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New Jersey Unemployment Benefit Extension Information

The state of New Jersey has been hit quite hard by the current economic downtown and state unemployment levels have been rising.  The unemployment rate in NJ is now 9.7% (up from 9.3% prior to August) which is coincidentally the same as the national average.  New Jersey has lost 155,700 jobs since December 2007, when the jobless rate was 4.5 percent.

As a result of these  high unemployment rates New Jersey state has qualified for unemployment benefit extensions which were introduced as part of the 2009 stimulus package.

Unemployment benefits currently available in New Jersey

At the moment there are a total of 79 weeks of unemployment available:

  • Initial unemployment benefits (UB – 26 weeks) – These are the regular unemployment benefits which are available regardless of the economy.
  • Emergency unemployment benefits Tier I (EUC Tier I – 20 weeks)
  • Emergency unemployment benefits Tier II (EUC Tier II – 13 weeks)
  • Emergency benefits will be paid by the same method as the regular benefits (direct deposit or check).
  • Extended benefits (EB – 20 weeks)
  • 13 weeks from bill H3548 – Note that this has not passed yet.


The past year has not been very good for a lot of American workers.  Because of the 2008 financial crisis and recession – millions of Americans have lost their jobs.  The current national unemployment rate is 9.7% as of Sept 4.  While many workers will find new jobs within the time period of existing employment benefits – many more will run out of benefits before finding a new job.

On September 22, the House passed legislation called Bill H3548 which will allow any states with a total unemployment rate (TUR) of 8.5% or higher to be eligible for federal funding which will allow 13 more weeks of extended unemployment benefits for those people who have exhausted all the current benefits.  If this bill is passed then New Jersey would qualify for another 13 weeks of extended benefits.

294 replies on “New Jersey Unemployment Benefit Extension Information”

Tom-
And to add to my last comment, right before that it state’s- “The defense bill was the last of 12 annual spending bills to be sent to the president. It includes a stopgap provision to ensure that unemployment benefits aren’t cut off over the holidays.”

So answer me this,why have I not received a payment since November? I would call that pretty much being ‘cut off’. And I’m not the only one who is going through this. And going to my NOT- so- local office is not an option unfortunately. And also,are you talking about EUB or EUC? I have received several different notices, with several different title’s and benefit amounts. So if you have any answers or advice,rather than attacks an insults, I’d be happy to hear em because that’s all I’ve been looking for from the get go. If you read my previous comments,then you know my current situation. My next date to claim is the 31st,for over a month, when I go to claim online,it has redirected me to call,and then it tells me it can’t be paid at this time,but it is credited to my account. The senate had not yet passed,nor BO,the defense bill the last time I claimed. I was hoping that once they did,this mess would be straightened out. There are several different bills that have been presented to deal with this issue. http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/111_PL_111-92.html

Hi Jane,
T om was not kind. and I know it can be confusing but the truth is Congress did pass Emergency unemployment compensation [EUC] on November 8th. IT is Tier 3 and Tier 4. The NJ unemployment website explains it fairly well. I claimed November 25th as a letter told me to do and I started getting tier 3. I believe the additional 6 weeks tier 4 will kick in after that. The extra funds from the Federal government was due to stop 01/01/10 but it was signed and passed a few weeks ago as you said but since the deadline hadn’t come yet emergency unemployment was never stopped. I feel the reason your not getting benefits is something that is happening with your particular claim. If somehow you can speak to them or see them it will be cleared then you’ll get all your money. Hope your New year and all our New Years will be better.

Dot-yes,thank you. I knew about the EUC being passed on the 8th,and the extension just last week. And yes it is all very confusing. I’ve been doing exactly what they tell me to do whenever I receive a notice. Like I stated above,I’ve gotten several different notices,with different balances. Why it is being ‘credited’ to my account,but not being sent to me is beyond me. I’ve made dozens of attempts to contact ALL the numbers they provided,and to email them as well,with no luck. My not-so-local office is very far,and I only have a vehicle to use at night,so going there in person to speak to them isn’t an option unless I can scrape up (probably more than) $50.00 bucks for a cab. My check isn’t very big to start with,and barely can get by on it,but I’m very frugal so I do the best I can when I was getting it. Hopefully they will straighten this all out soon. That’s strange that the letter they sent you said to claim on Nov. 25th,mine had me claim on Thanksgiving,the 26th. But like I stated before,I’ve been doing exactly what they say to do,and still keep getting the same results.:( I’m supposed to claim tomorrow, I’m hoping that it will work,and they’ll send me what I am owed. At this point,they owe me like 5 checks plus the FAC checks. That money really would have helped,not just to live,but for X-mas as well. It didn’t even feel like Christmas this year…:(
Thank you for being helpful and not hurtful. 🙂 Best wishes for your New Year as well!

