Q.
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What is EUC?
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A. |
Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) is a temporary federal program that provides additional weeks of benefits to claimants who qualify.
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Q.
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Who is eligible for EUC?
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A. |
Claimants who remain unemployed when they exhaust regular unemployment compensation (UC) may be eligible for EUC.
Eligibility requirements for receipt of regular UC are also applicable to EUC. For example, a claimant must be at least partially unemployed, able and available for suitable work, not disqualified for voluntarily leaving work, and not discharged for willful misconduct.
A claimant must also meet the following:
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Had a regular UC claim with a benefit year that ended on or after May 1, 2007, OR currently have a regular UC claim on which the claimant received the maximum amount of benefits.
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Be legally authorized to work in the United States if the claimant is an alien.
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Have total base year wages that are equal to or greater than 1 ½ times the amount of wages in the claimant's highest quarter of the base year.
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Q.
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May I claim EUC if I am eligible for regular UC?
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A. |
Generally, no. You are not eligible for EUC if you are eligible for regular UC from Pennsylvania, another state, the federal government or Canada.
However, if the benefit year of the EUC claim on which you are currently filing for benefits, ends on or after July 24, 2010, and you become financially eligible for a new, regular UC claim, payments on the regular UC claim will be deferred until you exhaust your EUC benefits if the weekly benefit rate for the new UC claim is at least $100 or 25 percent less than your EUC weekly benefit amount.
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Q.
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What is the weekly amount of EUC?
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A claimant's EUC weekly benefit amount will be the same as the claimant's regular UC benefit amount, including any dependents' allowances.
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Q.
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When may claimants file claims for EUC benefits?
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Once a claimant is notified that he or she is financially eligible for EUC, the claimant may file claims for weeks of total or partial unemployment.
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Q.
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What are "tiers" of EUC?
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The initial EUC a claimant receives is called "Tier 1." Under certain conditions, if a claimant remains unemployed when he or she exhausts Tier 1 benefits the claimant may receive additional tiers of benefits.
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Q.
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When may a claimant begin to receive Tier 1 EUC benefits?
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A. |
When you have exhausted your regular, state UC benefits (your account balance is $0), the department will mail you an initial application for EUC. If you are still partially or totally unemployed, you may complete and sign this form and return it to the UC Service Center by mail or fax. You should return the completed application immediately in order to minimize any interruption in your benefits. If you do not receive an application for EUC within seven (7) days after you received the final payment on your regular UC claim, call the UC Service Center at 1-888-313-7284.
The UC Service Center will review your application and determine if you are eligible for regular UC or EUC. If additional information is required, you will be contacted. If you are determined eligible for UC or EUC benefits, you will be provided with instructions on filing claims for those benefits.
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Q.
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Which claimants may be eligible for additional tiers of EUC?
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Federal law provides for payment of additional tiers of EUC under certain conditions.
If you exhaust your current tier of benefits no later than week ending Dec. 22, 2012, you may be eligible for the next available tier.
The last payable week of EUC is Dec. 29, 2012.
All EUC benefits are paid at the same weekly benefit amount as the regular UC claim on which they are based, including any dependents' allowances.
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How does a claimant learn about eligibility for additional tiers of EUC benefits?
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As you exhaust your current tier, any claimant who is financially eligible for an additional tier of EUC will receive a notice of financial determination that indicates the weekly and maximum amounts of the next tier. It is not necessary to call the UC Service Center.
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How does a claimant transition from their current tier into the next available tier?
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If you exhaust your current tier of EUC benefits, and an additional tier is available, you will transition to the next available tier as follows:
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If PAT or the Internet claims system informs you that you have exhausted your current tier of benefits with the first week of your biweekly claim, please return to PAT or the Internet claims system during the next calendar week to file claims for your first two weeks of the next available tier of EUC. Thereafter, continue to file biweekly claims.
EXAMPLE: If you contact PAT or the Internet claims system during the week beginning Sunday, September 11, 2011, to claim weeks ending September 3 and September 10, and you exhaust Tier 1 EUC benefits with week ending September 3, you will have to return to PAT or the Internet claims system during the week beginning Sunday, September 18, to claim Tier 2 EUC for weeks ending September 10 and September 17. Thereafter, continue to file biweekly claims.
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If PAT or the Internet claims system informs you that you have exhausted your current tier of benefits with the second week of your biweekly claim, continue to file biweekly claims in the usual manner to claim the next available tier of EUC.
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When does EUC end?
