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Special Extended Unemployment Benefits
under WHBAA
Overview of the Worker, Homeownership and
Business Assistance Act of 2009
On Friday, November 6, 2009, President Obama signed the Worker, Homeownership
and Business Assistance Act of 2009 which provides for the payment of extended
unemployment benefits to anyone who claimed unemployment benefits during the
period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2010.
Implementing the Worker, Homeownership
and Business Assistance Act of 2009
Extended unemployment benefits
The Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 provides for up
to 13 weeks of additional temporary extended unemployment benefits to certain
railroad workers who received normal unemployment benefits for any days between
July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010, and
who have exhausted their rights to benefits under the RUIA. The Act provides
funds of $175 million for these temporary extended unemployment benefits. The
benefits will stop at the end of a person’s extended unemployment benefit period
OR when the total funding has been
spent – whichever comes first. The latest date that an extended benefit period
may begin under the Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act is
December 31, 2010.
In summary, in order for claimants to qualify for extended unemployment
benefits under the Act, a claimant must have:
- Exhausted normal unemployment benefits, either based on earnings or 130
days, before December 31, 2010 and
- Claimed unemployment benefits during
either Benefit Year 2008 and/or Benefit Year 2009.
The same rules apply as to the duration of the extended benefits:
- Railroad workers with less than 10 years of service may now be eligible
for benefits up to 65 days within an extended period consisting of 7
consecutive 2-week registration periods.
- Railroad workers with 10 or more years of service may now be eligible for
benefits up to 130 days within an extended benefit period consisting of 13
consecutive 2-week registration periods.
The RRB will notify eligible individuals of their new rights to extended
benefits and provide additional information about those benefits as soon as
possible.
Special Extended Unemployment Benefits
Provided Under the Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 FAQ
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1. |
Who will
receive the special extended unemployment benefits?
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Railroad workers who previously were not
eligible for extended unemployment benefits because they did not have 10
years of railroad service (120 cumulative service months) may be eligible
for up to 65 days within an extended period consisting of 7 consecutive
2-week registration periods.
And
Railroad workers who were previously eligible for extended unemployment
benefits of up to 65 days may now be eligible for extended benefits of up to
130 days within an extended period consisting of 13 consecutive 2-week
registration periods. |
| 2. |
I have 5 years of railroad service and I ran out of my normal unemployment
benefits on October 15, 2009. I did not claim unemployment benefits during
benefit year 2008 (July 2008 – June 2009). Am I eligible to receive the
special extended unemployment benefits?
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Yes, you would be eligible to receive up to 65
days within an extended period consisting of 7 consecutive 2-week
registration periods. Your extended benefit period would begin on October
16, 2009 and benefits would be payable provided that you were still
unemployed and ready, willing and able to work.
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| 3. |
I have 20
years of railroad service and I exhausted my extended unemployment benefits
on October 31, 2009. Am I eligible to receive the special extended
unemployment benefits?
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Yes, you would be eligible to receive an
additional 65 days within an extended period consisting of a total of 13
consecutive 2-week registration periods. Your extended benefit period would
last an additional 7 consecutive 2-week registration periods past October
31. Benefits would be payable provided that you were still unemployed and
ready, willing and able to work.
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| 4. |
What
effect will the new law have on sickness benefits?
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No additional extended sickness benefits are
payable. The extended unemployment benefit provisions of the Worker,
Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 apply only to unemployment
benefits. If you have less than 10 years of service, you are still not
eligible for extended sickness benefits. If you have 10 or more years of
service, you are still eligible to receive up to 65 days within an extended
sickness benefit period consisting of 7 consecutive 2-week registration
periods.
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5. |
What must
I do to receive my special extended unemployment benefits?
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The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will mail
notices to eligible employees who previously exhausted their rights to
normal or extended unemployment benefits. The notice will provide them
information about their extended unemployment benefit period beginning and
ending dates. The RRB will also mail claim forms for days in the extended
period. If you do not receive a notice and you believe you are eligible for
these added benefits, you can contact your local RRB office as outlined
below.
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6. |
When will
my special extended unemployment benefit period begin?
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In general, your special extended unemployment
benefit period will begin the day after you exhausted any normal or regular
extended unemployment benefits.
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7. |
What is
the latest date that a special extended benefit period can begin?
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Special extended unemployment benefit periods
can begin no later than December 31, 2010.
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8. |
When will
my special extended unemployment benefits end?
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Special extended unemployment benefits are
being paid from appropriations totaling $175 million under the Worker,
Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009. Payment of special
unemployment benefits will stop at the end of a person’s extended
unemployment benefit period or when the appropriations have been spent –
whichever comes first.
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9. |
I returned
to work and am now unemployed again. Can my special extended unemployment
period beginning date be changed?
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It depends. Extended benefit periods are
frozen periods once they are established. If you exhausted normal benefits
and did not receive any extended unemployment benefits, we can change the
beginning date of your special extended unemployment benefit period. If,
however, you already received some extended unemployment benefits but are
now eligible for the additional 65 days, your extended benefit period
beginning date can’t be changed. Instead, we will change the ending date of
your extended period to allow for the payment of any additional days you may
be entitled to.
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10. |
How can I
file my claims?
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Upon receipt of the unemployment claims, you
may file your claims by mailing them to your local RRB office or by
filing
them over the Internet at www.rrb.gov. You will need to establish a
PIN/password to file your claims over the Internet.
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| 11. |
What is
the fastest way to get my benefits?
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Filing your claims over the Internet and
signing up for direct deposit help ensure faster delivery of your claims and
benefit payments. You should establish a PIN/password account at
www.rrb.gov
now so that you can file your claims over the Internet for faster
processing.
In addition, please notify your local RRB office if you have moved or if
your bank account information has changed. You may contact your local RRB office
to sign up for direct deposit, make changes to your existing direct deposit
information and update your address.
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| 12. |
What if I
exhaust all of my normal, regular extended and/or special extended
unemployment benefits?
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A new benefit year begins July 1, 2010. You
may receive unemployment benefits beginning July 1 or later if your railroad
earnings were at least $3,325 in calendar year 2009, counting no more than
$1,330 a month. You can obtain an application for benefits at your
local RRB office or file an application over the Internet at
www.rrb.gov. Applications are also available
through railroad employers and many labor organizations. If you file for
unemployment benefits, your application must be received within 30 days of
the first day for which you want to claim benefits, or you may lose
benefits. |
| 13. |
Will the
special extended unemployment benefits I receive because of the Worker,
Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 count as income for
federal income tax purposes?
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Yes. Under current law, unemployment benefits
are subject to taxation. We will report the amount of special extended
benefits you receive on the Form 1099-G you receive in January, along with
all other railroad unemployment benefits paid to you during 2009. Under a
provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, however,
there will be no federal income tax on the first $2,400 of unemployment
benefits paid to you in 2009. This special rule applies only to unemployment
benefits paid to you in 2009.
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| 14. |
For more
information...
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Please contact your local RRB office at
1-877-772-5772 (1-877-RRB-5RRB), or check our website at
www.rrb.gov for
further information.
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