This week’s Special Session of the Legislature, as called by Governor Manchin, approved a change to the State’s Unemployment Compensation law so unemployed West Virginians could receive jobless benefit payments for a longer period of time.  The law change enables the State to capture federal jobless funds.

 

Once the bill is signed into law by the Governor, persons collecting unemployment benefits will be able to receive an additional 20 weeks of federally-funded jobless benefits beyond the current 59 weeks (26 from the state UC program, and 33 from federal program).  All told, an unemployed individual will be entitled to 79 weeks of jobless benefits. 

 

Current West Virginia law provides that unemployed workers may qualify for 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits, which is paid 100 percent from the State’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, which has a balance of approximately $177 million.   This new benefit extension will be totally funded by federal funds.