//Unemployment benefits extended in South Carolina

Unemployment benefits extended in South Carolina

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce said the state will now offer an additional six weeks of benefits for unemployed South Carolinians. This is in addition to the previously-announced 10 weeks of extended benefits announced in early July, SCDEW spokesperson Heather Biance said.

For claim week ending July 18, 2020, the number of South Carolinians who filed their initial claim for unemployment insurance benefits is 14,346, an increase of 4,983 initial claims from the week prior. This brings the initial claims total to 685,425 received since mid-March.

“The latest initial claims data is evidence of a strong South Carolina economy. This week marks a more significant decrease than we have noted in the last six weeks of initial claims data. In fact, it is the lowest number since the pre-pandemic week of March 14, 2020,” states executive director, Dan Ellzey.“The FPUC program, which provides an additional $600 per week to eligible claimants will end on July 25. If there is no extension of the benefit, the $600 payment will no longer be paid to eligible claimants. There is, however, congressional activity involving an extension or amendment of the current law. If additional funding is included in the new legislation, the US Department of Labor will have to provide guidance to states and then it will become the states’ responsibility to implement the program.

The complexity of changes will dictate the timeline of implementation, which means there could be a lapse before the new law can be executed and additional payments are distributed. If there is a lapse, claimants will continue to receive their weekly benefit amount for each week they are found eligible for benefits, and, of course, if new legislation allows for a back date of pay,” continued Ellzey.

Learn About the EB Application Process

There are several new resources to assist with this application process, including:

PDF Tutorial created for the EB application process. https://dew.sc.gov/individuals/cares-act
EB FAQ materials. https://dew.sc.gov/individuals/cares-act

Learn more at https://dew.sc.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/sc-initial-claims-week-ending-7-18.pdf?sfvrsn=fa6408eb_0