a news release from the OKLAHOMA EMPLOYMENT SECURITY COMMISSION

 

CONTACT:

John Carpenter, Public Information Officer

Phone: (405) 557-5469

Email: john.carpenter@oesc.state.ok.us

http://oesc.ok.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Cuts in Federal Extended Unemployment Benefits Coming Due to Sequestration

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK  (March 15, 2013) - Thousands of jobless workers in Oklahoma receiving federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) will soon see a reduction in their weekly benefits because of sequestration. EUC is a federally funded benefit for long-term unemployed workers who exhaust regular state unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. Due to sequestration-forced budget cuts, payments of EUC made on or after March 31, 2013, must be reduced by 10.7 percent. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) is sending notices to the active EUC recipients impacted by these cuts.

EUC was first established in July 2008 to help the long-term unemployed as they continued to look for work. When individuals exhaust regular state unemployment benefits, eligible claimants can then collect EUC benefits for a maximum of 14 weeks. EUC is paid entirely by the federal government and doesn’t impact the trust fund that Oklahoma uses to pay regular unemployment benefits.

EUC claimants are encouraged to visit www.oesc.ok.gov where they can access additional information and an online calculator to estimate their payment reduction. The website will be updated regularly as more information becomes available.

Regular state-funded unemployment insurance benefits will not be affected.

About OESC – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission is Oklahoma’s state workforce agency.  OESC provides unemployment compensation to support unemployed workers and their communities; matches jobs and workers to benefit local labor markets; prepares a skilled workforce to meet employers’ needs; and gathers, analyzes and disseminates information about the labor force to improve local economic decisions.

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