Tier 4 of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program

Federal unemployment benefits will continue for thousands of South Carolinians due to Congress extending the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program for one year.  However, due to the recent continued decline in the state’s unemployment rate, South Carolina has triggered off of Tier 4 in the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. That means those Tier 3 claimants, who exhaust Tier 3 either on or before January 12, 2013, will be allowed to move to and complete Tier 4 of the program. Conversely, claimants who do not exhaust Tier 3 until after January 12 will not be eligible for any additional benefits. Claimants currently in Tier 4 will be able to finish out any remaining weeks of eligibility. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the three-month-average unemployment rate for the state fell below the 9% trigger rate threshold, thereby discontinuing the state’s Tier 4 eligibility. As a result, the maximum potential to receive federal unemployment benefits will decrease from 37 weeks to 29 weeks. In South Carolina, the maximum potential to receive state benefits is 20 weeks.  The SC Department of Employment and Workforce encourages all claimants that have exhausted state and federal benefits to check with their local SC Works center to determine the availability of additional eligibility.