Ohio’s declining unemployment rate has triggered a second reduction to the amount of federal unemployment compensation residents can collect.
As Congress expanded and funded the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) during the recession, lawmakers made the length of the program contingent on a state’s unemployment rate. Because Ohio’s unemployment rate has dropped from 10.6 percent at the height of the recession to 7.2 percent in July 2012, the maximum number of weeks of available unemployment compensation will decrease to 63, starting in September.
Currently, unemployed Ohioans are eligible for up to 73 weeks of unemployment compensation. Prior to April 2012, claimants were eligible for up to 99 weeks of compensation.
Regardless of the unemployment rate, the federally funded EUC program is scheduled to expire on December 29, 2012.
As a result of these changes:
- Claimants who exhaust their maximum 26 weeks of state benefits after September 1, 2012, may be eligible for 14 weeks of EUC Tier 1 benefits. If claimants have not found work after 14 weeks, they may be eligible to collect Tier 2 benefits until the EUC program expires in December.
- Claimants who exhaust EUC Tier 2 benefits after September 8, 2012, may be eligible for up to nine weeks of EUC Tier 3 benefits, after which they will have exhausted all available unemployment compensation.
Ohioans with questions about their unemployment claim should call 877-OHIO-JOB.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services remains committed to assisting Ohioans who have exhausted all available unemployment compensation but have not yet found employment. Out-of-work Ohioans can access tens of thousands of job opportunities and post their résumés online at www.ohiomeansjobs.com. Anyone struggling to find work is also strongly encouraged to visit his or her nearest One-Stop Center for help with résumé development, career planning, job search skills and more. To find the One-Stop nearest you, call 1-877-US2JOBS.
In addition, www.ohioheretohelp.gov offers valuable resources for unemployed workers in Ohio, such as job search assistance and information about a wide variety of services related to money, food, housing and other topics.
Ohioans also can apply for cash assistance, food assistance or Medicaid online at https://odjfsbenefits.ohio.gov.
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