New Jersey is extending unemployment benefits for another 20 weeks, the state Labor Department said Wednesday. The extension would be implemented after the 26 weeks of state unemployment benefits had been exhausted, as well as the 13 weeks of federal help.
According to the department´s website the 20-week extension of benefits is activated during “periods of high unemployment.” Those are defined as periods when the unemployment rate for the most recent three months reaches 8%, among other factors. The state’s unemployment rate is 15.2% in May.
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The state can extend benefits because it met federal standards, the Labor Department said.
The department said that the cost of the extended benefits is divided evenly between the state unemployment trust fund and the federal government.
New Jersey’s unemployment rate has reached record levels during the COVID-19 outbreak, with roughly 1.3 million workers seeking benefits.