits. Depending on the level of unemployment, the program offers from one to four tiers of benefits to states. When a state's three-month moving average unemployment rate reaches or exceeds nine percent, they may qualify for the fourth (and final) tier.
Rhode Island's three-month moving average unemployment rate fell below nine percent in August, thereby disqualifying it from the fourth tier of benefits. However, under these new conditions, approximately 1,500 Rhode Island claimants who had exhausted their third tier after August 9th may now be eligible for the fourth tier of benefits, assuming they are able and available for work and actively seeking full-time employment.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTo collect on the fourth tier of benefits, eligible claimants must reopen their EUC claims no earlier than December 8, 2013. The Department of Labor and Training is notifying those claimants by mail of their potential eligibility.
At present, all tiers of the EUC program are scheduled to end after December 28, 2013; meaning that those qualifying for the fourth tier of benefits may not be able to collect the maximum weeks associated with that tier before the EUC program ends at the end of the year.
Related Slideshow: Best and Worst Run States in New England
How well do the New England states stack up against each other in terms of how they're currently run?
According to Wall Street 24/7, looking at a state's debt per capita, budget deficit, unemployment, median household income, and percentage below the poverty line are all indicators of a state's level operational success - or lack thereof.
Below are how the New England states were ranked compared to each other, based on data from 2012 -- as well as the "best run" and "worst run" states in the country.
Related Articles
- NEW: RI DLT Reports Lowest Unemployment Rate Since 2008
- NEW: RI Unemployment Numbers Dropped to 8.8 Percent in April
- NEW: RI Unemployment Rate Drops To 9.4%
- PODCAST: Rhode Island’s Most Unemployed Cities and Towns
- NEW: Reed, Whitehouse Seek to Preserve Unemployment Insurance
- Rhode Island’s Most Unemployed Cities & Towns
- NEW: Rhode Island Unemployment Remained at 8.9 Percent for June
- DLT Director: RI’s Unemployment Rate Won’t “Turn Around Overnight”
- NEW: Unemployment rate falls to 10.2 percent
- Rhode Island’s Most Unemployed Cities and Towns
- NEW: Chafee Announces Disaster Unemployment Assistance Sessions