Dot- No luck. Went to claim online,and the website isn’t working, so I called to claim,same story- “Can’t be paid at this time,but will be credited to your account.” Then I tried to call back to speak to someone,and got the same ” all operators are busy and your call cannot be answered at this time” and hung up on me. This is really ridiculous. WTH is going on???

Hi Jane,
There is some kind of clitch with your claim they have to fix. I know it is impossible to get through by phone. Maybe someone on this site knows a trick to get through. Somehow you have to think about going to your local office even though it is difficult. Maybe you can get someone to help you get there . I think that is the only way you’ll get this straightened out Other people had to go to office on this site and they got their money within a few days after going. Please think seriously about how you may get there. I know it will work out.

Jane,
I notice that Nafeas wrote on his post on the 29th that the system is not working properly for all. You have to go to local office. It’s a pain but that is the answer.

Jame, I had th? exact same problem.I went to my local office and it fix my issue with filing.I had to claim today and it went through .just because I went to my local office. I had to claim there twice but today it worked .its the only way I posted this many times . Go get your money its worth whatever it takes.

Nafeas and Dot- I’m gonna have to find a way to get there during business hrs. I’ve been wanting to go,the only thing stopping me is I don’t have a vehicle to use during business hrs,(my car broke down a month ago, and my bf and I share a car,and he works during those hrs) or anyone who can bring me. I have to do something because this is ridiculous. With no money coming in,I haven’t been able to fix my car. Savings have been depleted, so my options are limited. I hope at least you guys have a Happy New Year,cuz mine isn’t going so good so far. 🙁 Thanks for your help.

Jane I read you previous post they owe you 5 or 6 checks.catch a bus ,cab ..walk .they will mail all of it at once .how can u just sit there.guess what no money comming until you go to your not so local office.

I filed online Wednesday, December 31, 2009. And usually when I file on my designated Wednesday it is direct depositied in my bank on the following Friday. Now if you look at the calendar, you’ll see Friday (Yesterday) was New Year Day and I’m sure the banks were closed and the State was closed both New Year’s Eve and New Years Day but this is automated. There is no deposit in my account. And I have the print out saying my claim was accepted. Anyone having this problem?

Marcos . The 31st was Thursday ..but I claim on Thursday and I didn’t receive mines in the mail today like it usually does .2 days after I call . Because of new years

Oh yeah…I filed on Wednesday the 30th so it should have been direct deposited on Friday. I guess they didn’t process any of the checks whether electronic or printed. so I guess it should be there Monday or Tuesday. Boy I hope nothing bounces. They should have informed us of this delay so we could plan accordingly. I have bills paid automatically this messed things up for me.

I will be receiving my last unemployment check for the 2nd extension. I only have 1 week of money left. Will I have to wait a full two weeks before I can claim or can I claim 1 week later?

I just exhausted my regular unemployment benefits (26 weeks) and 10 of those weeks I was temporarily disabled. I received a letter that I do not qualify for the Extended Unemployment Compensation 2008 (EUC); what can I do?

Wanda did you mention to unemployment that you where disabled . If you did I ask why . If you want to continue getting unemployment you have to get a waiver to go to college.

just letting u know u dont Have to wait 2 weeks for ur checks, u can claim weekly if u want. ive been doin it since my second check, and know other ppl who do it as well, and get weekly checks.

one more thing, if u call, u will get through, just wait like 30 mins. then the music stops, and it seems as if they hung up, but just wait, like 5 mins or so and then some1 will pick up.

Nafeas, thank you for your response, however, I don’t understand. According to the guidelines for education, you must put in a request within 60 days after your last day of work. I was disabled during that period. Should I seek to get a waiver for college now? I did write a letter of appeal and I documented that I was disabled during my unemployment period. Please advise.

? all operators are busy and your call cannot be answered at this time? when u heard diz! just keep callin after a hour but u have 2 keep on tryin cuz da happens 2 me all da time!

Can anyone advise me if we are going to get the the additional 6 weeks of unemployment. My paperwork from the state says 14 weeks. Are we to apply for the extra 6 weeks?

