The Virgin Islands has triggered on to Tier 3 of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Benefits for an additional 13 weeks of benefits to claimants, effective July 30. The Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance will mail out Tier 3 EUC forms on Aug. 2 to claimants who have exhausted all of their Tier 2 benefits as of Feb. 26.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that the territory’s unemployment rate is currently 9.4 percent. This has triggered the V.I. back onto the third tier of emergency unemployment compensation. Tier 3 provides for a maximum 13 additional weeks of extended benefits.
This is the third time that the Virgin Islands has triggered on to Tier 3 within the past two years. Commissioner Albert Bryan Jr. said, “While the addition of the extra 13 weeks of unemployment benefits is a welcome concession, it also reminds us that our economy and our job outlook continue to spiral downward. We will continue to see increasingly higher rates of unemployment until the start of the winter tourist season in November. Quarterly reports suggest that over 60 percent of our clients are using all of the six months of initial benefits.”
The department would like to highlight the following:
- Individuals that may have been disconnected from the EUC08 program due to the previous exhaustion of their Tier 2 benefits will receive an application in the mail within the next week to determine their continued eligibility.
- Individuals that are currently collecting and who have exhausted their Tier 2 benefits will be automatically transferred onto their Tier 3 benefits upon further certification of their continued unemployment and other eligibility requirements.
- Individuals that may have gone back to work should disregard the Department of Labor’s request for submittal of an application.
- Individuals knowingly misrepresenting their employment status by making false statements in connection with their claim are committing a federal offense, punishable by a fine or imprisonment for no more than five years, or both.
For more information, contact the DOL offices on St. Croix at 773-1440 or St. Thomas at 776-3700.