State Extended Benefits ending Oct. 31 for unemployed Iowans

DES MOINES, Iowa – Unemployed Iowans who exhaust their standard unemployment benefits and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation will also lose their State Extended Benefits come October 31.

Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the Extended Benefits program has “triggered off” due to Iowa’s economic recovery. The U.S. Department of Labor says this is because the 13-week average for the insured unemployment rate fell below 5%. The program went into effect in May when the rate rose above 5%. The first round of payments began in July.

Extended Benefits gives unemployed Iowans an additional 13 weeks of benefits or 50 percent of the person’s original unemployment benefit total — whichever one is less — after 26 weeks of standard benefits and 13 weeks of PEUC.

The last payable week on the EB program is the week ending October 31, 2020. Extended Benefits cannot be paid to any claimant for weeks of unemployment after that point, even if they have not yet received 13 weeks of Extended Benefits. Those who lose Extended Benefits may be eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.