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COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has announced that because the U.S. Senate voted not to extend eligibility deadlines for the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program, many Ohioans’ benefits will soon be ending.

Unless new legislation is proposed and enacted, more than 164,000 Ohioans will be ineligible for extended unemployment benefits if they are still unemployed when their “regular” benefits expire.

In addition, more than 157,000 Ohioans currently receiving extended unemployment benefits will soon see those benefits ending.

Until early June, eligible unemployed Ohioans could receive benefits for up to 99 weeks: 26 weeks of regular state unemployment, followed by 53 weeks of federal extended unemployment benefits and an additional 20 weeks of extended state benefits, which are federally funded. Now only the 26 weeks of regular state unemployment will be available.

“This is an extremely unfortunate situation,” said ODJFS Director Douglas Lumpkin. “We realize that many families are still hurting, and we hope Congress reconsiders this decision. In the meantime, we encourage unemployed Ohioans to continue to file for benefits in the hope that new legislation is proposed. We also encourage them to take advantage of the other resources our agency offers.”

On Thursday, June 24, legislation that would have extended eligibility deadlines for extended unemployment compensation benefits did not pass in the Senate. It is now unclear whether claimants who exhaust their regular unemployment compensation will, at some point in the future, be eligible for extended benefits.

Without the federal extension, claimants who exhaust their current tier of EUC will not be eligible for the next tier. Additionally, the federally funded State Extended Benefits (Ohio EB) and the $25 supplement of Federal

Additional Compensation (FAC) may not be reinstated.

Given the uncertainty of whether or not there will be additional congressional action, ODJFS is advising claimants to plan for no extension.

Ohio’s unemployment rate was 10.7 percent in May, down from 10.9 percent in April.

For more information about ODJFS employment programs, Ohioans should visit their local One Stop Center.

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