Unemployment benefit is a very beneficial program, giving you the ability to receive a portion of your income after you have lost your job. However, standard unemployment runs out in six months time – a mere 26 weeks.
What do you do if you aren’t able to find a job during that time? If this sounds like your situation, you might be able to file for extended unemployment. New programs have made extended unemployment available to more people than ever before.
Your first step is to find out if your state allows extended unemployment. Some states do not, and some states are actually in the process of cutting down or cutting out the program altogether.
Start by contacting the unemployment office for your state. Often, there will be a county office that you need to call – the same office that you contacted to start your regular unemployment.
If you are eligible, and currently on unemployment with your state, you should actually receive notification in the mail that you can extend your unemployment. Usually, this can be done for a period of another 13 weeks. You cannot file for extended unemployment until you receive this notice, but you can check with the office to make sure that the program is supported in your state.
Once you receive your notice in the mail, you need to fill out the appropriate forms with the unemployment office in your area. These will be different from standard forms, and must be completed to receive any benefits.
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