How to Know if I Qualify for an Unemployment Extension in Tennessee

If you are nearing the end of your initial unemployment claim in Tennessee and have still not found a new job, you may be nervous about your benefits ending. Like other states, Tennessee offers extended unemployment benefits for people that use up all of their initial unemployment benefits and still need assistance. With the exception of a deadline, qualifications for extended unemployment benefits in Tennessee are the same as for initial unemployment benefits. Tennessee does not require applications for extended benefits as they are filed automatically on your behalf.

Instructions

1. Look for a new job each week that you are unemployed. This is a requirement for receiving unemployment benefits in Tennessee and all other states. Your claim form will ask you if you looked for employment during the week.

2. Make yourself available for employment. This means that you cannot attend school during the day, be on vacation or in the hospital, unless seriously ill or disabled. You are allowed to attend school at night.

3. Use up all of your initial claim before the January 3, 2012. As of May 2011, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 extended the end of Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which are the federal extended benefits, to that date. This means you must already be on one of the tiers of extended benefits before that date.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are on EUC benefits before January 3, 2012, you will be able to claim your full amount for that tier. A total of four tiers are available.

References

• Tennessee Department of Labor: General Information Regarding the Unemployment Extension
• Tennessee Department of Labor: Guide To Benefits
• Tennessee Department of Labor: Unemployment Insurance Compensation Update
• U.S. Department of Labor: Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Extended to January 3, 2012