§ 615.13 - Announcement of the beginning and ending of Extended Benefit Periods or High Unemployment Periods.

§ 615.13 Announcement of the beginning and ending of Extended Benefit Periods or High Unemployment Periods.

(a) State indicators -

(1) Extended benefit period. Upon receipt of a notice required by § 615.12(f) which the Department determines is acceptable, the Department will publish in the Federal Register a notice of the State agency head's determination that there is an “on” or an “off” indicator in the State, as the case may be, the name of the State and the beginning or ending of the extended benefit period, or high unemployment period, whichever is appropriate. If an “on” or “off” EB period is determined by the Department to be based on a State's TUR Trigger Value, the Department publishes that information in the Federal Register as well.

(2) Notification. The Department also notifies the heads of all other State agencies, and the Regional Administrators of the Employment and Training Administration of the State agency head's determination of the State “on” or “off” indicator for an extended benefit period, or high unemployment period (based on the insured unemployment rate in the State), or of the Department's determination of an “on” or “off” indicator (based on the total unemployment rate in a State) for an extended benefit period or high unemployment period and of the indicator's effect.

(b) Publicity by State.

(1) Whenever a State agency head determines that there is an “on” indicator in the State by reason of which an extended benefit period (based on the insured unemployment rate in the State) will begin in the State, or an “off” indicator by reason of which an extended benefit period in the State (based on the insured unemployment rate) will end, the head of the State agency must promptly announce the determination through appropriate news media in the State after the Department accepts notice from the agency head in accordance the 615.12(f).

(2) Whenever the head of a State agency receives notification from the Department in accordance with § 615.12(f) that there is an “on” indicator by reason of which an extended benefit period or high unemployment period (based on the total unemployment rate in the State) will begin in the State, or an “off” indicator by reason of which a regular extended benefit period or high unemployment period (based on the total unemployment rate) will end, the head of the State agency must promptly announce the determination through the appropriate news media in the State.

(3) Announcements made in accordance with paragraphs (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section must include the beginning or ending date of the extended benefit period or high unemployment period, whichever is appropriate. In the case of a regular EB period or high unemployment period that is about to begin, the announcement must describe clearly the unemployed individuals who may be eligible for extended compensation or high extended compensation during the period, and in the case of a regular EB period or high unemployment period that is about to end, the announcement must also describe clearly the individuals whose entitlement to extended compensation or high extended compensation will be terminated. If a high unemployment period is ending, but an extended benefit period will remain “on,” the announcement must clearly state that fact and the effect on entitlement to extended compensation.

(c) Notice to individuals.

(1) Whenever there has been a determination that a regular extended benefit period or high unemployment period will begin in a State, the State agency must provide prompt written notice of potential entitlement to Extended Benefits to each individual who has established a benefit year in the State that will not end before the beginning of the regular extended benefit period or high unemployment period, and who exhausted all rights under the State law to regular compensation before the beginning of the regular extended benefit period or high unemployment period.

(2) The State agency must provide the notice promptly to each individual who begins to claim sharable regular benefits or who exhausts all rights under the State law to regular compensation during a regular extended benefit period or high unemployment period, including exhaustion by reason of the expiration of the individual's benefit year.

(3) The notices required by paragraphs (c)(1) and (2) of this section must describe the actions required of claimants for sharable regular compensation and extended compensation and those disqualifications which apply to the benefits which are different from those applicable to other claimants for regular compensation which is not sharable.

(4) Whenever there is a determination that a regular extended benefit period or high unemployment period will end in a State, the State agency must provide prompt written notice to each individual who is currently filing claims for extended compensation of the forthcoming end of the regular extended benefit period or high unemployment period and its effect on the individual's right to extended compensation.

[81 FR 57783, Aug. 24, 2016]