Q&A: US Senate extends jobless benefits

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Senate Democrats mustered enough votes on Tuesday afternoon to cut off a Republican filibuster that had blocked Congress from spending $34 billion to extend unemployment benefits for some jobless Americans.

More than 37,000 of Rhode Island’s 69,300 unemployed residents were receiving unemployment benefits as of June. (Some jobless workers do not qualify because of eligibility restrictions.) Eyewitness News spoke with officials in Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., to understand what the Senate’s action will mean for local people.

Q. How many weeks of unemployment can someone get in Rhode Island?

A. Because of the state’s high unemployment rate – 12 percent in June – Rhode Islanders can get up to 99 weeks, or nearly 23 months, of unemployment benefits. However, some individuals may not be eligible for the full 99 weeks – that depends on their work histories.

Q. How much money do people on unemployment receive in Rhode Island?

A. Anywhere from $68 to $551 per week if they don't have dependents, and up to $688 per week with five or more dependents.

Q. What exactly did the Senate vote to do Tuesday?

A. This gets complicated, but the legislation that senators voted on Tuesday will restart the federal Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program, which provides as many as 53 extra weeks of benefits. Those are in addition to the basic 26 weeks that is always available, which is known as Unemployment Insurance (UI).

(Technically, senators voted only to end debate on the legislation; an actual vote on the measure is expected tonight. If it passes, then the House of Representatives needs to approve it, which is expected to happen Wednesday. The bill would then go to President Obama for his signature.)

The EUC program had expired on June 2 after senators failed to come to an agreement on extending it. The legislation senators voted on Tuesday would extend the program until Nov. 30. In addition, it will make benefits retroactive – meaning eligible unemployed people who have not received benefits since June 2 will now get what they would have received if the EUC program had continued uninterrupted.

The legislation will also have the federal government continue paying the full cost of state Extended Benefits (EB), a third unemployment program that provides up to 20 more weeks of aid. The three programs together – UI + EUC + EB – can provide up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits in Rhode Island.

Q. Yikes! Why have they made all this so complicated?

A. As the recession has dragged on and more workers have been unemployed for long periods of time, Congress has expanded the length of time that people who are out of work can receive benefits. It’s a patchwork.

Q. So did a lot of Rhode Islanders lose benefits on June 2?

A. No, because in Rhode Island, the state funds the 20 weeks of Extended Benefits (EB) even when the federal government does not. So when the EUC program ended, unemployed people who were eligible got switched to receiving EB benefits sooner than they would have otherwise.

However, if the Senate had not voted to restart the EUC program, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training says a significant number of local residents would have started losing benefits toward the end of the summer once they maxed out under the EB program.

Q. If I have already run out of unemployment benefits, can I get more under this new legislation?

A. Not if you have used the maximum 99 weeks available to Rhode Islanders. Although some members of Congress proposed adding more weeks of benefits, senators have not voted to do so, so that remains the limit.

Q. How do I find out if I am eligible under this extension?

A. If you are currently collecting benefits, you probably won’t need to do anything – you will continue receiving unemployment payments.

If you are not currently collecting but think you may be entitled to benefits because of this, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training will reach out to you over the next two weeks.

However, officials here in Rhode Island will not know who is eligible until they receive further guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, which may take a few days and will not happen until President Obama signs the extension into law. For more information, visit dlt.ri.gov .