Lynda
I recently asked the same question. I was told on this site and read on another info site that after the 14 wk extension there will be a 6 wk extension. I do not recall if anything needs to be done to collect on the 6 wk extension. Hope this helps .

I just wanted to know if anyone can answer this question. If i can not find work after my third extention ( the latest extention ) Will i be eligible for the EB Program ( 20 weeks) after the latest extention is used up . Thank you Joey P

I have been having so much difficulty claiming my weekly benefits with NJ UI. The system won’t let me claim on the website and when I call and claim via phone, they say I’ve been credited, but my UI is not payable at this time. Trying to get a live person is impossible. Then I finally receive a NON NEGOTABLE where the check is usually attached. My claim remaining balance is $6160. Does anyone have a clue as to what is going on? My last check was dated 12/16 and since then nothing but nonsense. Help!

I posted many times if you have a problem claiming your unemployment only way to fix your problems is to got your local office

Jim-I’ve been going through the same EXACT thing myself since Nov 16th. I have not received a payment since then. The only thing you can do is go to your local office,that’s what everyone is telling me to do. Good luck.

Thanks everyone. I have read more than one post about people going to their local office, waiting in line, and then being pointed to a bank of phones to call the same number the’ve been trying to call.

I live in upstate NY and worked in NJ for over a decade before the layoff and collecting NJ UI. So, for one I don’t even know where my local office would be.

I guess my questions are: Why do they even have an option to talk to someone on the phone if they can’t staff it? Why is there not an email address to ask your questions? They are obviously spending money to send me a blank check every two weeks with a new claim form so why can’t they send me a letter letting me know my current status? Why can’t they post your status on the website when you log in or give an opportunity to contact them via a form? I’m sure the answer is, “because they are the government!” Sad!

There are so many folks in worse shape than my family and it’s for those folks, who I am sure being treated in the same way I am, that my heart goes out to. So, my hope is that sometime soon NJ UI will get it together and at least inform claimants as to where they stand. It’s just thoughtless and rude not to.

Yes Jim,and to top it off,on the message,they say they hired more people and extended to hrs to 6pm,and when I went at 4:30,the door was locked.I don’t have a way to get there earlier,and if they are just gonna point me to a phone,to have to deal with the same bs that I do from home,what’s the point? I have not received a check since Nov., and I’ve gotten to the point where I am going to call every person in power in NJ and make a nuisance of myself until they fix it.

Jim,
Your local office would probably be the closest one in NJ you could get to. I hadn’t heard of being directed to phones at offices.. People I know and on this site who went have been helped by someone. I think if that happened I wouldn’t leave until a human being helped me! It’s terrible to have to go to an office because no one answers phone but that seems to be the way it is right now. Jane ,I’m sorry that happened to you. They meant just phone lines to 6:p.m not that they answer them. Maybe calling newspapers getting publicity about the problem might help.

So what everyone is saying that after the last extension we receive in november. We suppose to get another? Also anyone who try calling them try as soon has they open. I use to start 10 to 5 mins before they open and I usual get thru.

On our stubs, the balance is based on 14 weeks, however in NJ we are supposed to receive 20 weeks. So after we exhaust the first 14 weeks, are we going to just continue to get 6 more weeks? does anyone know how it’ll work?
Once again, those of you collecting, im letting you know that if you’d like, you could claim your benefits weekly, by just calling or claimin online every week. Even if it tells you to call every-other week. A few people told me about it, because they were doing it. I wasn’t sure at first, but I tried it, and after my first check, I’ve been collecting weekly checks every week. It helps Me out so much, instead of bi-weekly payments. try it out, it works fine, and you wont/cant get in trouble. I know friends that have been doing it since their original claim without any trouble. You’ll also get your other $50.00 checks weekly, every Tuesday. But instead of 50, its is $25.00 every week.

After the 3rd extension of 14 weeks, are there anymore after that? And also, does anyone know how going to school can interfere with getting unemployment benefits?

Thanks for all the responses. I just received another NON NEGOTIABLE check from my last telephone claim and they still show a balance of over $6K on my claim. So today, I mailed a USPS letter to them asking for someone to call me, email me, or write me and just let me know my status. It doesn’t make much sense to keep mailing me non negotiable checks. Wouldn’t it be easy to add a comment on the statement to let me know what is going on? Naa, makes too much sense! Will keep you all posted if I hear anything …. don’t hold your breath! 🙂

Well, I am glad to see I am not the only one. I have never received a check and I applied in August. Won my appeal in December and nothing. Call constantly and get busy signal or disconnected. I file online every two weeks and would think they would release the funds since I won my appeal. Also, I live in NY and guess I’ll have to go to Passaic….I’m thinking of going to the address that is on that blue form you get every two weeks because it says it is the Regional Center. Has anyone been there?

