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State will automatically file claims for them
Federal legislation signed Friday by President Obama will provide up to 20 additional weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits for up to 65,000 eligible unemployed New Jerseyans, state officials said.
The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development will automatically file a claim for additional weeks of federal unemployment benefits on behalf of eligible people who had exhausted all available state and federally funded extended benefits or who were ineligible for the extended benefits due to certain separation issues.
The department is mailing a letter to all potentially eligible individuals on Monday. Individuals will receive a separate certification letter with instructions on how to continue claiming federal benefits on the Internet at www.njuifile.net or by telephone.
Officials stress there is no need for individuals to contact the department or report to their local unemployment center.
The first two weeks for which these additional benefits are available are the weeks ending Nov. 14 and Nov. 21. On Nov. 25, eligible claimants will be able to use the automated systems on the Internet or telephone to claim these first two weeks of the federal benefits.
New Jersey's unemployed workers are now eligible for a combined maximum of up to 99 weeks of state or federally-funded unemployment insurance benefits. Claimants are not eligible for additional extended benefits if they are eligible to file a new unemployment claim in New Jersey or in any other state or Canada due to wages that they have earned in subsequent employment.
The department has taken several steps to accommodate the heavy volume of unemployment insurance activity. Call center hours have been extended to operate from 7 AM to 6 PM Monday to Friday and Saturday and Sunday from 8 AM to 12 PM. The department has added extra staff to provide direct customer service to unemployment insurance claimants, through new hires and overtime hours. Because of the large volume of calls in the call centers, the department encourages all claimants to use its enhanced Internet application for filing or certifying for unemployment insurance benefits on the web, which is available at www.njuifile.net.
More information about the new federal unemployment benefits program is available by following the link on the department's website at www.nj.gov/labor.
— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
