Iowa Workforce Development says the federal government has approved a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits for those out of work. Workforce Development spokesperson, Kerry Koonce. Koonce says when the extension is coupled with the original 26 weeks of benefits and past extensions, people can be eligible for up to 59 weeks of benefits. She says they will be going back to 5,000 people who exhausted their benefits after June 27th and may be eligible for the extension.
Koonce says they’ll let the 5,000 know how to apply for the extension. She says letters with information are going out today, and depending on their situation, they may be able to go to a local office to sign up or may be able to sign up on-line. Koonce says the increased level of unemployment triggered the extension. Koonce says it’s important for those getting benefits to keep up with the requirements.
Koonce says you have to be actively looking for work and report any wages you make while also keeping a log of your job contacts. She says they do random auditing to see that people are actually maintaining their work information. Koonce says unemployment benefits do vary depending on several factors.
Koonce says the unemployment is not meant to be a full replacement of your wages, and the average person without any dependents receives a max of $374 a week. The federal government has also authorized an additional 25 dollars a week on top of the traditional state benefits. Find out more about unemployment benefits at the Iowa Workforce Development website.