Information on the Third Extension for California Unemployment
Since 2008, the U.S. federal government has been offering federal unemployment extension money to the states to help combat the growing unemployment rate caused by the economic downturn. Although the federal government pays for the extensions, the state distributes and manages them. If you live in California, the Employment Development Department (EDD) manages your unemployment extensions. To receive the third extension, you must meet the regular unemployment requirements and exhaust the previous tiers of benefits.
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Federal Unemployment Extensions
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Federal unemployment extensions (also called emergency unemployment compensation or EUC) are separate from state benefits because they do not come from employer-funded state unemployment plans but from federal tax reserves. These extensions are only available when Congress creates laws to enact them, which is during times of increased unemployment rates all over the country. The federal government pays for the compensation and the state government manages the distribution, eligibility and amount of the payments.
The Third Tier
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Unemployment extensions are broken into tiers and currently there are four tiers of extensions. The third tier provides 13 weeks of additional benefits after you have exhausted your state benefits, the first tier of extensions and the second tier of extensions. In addition, you must exhaust those previous benefits by January 1, 2012. All of the rest of the California unemployment eligibility requirements apply as well, including that you conduct an active job search.
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Applying for It
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Unlike some other states, California doesn't require a separate application for unemployment extensions. The EDD automatically reviews the information of each claimant when you exhausts your current benefits. You receive a notice from the EDD saying that you qualify for the next tier of extensions. The department does admit that a small percentage of eligible claimants aren't automatically enrolled in the next available extension. It advises that if you think you qualify for an extension but haven't received notice within 10 days of your last check, you should contact the EDD to check the status of your claim.
Compensation Amount
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Although paid from a different fund, federal extensions pay the same amount of compensation that you received while collecting California state benefits. This amount is broken into weekly portions called your weekly benefit amount. When the state determines your weekly benefit amount, it reviews your base period first. Your base period is the first four of the last five full calendar quarter before you filed your initial claim. After reviewing your base period, the state determines which quarter you earned the most wages from an employer that paid into the unemployment plan based on your salary. Then it divides your earnings from that quarter by 26. The result in the amount you receive for each week you're eligible for unemployment, including the federal extensions.
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