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EUC will end on Dec. 29, 2012. Before exhausting their benefits, eligible claimants will be notified by mail about transitioning to the next level of benefits.
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Why does Tier 4 phase out sooner than the other tiers?
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Tier 4 benefits are available when the three month, average Total Unemployment Rate (TUR) in Pennsylvania is 8.5 percent or higher. Due to improving economic conditions in Pennsylvania, the TUR has dropped below 8.5 percent and Tier 4 EUC benefits began phasing-out after the week ending April 2, 2011.
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How much EUC may a claimant receive?
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On Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, the president signed into law the "Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012," which extends EUC benefits through December 2012.
The last payable week of EUC benefits is the week ending Dec. 29, 2012.
Under the new federal legislation, the amount of benefits you may receive in a tier is determined by the date when you begin that tier. The chart below indicates the number of weeks of EUC available in each tier, based upon the time period in which the tier started.
This chart represents weeks available to individuals.
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UC or Tier is exhausted with CWE 9/1/2012 or prior |
UC or Tier is exhausted with CWE 9/8/12 or after |
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Tier 1 |
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26 week UC claim |
20 weeks
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14 weeks
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16 week UC claim |
12.8 weeks
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8.64 weeks
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TUR required |
N/A
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N/A
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Tier 2 |
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26 week UC claim |
14 weeks
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14 weeks
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16 week UC claim |
8.6 weeks
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8.6 weeks
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TUR required |
6%
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6%
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Tier 3 |
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26 week UC claim |
13 weeks
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9 weeks
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16 week UC claim |
8 weeks
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5.6 weeks
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TUR required |
7%
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7%
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The availability of these tiers is dependent on Pennsylvania's total unemployment rate (TUR) which must meet a certain threshold mandated by law. Once you begin a tier, a drop in the unemployment rate will not affect the number of weeks you may receive.
No tier can begin after the week ending Dec. 22, 2012.
After week ending Dec. 29, 2012, EUC benefits are not payable regardless of any remaining balance on the claim.
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Q.
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What benefits are available to claimants who exhaust an EUC claim before the end of the EUC program?
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These claimants may be eligible for further unemployment benefits, as follows:
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If you have any unpaid benefits remaining on a regular state UC claim that was deferred while you were receiving EUC, you may claim benefits on that claim by filing through the PAT system or online.
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If you have any unpaid benefits remaining on a subsequent EUC claim and are not financially eligible for any regular UC, you may claim benefits on the later EUC claim by filing through the PAT system or online.
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If you exhaust regular UC on a more recent claim, you may be eligible to establish EUC based on that more recent claim. You will be mailed an application for EUC based on that claim. Please do not call the Service Center.
If you are qualified, you can claim TRA.
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Q.
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How is EUC paid?
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EUC is paid either by direct deposit or debit card.
If a claimant signed up to receive UC benefits by direct deposit within the last two years, EUC payments also will be deposited directly into the claimant's bank account without the need to submit a new direct deposit application. Submitting an application unnecessarily may delay EUC benefits. However, a claimant must submit a new application to change bank account information or stop direct deposit in order to receive benefits by debit card.
If a claimant received UC benefits most recently by debit card or by check, EUC payments will be made by debit card unless he or she chooses direct deposit. If a claimant already has a debit card, that card also will be used for EUC benefits. If a claimant does not already have a debit card, a card and information about using the card will be sent to the claimant. A claimant may receive benefits for one or two weeks by check until the debit card is issued.
An application to start or stop direct deposit or change banking information may be submitted over the Internet, or a claimant may contact the UC Service Center to obtain an application form. If a claimant submits an application to change from debit card to direct deposit, he or she will need the debit card to access benefits that are paid before direct deposit is activated.
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Q.
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How does EUC affect a TRA claimant?
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An individual cannot collect Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) for a week if he or she is eligible to receive EUC; EUC must be claimed instead of TRA. If a person is claiming TRA benefits, the TRA benefits are suspended until he or she exhausts EUC.
The maximum amount of EUC that a claimant may receive will be deducted from the maximum amount of basic TRA payable to the claimant if the EUC benefits and the TRA are based on the same regular UC claim. When the claimant exhausts EUC, his or her eligibility to resume TRA will be determined.
TRA eligibility periods for basic, additional and remedial TRA will not be revised or extended because of eligibility for EUC.
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Q.
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Are Pennsylvania employers being charged for EUC payments?
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No. EUC is completely funded by the federal government. |