Reading all your comments have made me very apprehensive about receiving an extension. My initial claim runs out on the 25th. Since the cut-off date was changed from 12/31/09 to 2/28/10 I assumed I would get a tier I extension. Am I assuming wrong? And do I have to do anything to file for an extension or will it be done automatically for me as the website states? Any comments or advice will be appreciated.

Pam,you will get an extention,it will be filed for you automatically …. I cant believe people still complaining they haven’t received a check .the system has a glitch .I think due to high volume of claims,only way to fix the problems is to go to your local office.

Pam
I was also worried about getting my 1st extension after my initial claim ran out. They (unemployment) make you wait until all money is exhausted then they will notify you of the extension. The good news is there was no lapse between checks and the extension was done automatically. I hear lots of bad stories but my experience thus far has been good. Good luck!

I just exhausted my initial 26 weeks then the UI was automaticlly exteneded to an additional 20 more weeks that will end on feb. 2010 will I get any more benifets ? I was reading the instructins on Dept. of labor website and it says that I have to Exhauste my 20 weeks before Dec. 2009 to get to the next tier .

I’m so confused. I just recently exhausted my original unemployment claim. I was receiving 1,012 every two weeks. I received the extention letter saying I am going to receive the weekly benefit rate of 506 so its the same as my original. For the past two weeks I had to call in and received 506. Although I am still receiving 1,012 every two weeks, why do I have to call on a weekly basis now instead of bi-weekly. Is this going to continue or will I start calling bi-weekly again?

You ok nikki , that’s just because you are actually claiming those weeks because its a extention.you will go back to bi weekly.but you can claim every week if you want .don’t worry

Is there still 79weeks of unemployment benifits avalable in
New Jersey as of 1/20/10 if a claim began on 11/15/10.
Thank you very much for your help.

UPDATE! Praise God! Last week I actually sent a USPS mail to the NJ claims center address that is listed on my mailback form requesting that they give me a status. Guess what!?! Someone named Yolanda actually called me. I explained on the phone the situation I was having and she released my checks. Apparently I was supposed to open a new claim for the extended benefits. Hmmmmm …. not what was communcicated on-line. At any rate she was able to resolve the issue and promised to release the checks and assured me that I would be receiving them shortly.

My advice to anyone with problems is: If you cannot physically go an office, take 44 cents and mail them a succinct letter asking someone to contact you. That worked here.

My prayers are with all of you who are in more difficult straits than me with this and I pray that your individual issues get resolved quickly.

God Bless –
< Jim

SOooo, thank god I actually found an answer on this site. I want to claim weekly instead of Bi weekly. My claim said my next check is week ending 1-16-10 and week 2 is for weeks ending 1-23-10. So can i call tomorrow? it will be friday 22nd? will i still get it direct deposited on sunday? or will it be monday?

My wife is on her third extension and in a separate cover received instructions telling her to docuyment three job searches each week and to file the yellow form. We have never received any form s and with the volume of unemployed bno on e hade ever demanded documentatation from either of us

Should we just keep copies of job hunts where are the yellow forms

Please advise

in NJ we are supposed to get 20 weeks. however, our balance is only for 13 or 14 weeks. does anyone know if after we exhaust the current balance the other 7 weeks will just keep comin automatically?

Hi – I am confused. I exhausted my regular 26 weeks in October and received an additional 20 week extension. I assume this is considered EUC -Tier 1. These benefits are suppose to end the first week in March. I saw something (I beleive on NJ UI website) that said to be eligible for any other extended benefits I would need to exhaust my extended benfits by Feb, 28. Does this mean I would not be eligible for Tier II (13 weeks) at the end of my current benefits claim or are they talking about the recent 20 week extended benefits. Any advice/clarification would be appreciated. Thanks.

I want to thank the person that said to call right before they open….I started at 6:55 and by 7:03 was talking to someone. I found out my payments from winning my appeal in December….original claim in August…..had not been processed. The agent however, had her supervisor fax the information to the processing center. The agent also said I did not need to go to an office, as they handled my situation. I called again(7:00 am), one week later and was told it had been processed. Also, there is a different number if you worked in NJ but live in NY…….201-601-4100…..if you are on hold and the phone rings and then you have silence…..do not hang up…..an agent will be on in a few minutes.

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