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How to extend jobless benefits up to 13 weeks under federally funded program
Georgia Department of Labor
The Georgia Department of Labor offers state residents the opportunity to apply for unemployment benefits when in need. - photo by Sabrina Kerns

Georgians about to exhaust state jobless benefits may be eligible for an extension up to 13 weeks.

“Claimants are eligible to receive (extended) benefits for each week they request payment and continue to meet the eligibility requirements of being able and available to work,” the Georgia Department of Labor said in a press release Thursday, June 11.

To request the extension, go online at dol.georgia.gov and select “Claim Weekly UI Benefits Payment.” 

“Notifications have been sent to all claimants with instructions on what to do,” according to the labor department.

The benefits extension is being funded by the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program as part of federal stimulus passed by Congress earlier this year.

“Many people who applied for (unemployment insurance) in the first weeks of our COVID-19 economic shutdown are rapidly approaching the end of their initial cycle of (jobless) benefits,” Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler said.

He added, “We can expect additional extensions of benefits in the future based on our unemployment numbers, although our mission is to get Georgians back in the workplace.”

Some $5.4 billion in state and federal benefits have been paid to claimants across the state during the past 12 weeks, the labor department said.

Also, the department received 135,254 initial jobless claims in the past week, down about 14,000 from the previous week.

Labor department offices, including one at 2756 Atlanta Highway in Hall County, are still closed to the public.

The state “will open offices to the public as soon as social distancing can be effectively implemented to protect both staff and customers,” officials said.