IWD Announces Emergency Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Displaced Iowans

Des Moines – Director Elisabeth Buck announced today that notices will be mailed from Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) to the nearly 74,000 Iowans who may be eligible for the emergency unemployment insurance benefits. Additionally, Iowans who do not receive a letter notifying them of their eligibility, but who believe they are eligible for emergency benefits, should contact their local IWD Office. Eligibility letters will be mailed in three phases. Individuals whose benefits were exhausted after May 1, 2007 and before July 6, 2008 will receive notification concerning applying for the benefits. Individuals who have not exhausted their initial benefits will be notified as they become eligible.

“As the national economy has taken a downturn recently and Iowa has been dealing with the effects of flooding, it’s important to provide relief to those individuals who are most immediately impacted. This extension will help thousands of Iowans who lost their jobs,” indicated Iowa Workforce Development Director Elisabeth Buck.

Iowa Workforce Development has developed a comprehensive program to assist displaced workers. When a business closes or when workers are laid-off, Iowa officials respond rapidly by providing a package of services to those individuals impacted. The economic security package includes a wide variety of assistance designed to get dislocated Iowans back to work. This comprehensive services package includes retraining assistance, help with identifying new employment opportunities, résumé writing and interview skills, job placement assistance, and connections to additional services such as health insurance for children and other human services needs.

IWD Director Elisabeth Buck stated, “The extension provides additional temporary income support to assist Iowans while they continue to look for employment.”

The emergency unemployment compensation benefits were recently enacted under federal legislation. The program is designed to lessen the effects of unemployment during difficult economic times. This program provides a maximum of 13 weeks of extended unemployment insurance benefits to eligible workers who have exhausted their regular benefits and remain unemployed. Emergency benefits are paid by the federal government and do not effect Iowa’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund solvency.