Georgia Department of Labor to extend some unemployment benefits for 13 weeks

Atlanta — The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that they are extending unemployment benefits for people who have exhausted their regular state benefits amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The GDOL has launched the United States Department of Labor's Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which will extend eligibility for benefits to up to 13 weeks.

Many people who applied for UI in the first weeks of the COVID-19 shutdown are close to exhausting their benefits.

“We can expect additional extensions of benefits in the future based on our unemployment numbers although our mission is to get Georgians back in the workplace," said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler.

The GDOL says that $5,440,822,786 in state and federal benefits have been paid to claimants across the state during the past 12 weeks.

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