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Congress passed and the President signed into law an economic stimulus package that includes temporary extended unemployment insurance benefits. The key feature of this package is up to
13 additional weeks of benefits for unemployed workers who have already received all their regular UI benefits.
The Kansas Department of Human Resources (KDHR) will administer the extended benefits. The specifics of the extended benefits program are uncertain at this time. Federal regulations are
still in process. KDHR estimates as many as 26,000 Kansas workers may be eligible for the extended benefits. The department is asking for help in putting out the word about how to apply for temporary extended
unemployment compensation.
KDHR will attempt to notify all potentially eligible workers by mail within the next two weeks of the workers' possible entitlement. The worker will
need to fill out a simple form and return it to KDHR as indicated. Based on that initial mailed form those who respond will receive a determination of whether they are eligible for the additional weeks.
The final determination of eligibility may require several mailings to Kansas workers. Eligible workers will then receive weekly paper continued claims forms in the mail.
The entire extended benefits claims process will be handled through the mail, not through the call centers or Internet. Attempts to file for extended benefits by telephone or the
Internet will only slow down the extended benefits application and also will clog up the system for regular UI claims.
If a worker does not receive a notification by mail within the next two weeks and they exhausted their regular unemployment on or after March 15, 2001,
or their benefit year has ended, then they are asked to please call the KDHR UI call centers after April 2, 2002. The numbers are:
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