| WorkForce West Virginia has announced that West Virginians receiving unemployment benefits will be assisted by the federal economic stimulus bill.
There will be three main changes for unemployment recipients:
$25 SUPPLEMENT - A $25 weekly supplement added to the unemployment compensation of all eligible individuals receiving benefits for the week ending Feb. 28, 2009 or later.
Any eligible claimant who files an initial claim effective Dec. 20, 2009, or earlier may establish entitlement for the $25 weekly supplement to their benefits.
The last week that this weekly supplement will be paid is the week ending July 3, 2010. If a claimant is currently receiving unemployment benefits, no action is required on the claimant's part.
TAX BREAK - The second is a tax break on the first $2,400 of unemployment benefit payments received in 2009. The first $2,400 in benefit payments is not considered taxable income.
Claimants are responsible to report and adjust this change to their tax liability at the end of the 2009 income tax year.
EXTENSION OF DEADLINE - The third change is an extension to the deadline to file for emergency unemployment compensation. The last day a claimant can establish entitlement for EUC benefits has been extended to claims effective Dec. 20, 2009. This was amended from a pre-stimulus effective date of March 22, 2009.
The last week that EUC will be paid is the week ending June 5, 2010.
EUC was first approved in July to provide additional unemployment benefits for jobless workers who exhausted their regular benefits.
A EUC extension in November amended filing deadlines and increased the maximum number of weeks a claimant can draw EUC in West Virginia to 20 weeks.
The federal economic stimulus bill amended the deadlines, but did not change the number of weeks that a person can claim EUC.
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