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State Labor Commissioner Patricia H. Mayfield said with the state’s unemployment rate at 6.5 percent, her agency is processing about 80,000 unemployment claims each week, a 50 percent jump over last year.
The state Department of Labor is notifying more than 18,000 unemployed people that they may be eligible to extend their federal jobless benefits seven more weeks, Gov. Rell announced on Tuesday.
“These serious economic times make it essential that our unemployed residents have economic stability while searching for new employment,” Rell said.
The Department of Labor mailed letters [Dec. 11 and 12] to those who have exhausted their extended federal compensation that had been extended 13 weeks this past summer. The letters explain how to apply for a seven-week extension.
State officials say it now takes an average of 16 weeks to find a new job, compared with 13 weeks last year.
The state has issued nearly $650 million in regular unemployment insurance benefits this year and more than $105 million in federal extended benefits.
State Labor Commissioner Patricia H. Mayfield said with the state’s unemployment rate at 6.5 percent, her agency is processing about 80,000 unemployment claims each week, a 50 percent jump over last year.
“Fortunately, Gov. Rell has authorized our agency to implement changes that are improving our ability to process claims and help our citizens,” Mayfield said.
The Department of Labor is expediting claims by taking the following steps:
Extending call center hours from 7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Opening an Emergency Resource Center with staff dedicated to answering questions on the federal extension
Increasing staff by temporarily hiring 15 Department of Labor retirees with experience in claims processing; using department volunteers on a temporary basis to process claims; and training 20 temporary workers
Mayfield advises residents to wait for their letters of notification to arrive before calling the agency.
She also said that claims will be processed faster if individuals file using the Department of Labor’s Web site at www.ct.gov/dol instead of mailing the application being sent with the notification letter.
For more information about the federal extension, call this toll-free number, 1-877-522-6711, which is staffed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Posted Dec. 16, 2008
For more information see: http://mansfield.htnp.com/business_news/121608unemployment-funds.html
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