nys unemployment insurance
On November 6, 2009, President Obama signed legislation that extends unemployment benefits for 14 weeks in all states and 20 weeks in states that have 8.5% unemployment or higher. Since New York’s unemployment rate currently stands at 8.9%, New Yorker’s are eligible for the 20-week extension. That extension now allows some New Yorker’s to collect up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits.
One drawback of the legislation is that those who lost unemployment benefits since the last extension was exhausted - about four weeks ago - will not be eligible to collect benefits for those missed weeks. It’s important to know that if you did lose your benefits during that four-week period, you will have to reapply for the benefits extension.
If you live in another state, take a look at the BLS report to see your state’s latest reported unemployment rate, or visit “Where does your state rank?” to use an interactive map.
The New York Times has an FAQ article that answers some unemployment extension questions: Extended Unemployment Benefits: F.A.Q.
This latest extension is an update to my previous article: How long can you collect unemployment benefits in New York?
The attached photo shows that more than 1.3 million people would have lost benefits if this extension had not been approved.
