12,000 Nevadans qualify for extension of jobless benefits

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 | 5:18 p.m.

CARSON CITY – Some 12,000 unemployed Nevada workers who had exhausted their weekly jobless benefits will qualify for another 20 weeks of payments under legislation signed by President Obama earlier this month.

The state Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation says it is updating its computer system to pay the benefits.

Checks to these workers probably won’t be mailed until shortly before Christmas, officials said. But the checks will include a lump sum since the payments will be backdated to the week ending Nov. 14.

The maximum benefit for a jobless worker in Nevada is $400. The federal legislation includes money for an extra $25 a week.

The unemployment extension is being paid by the federal government. It allowed an additional 14 to 20 weeks of benefits. Nevada qualified for the 20 weeks since it has the second highest rate of unemployment in the country.

The statewide unemployment rate in September was 13.3 percent. In Clark County it was 13.9 percent.

Before the president signed the legislation, the department sent out notifications to those who exhausted their benefits and were still unemployed. They must mail their card by Nov. 22.

Those who are now getting their weekly checks will automatically be renewed under the federal legislation.

Meanwhile the National Employment Law Project says Congress must approve by the end of the year the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that includes unemployment insurance programs.

If that is not re-enacted, the law project says there will be 1 million workers who will lose their jobless benefits in January. And by March, that number could swell to 3 million workers.

Christine Owens, executive director of the law project, said this legislation is needed even with the previous bill signed by the president extending jobless benefits 14 to 20 weeks.

“If Congress doesn’t reauthorize the programs as soon as possible, this American Recovery Reinvestment Act (passed last February) deadline will create total chaos for the state agencies and workers facing an uncertain future,” she said.