NJ Unemployment Eligibility Extended 20 Weeks

NEW JERSEY - On a day when the Garden State saw an uptick in unemployment claims over the previous week, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation to expand eligibility for 20 weeks of extended unemployment benefits.

"These families also need Washington to step up and extend emergency federal benefits, "Murphy said at Friday's COVID-19 briefing. "Which are set to expire at the end of this year. This cannot be left to the last minute, everyone needs to work together to get the job done right now."

Murphy's plea struck a more conciliatory tone than the one he has used in the past, where he lambasted Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell for his inaction.

"The House of Representatives has already sent to the Senate a workable plan to extend direct benefits to the unemployed as well as hundreds of billions of desperately needed dollars to state and local governments to ensure that our COVID-19 services don't go dark," he said back in August." Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer have more than shown a willingness to sit with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and hammer out a deal and get a true stimulus and response bill to the president's desk. The time for political games ended months ago. COVID-19 hasn't cared a wit about which side of the partisan divide it has taken its victims from."

Claimants of Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Program benefits are entitled to 26 weeks of regular unemployment in New Jersey. The CARES Act offers up to 13 additional weeks of unemployment benefits through the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.

"We applaud the Legislature and the Governor for enacting this legislation, which will provide extended unemployment benefits for tens of thousands of additional workers at a time when they most need the support," said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo.

After claimants exhaust their 26 weeks of State unemployment plus 13 weeks of federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, claimants are eligible for extended benefits. Twenty weeks of extended benefits are available during “high unemployment periods.” The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced on July 1 that it would begin providing 20 weeks of extended unemployment to New Jersey workers who have exhausted their State and federal jobless benefits. The additional 20 weeks of benefits brings to 59 the maximum number of weeks an eligible claimant may receive unemployment benefits.

Under prior State unemployment law, a claimant qualifies for extended benefits, only if the claimant had been eligible for regular UI benefits prior to exhausting those benefits and was paid wages during the base year of the claimant’s applicable benefit year 40 times the claimant’s weekly benefit rate. A4852 permits the claimant to be eligible for the extended benefits if the claimant had been eligible for regular UI benefits prior to exhausting those benefits or earned 40 times their unemployment weekly benefit rate.

Murphy said that while he hopes there is movement on a second stimulus bill, New Jersey must be prepared in case Washington fails to act. The legislation signed by Murphy extends the benefits for those who have exhausted their federal and state unemployment benefits.

"We hope this will provide peace of mind while we push for our congressional delegation" he said.

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