Texas Unemployment Extension
On June 30, 2008, the Texas Workforce announced a temporary thirteen week federally funded extension of unemployment benefits. In addition, on November 26, 2008, the Texas unemployment extension was granted for seven more weeks of unemployment benefits. Both times, legislation was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush. Since the Texas unemployment extensions were federally funded, employers were not charged for any claims for extensions.
The Texas unemployment extension provided up to thirteen additional weeks of unemployment benefits for eligible Texans who had used up their benefits and were still not working. The additional extension added seven more weeks of benefits to eligible claimants.
To be eligible for the first Texas unemployment extension, individuals
must have filed for benefits on or after May 7, 2006. They must be
unemployed and meet the qualifications to receive unemployment
benefits. Claimants who remained eligible for Texas unemployment
benefits would continue receiving the same amount of benefits, as long
as they continued to meet the eligibility requirements.
It was estimated that as many as two hundred thousand Texans could qualify for the Texas unemployment extension. The Texas Workforce requested that claimants not contact the Texas Workforce about the Texas unemployment extension except to report a change of address. The Texas Workforce said they would mail out letters to all those claimants who were potentially eligible to explain the application process for the Texas unemployment extension. The Texas Workforce said the letter would explain how and when to make their first payment request for the Texas unemployment extension. Included in the letter would be a prepaid envelope for claimants to mail their responses to the Texas Workforce. Eligible claimants who were currently receiving unemployment benefits were instructed to continue to request payment on their scheduled day for the Texas unemployment extension.