ATLANTA – State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond announced today that the first checks for state extended unemployment insurance benefits (SEB) will be mailed out to eligible recipients Thursday.

SEB provides up to 20 weeks of additional benefits to individuals who have exhausted all state regular unemployment insurance benefits (UI) and the first and second tier of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits on or after Feb. 15, 2009. Individuals who exhaust second tier EUC benefits must apply by completing an online SEB application.

To be eligible for any of the extended unemployment insurance programs, individuals must be currently unemployed and not eligible to establish a new regular unemployment claim in Georgia, any other state, U.S. territory, or Canada.

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) began mailing eligibility notification letters on May 8, 2009, to all individuals who met the requirements of the new legislation. The letter provides instructions on how to apply for SEB.

There is no need for claimants to call or visit their local GDOL career center, unless they are asked to by GDOL staff. Information about state extended benefits is available at www.dol.state.ga.us.