Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation payments have been extended on the local and national level, V.I. Labor Commissioner Albert Bryan, Jr. announced Tuesday.
Weeks before Christmas, the Department of Labor announced the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program was set to expire Dec. 29. But the signing of the bipartisan agreement by Congress to resolve the so-called "fiscal cliff" will allow the territory’s more than 1,300 claimants who have lost jobs to continue to receive unemployment insurance benefits as long as they are actively seeking employment, the department’s Tuesday press release said.
The Emergency Unemployment Compensation is a temporary federal program that provides additional unemployment benefits to qualifying longterm unemployed claimants. The benefits are provided through separate "tiers" of EUC. Claimants who remain unemployed when they exhaust regular unemployment compensation may be eligible.
“I am grateful that we will be able to continue to provide assistance to our unemployed claimants," Bryan said in the news release. "Even though I remain optimistic about our future, our clients are encouraged to continue with their job search efforts and to utilize the department’s resources and partnerships available to them.
Bryan noted that more than 1,300 residents lost their jobs when the Hovensa refinery closed one year ago, and many may be eligible for the extended benefits and training programs. Training funds provided by the National Emergency Grant, the Broadband project and the potential for renewable energy development is just the beginning, the commissioner noted.
"Job hunting is tough but we are exploring every option for putting Virgin Islanders back to work. Now is the time to get that training!” Bryan said.
Dislocated Hovensa employees are encouraged to contact and/or call the VI Department of Labor office to inquire about training opportunities and services available under the NEG. Further information is available by calling the department on St. Thomas at 1-340-776-3700 or St. Croix at 1-340-773-1994.
