Benefits End For 7,700 Area Jobless
The Labor Department has ended federal supplemental unemployment benefits for about 7,700 District and Virginia residents because those who qualify for unemployment insurance in the two jurisdictions has dropped below 5 per cent.</br></br>Unemployed workers in 11 other states also have become ineligible for the sup-Û¢ plcmental jobless benefits, although benefits remain intact in states where the percentage of those entitled to unemployment insurance has remained above 5 per cent of the total work force.</br></br>The federal funding that paid for unemployment compensation for an additional 13 weeks beyond normal benefits ended in D.C. and Virginia on April 3. According to a Labor Department spokesman, out-of-work residents who had drawn only part of the 13 weeksÛª benefits by then would become eligible to draw the remainder if the program were triggered ag,ain.</br></br>The supplemental benefits were provided under emergency legislation in early 1975, as a last resort for those who have used up their eligibility under regular and extended Insurance programs. Where the insured unemployment rate (the percentage of eligible claimants to the total work force) is above 5 per cent, the benefits extend total coverage from 39 to 52 weeks.</br></br>When the rate drops below 5 per cent for.,13 weeks, the program is Cut off, according to the Labor Department.