The EARLY Benefits for Workers Act amends federal unemployment insurance law to allow states greater flexibility in helping workers who have just filed for unemployment benefits. Specifically, the bill permits states to use up to 20 percent of their federal reemployment services grants (capped at $3 million) to provide job training and eligibility assessments to people immediately after they submit their initial unemployment claim, even before they officially start receiving benefits. The legislation protects states from penalties if they provide these early services to someone who is later deemed ineligible for unemployment compensation, and clarifies that states don't need to repay grant funds spent on people who turn out to be ineligible. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment and affects all states administering unemployment insurance programs, as well as workers seeking to return to employment more quickly during their transition between jobs.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.