Georgia Unemployment Extension
President Bush signed into law an extension of unemployment benefits in July 2008 and again in November 2008. It was estimated that at least ninety thousand Georgians would benefit from the Georgia unemployment extension.
To qualify for the Georgia unemployment extension, claimants had to be unemployed, had become eligible for unemployment benefits on or after May 2, 2006, must have exhausted benefits on their first claim, and had to meet the same eligibility requirements. The Georgia unemployment extension was automatically processed for those who were certified through the OLIVoR system.
For the second Georgia unemployment extension, the requirements were a little different. Those claimants already receiving the first Georgia unemployment extension were eligible to receive up to seven additional weeks of unemployment benefits as well as an additional thirteen weeks once their first claim was exhausted.
Claimants who received regular unemployment benefits in November were also eligible for the Georgia unemployment extension. Once their regular benefits were exhausted, they became eligible for an additional twenty weeks of extension. Once that extension was exhausted, claimants became eligible for another thirteen weeks of unemployment benefits under the Georgia unemployment extension.
All claimants who had filed an original unemployment compensation claim before the Georgia unemployment extension came into effect had their claims recalculated and were sent a monetary determination for the Georgia unemployment extension. The new calculation was up to eighty percent of the original maximum benefit for up to twenty weeks. The first payment was due to be sent the week of November 23, 2008.
All claimants meeting eligibility requirements for the Georgia unemployment extension were notified by mail with instructions on how to apply and claim the additional extension. Those who had exhausted the first twenty weeks extension were notified by mail of their potential eligibility for an additional 13 weeks of the Georgia unemployment extension.