Prairie Fire Journal

For those of you in Texas who are wondering about your unemployment benefits going into 2010, here's what I understand the situation to be:

If you are currently eligible for unemployment benefits and your current benefits are exhausted by December 26, 2009, then you will be eligible to collect the next tier of emergency unemployment benefits that you qualify for. Benefits may be paid through May 29, 2010.

However, until Congress renews the emergency unemployment benefits law for 2010, you will not be able to collect any further benefits beyond the tier you become eligible for on or before December 26.

Hopefully this makes sense to you. I've tried to keep it simple. Texas Workforce Commission has a pdf chart that might better illustrate the current benefit situation. Click here to view it.

UPDATE 12-31-09: Congress has extended the above cutoff dates by approximately 2 months. The December 26 deadline has been moved forward to February 27, 2010 and benefits will be paid through July 31, 2010. The new dates are reflected in the TWC pdf chart referenced and linked to above.