Emergency Unemployment Compensation

• Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or EUC, is a federal program that extends additional unemployment benefits to workers who have exhausted their initial compensation. The U.S. government authorizes these benefits and then disburses them through the unemployment offices in each state.
  
  

EUC Program Tiers

• There are four separate benefit tiers of EUC. Tier 1 extends 20 weeks of additional compensation. Tier 2 provides another 14 weeks of benefits and Tier 3 offers 13 more weeks of compensation. Tier 4 is only available to workers in states with exceptionally high unemployment rates. Individuals in these states can receive up to six more weeks of benefits under Tier 4.
  
  

EUC Application

• In many states, workers are not required to complete an application for EUC. Instead, their state's unemployment division automatically enrolls them once they exhaust their initial compensation. However, some states do require that claimants apply for EUC. Generally, workers can apply over the Internet or in person at the appropriate unemployment office.
  
  

EUC Eligibility

• Claimants who receive EUC may have to meet more stringent eligibility standards than required for initial benefits. Some states require workers to submit detailed work search records and to make a certain number of work contacts each week.