ROANOKE - Last week, President Barack Obama signed into law a new unemployment benefits extension. We looked at some of the facts associated with this legislation and what it means for Virginians.
Over the summer, Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello quoted the number 23,000 as the number of people that could benefit from the extension. Our research shows that number is no longer accurate. The number of Virginians who have exhausted other programs and could be eligible for an extension has increased to 39,814.
The Virginia Employment Commission tells us the number went up because of an extra option in the new law that changed and pushed out some deadline dates, allowing more people to be eligible.
Another misconception is that Virginians are eligible for 99 weeks of benefits. We found that is not the case. Statewide our unemployment rate is below the threshold needed for 99 weeks and instead in Virginia the max is 86 weeks of benefits.
The VEC says it is not working with the Department of Labor on how to move forward with dealing with the new legislation. The VEC will pinpoint who exactly under the new legislation will automatically qualify for benefits. Those people will receive their checks in the next week. However, in the details of the law, many do not automatically get the money and will have to re-apply. An application will be mailed.
This new legislation restores access to federal extension benefits back to June 2, 2010, and extends that access through November 30, 2010.
Our research shows the six months prior to that, from January to June, the federal government paid unemployed Virginians $516 million dollars in extended benefits.
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