Emergency Unemployment Compensation
All potentially eligible individuals will be contacted by the Unemployment Insurance Division by mail with information on filing for EUC benefits.
On June 30, 2008, President Bush enacted the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008. This bill includes the federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program which provides up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment insurance benefits in all states to unemployed individuals who have already collected all regular state benefits or have expired benefit claims.
The EUC program was authorized by Governor Lingle on July 2, 2008 and is available in Hawaii from July 6, 2008 to March 31, 2009. Benefits are payable only for weeks filed within the extension period and does not cover any weeks of unemployment prior to July 6, 2008. The first payable week is July 12, 2008. After March 31, 2009, individuals with balances remaining on their EUC claim may continue to be eligible for the maximum 13 weeks until the week ending July 4, 2009. No EUC benefits can be paid for any week that begins after June 30, 2009. The bill also contains specific eligibility conditions and a limited reachback provision.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
To be eligible, individuals must meet the following requirements:
- You must be currently unemployed.
- The benefit year on your old regular claim must end after April 30, 2007.
- You must have no rights to regular benefits or any other compensation under federal law and not receiving benefits under the Canada unemployment law.
- You must have one of the following in the base period of your last regular unemployment insurance claim:
- 20 weeks of full-time insured employment or
- Wages equal to one and one-half times your high quarter wages or
- Wages equal to 40 times the weekly benefit amount on your last regular claim.
- You must satisfy all eligibility requirements of the Hawaii Employment Security Law.
- To meet the work registration requirement, you must complete a Workforce Development Division (WDD) form, Work Registration Form Required for Emergency Unemployment Compensation. The WDD staff will review your form and contact you for the next step if necessary. You must also make 3 job contacts each week.
- You must not have a disqualification or ineligibility still in effect.
HOW DO I FILE FOR EUC?
The Unemployment Insurance (UI) Division has identified those individuals whose benefit year ended on or after May 1, 2007 and whose regular benefits have been exhausted or expired prior to July 6, 2008. Notices were mailed out to these potentially eligible individuals by July 19, 2008. The notice instructed you to report in-person to a local claims office with your notice to file for EUC. For those residing outside of Hawaii, you were instructed to call Hawaii Tele-Claim.
Current exhaustees. For individuals who exhaust benefits or whose benefit year expired after July 5, 2008, notices are being mailed out weekly with instructions to report in-person to a local claims office with your notice or to call Hawaii Tele-Claim and file by phone.
To file by phone:
Call Hawaii Tele-Claim at:
643-5555 (if you are in Hawaii) or
1-877-215-5793 (if you are out-of-state)
Sunday through Thursday 6:30 am to 12 midnight (HST) and
Friday 6:30 am to 4:30 pm.
To file in person:
See Local Claim Office locations below
HONOLULU Claims Office
830 Punchbowl St., Rm 110
Honolulu, HI 96813
Ph: 586-8970 or 586-8971
WAIPAHU Claims Office
94-275 Mokuola St, Rm 301
Waipahu, HI 96797-3369
Ph: 675-0030
HILO Claims Office
1990 Kinoole St., Ste 101
Hilo, HI 96720-5293
Ph: 974-4086
KONA Claims office
81-990 Halekii St, Rm 2090
Kealakekua, HI 96750
Ph: 322-4822
MAUI Claims Office
54 South High St., Rm 201
Wailuku, HI 96793
Ph: 984-8400
MOLOKAI Claims Office
55 Makaena St, Rm 4
Kaunakakai, HI 96748-1858
Ph: 553-1750
KAUAI Claims Office
3-3100 Kuhio Hwy, Rm C-12
Lihue, HI 96766
Ph: 274-3043
