Emergency Unemployment 'Triggers' for Some Georgians Sunday

The Georgia Department of Labor announced Friday that Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Tier 4 benefits to “trigger on” Sunday for some Georgians. Those who may be eligible should receive notification in the mail giving them instructions on how to file for the benefits.

EUC was established in 2008 to aid the long-term unemployed under a Federal law mandate, according to a press release from the GDOL. A state in which EUC is provided must have a three-month seasonally adjusted unemployment average of 9.0 percent to qualify for the EUC Tier 4 program. Unemployment conditions in Georgia in June July and August fit this mandate. The program allows for extended benefits to individuals who have already exhausted the first three tiers of EUC and have no potential eligibility for regular unemployment insurance benefits.

According to the GDOL, EUC's 4th tier is triggered to begin on Oct. 7 because the unemployment rate in Georgia averaged 9.2 percent for the months of June, July and August. It had been "triggered off" in July because March April and May averaged 9 percent, according to the GDOL. March was 9 percent, but it dropped to 8.9 percent in April and May, bringing the average for the three-month period to below 9 percent.