Gov pushes for extended benefits

ALBANY, N.Y. - Governor Paterson is proposing legislation that will allow New York to access about $645 milion in additional aid for the New York State unemployed workers.

The bill also makes changes in New York law to ensure that New York meets the requirements in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for certain funding.

These amendments make clear that those who leave work because of compelling family circumstances such as the illness of an immediate family member, domestic violence or the need to accompany a spouse who must move to take on new employment, will be eligible for unemployment insurance.

This legislation will ensure that New York can tap into additional ARRA funds. Individuals become eligible for federal funds to cover an extended 13 weeks of unemployment when one of two state-wide benchmarks has been reached: the "Insured Unemployment Rate" (IUR) or the "Total Unemployment Rate" (TUR). The IUR is calculated by dividing the average number of workers receiving state unemployment benefits in the past 13 weeks by the total number of employed workers in the state. The TUR is calculated by dividing the overall number of unemployed workers by the total civilian labor force in the state. If the TUR exceeds 6.5 percent over a three-month period, the extended UI benefits are triggered.

Read Governor Paterson's release on the extended benefit plan here.