Are federal unemployment benefits consistent from state to state?
The extent of federal funding per state is dependent upon that state’s unemployment rate. Although it is a rare case, this means that a “99er” in a state with less than 6 percent unemployment has actually been without benefits for longer than 39 weeks. As of May, unemployed workers in 30 states qualified for the full 99 weeks. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains: Workers in any state who exhaust their regular [Unemployment Insurance] benefits before they can find a job can receive up to 34 additional weeks of benefits through the temporary federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program enacted in 2008. That number rises to 53 weeks in states with especially high unemployment rates. Workers who exhaust their regular UI and EUC benefits can receive additional weeks of benefits through the permanent federal-state Extended Benefits (EB) program if their state’s unemployment insurance laws allow it.
