The Connecticut Department of Labor said they are urging workers that are about to exhaust their Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits to file for extended state benefits.
"It's important for claimants to file for extended benefits as soon as they receive the filing instructions - and not before - in order to transition from PEUC to the state extended benefits program that was triggered due to high unemployment," Commissioner Kurt Westby said.
Eligibility requirements for extended benefits include the following, according to the CT DOL:
- Filers must have a benefit year that ends after May 1, 2020, and be totally or partially unemployed.
- Filers must have exhausted all rights to unemployment insurance under state law and have also exhausted all PEUC entitlement.
- Filers must have been paid wages by an employer who is subject to the Connecticut Unemployment Compensation Act.
- Filers must meet eligibility requirements related to the base period benefit amount.
People filing for unemployment can apply for extended benefits by using the green button on the CT DOL website once they are notified that their PEUC benefits are ending. When approved for benefits, people will file online weekly by following the same process.
The CT DOL said extended benefits applications can only be filed once PEUC benefits are exhausted.
Westby said he has temporarily suspended the work search eligibility requirements and people will be notified when they need to start making reasonable efforts to find a job in order to maintain eligibility.
Local
Since March 13, the CT DOL has received 656,751 unemployment applications and processed 632,819 of them.
