Many Long-Term Jobless Texans Will Receive Extended Unemployment Benefits

AUSTIN — Monday, June 1, the Department of Labor notified the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) that the state triggered State Extended Benefits EB. This program provides federal reimbursement to the state for up to an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits.

The extension takes effect on May 31, 2020. Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), passed as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), previously extended unemployment benefits for 13 weeks starting March 29, 2020.

As a result, the first week Texans may be eligible for the additional EB is the week ending July 4, 2020.

Statutes for EB  back to 1971 and are triggered during different periods of high unemployment. EB is available to workers who have exhausted regular unemployment insurance benefits during periods of high unemployment and are calculated per state.

Texas’ unemployment rate is currently 12.8 percent, exceeding the five percent threshold to trigger the extension. Determination of “on” and “off” indicators can be found in TUCA 209.022.

Under traditional unemployment insurance, claimants can receive up to 26 weeks of benefits. The CARES Act provides PEUC benefits up to 13 weeks and provides an additional $600 per week to claimants until July 25, 2020.

The CARES Act also expands the pool of claimants eligible to receive unemployment benefits to include self-employed, contract/gig workers, and those that were previously ineligible.

Since the week ending March 13, 2020, TWC has taken 3 million initial claims and paid out $9.7 billion in unemployment benefits.

For more information about unemployment benefits paid or to view an interactive map of claims, visit TWC’s UI by the Numbers page.

To apply for unemployment benefits or to request payment visit ui.texasworkforce.org. All claimants should keep their mailing and email addresses current in the unemployment benefits services system to prevent delays in communication.

No action is required by the customer, if qualified TWC will automatically enroll the customer in EB. The customer should simply continue filing their payment request timely if they are still unemployed.