From the NJDOL:

75,000+ Affected Claimants Will Be Notified This Weekend  

TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced Saturday it was able to successfully complete testing earlier than anticipated to program the 11-week benefits extension onto more than 75,000 claims that expired. 

As a result, claimants who have exhausted benefits and have been anticipating this federally funded extension will be notified by email this weekend they will be able to resume certifying for benefits during their regular schedule, and will receive benefits on their regular schedule. 

“While we welcome the additional relief for our claimants, the new stimulus relief was signed after CARES Act benefits had ended – too late for most states to program their systems to prevent a lapse in benefits for all claimants,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “This current extension ends on March 13. We urge Congress to act sooner and to provide long-term relief so our claimants are not in a similar situation next month.” 

Appearing with Gov. Murphy on Friday, Asaro-Angelo said the Department prioritizes getting the most money out to the most claimants. Thus, when additional funds were made available through the Continued Assistance Act for Unemployed Workers in late December, the Department prioritized processing the $300 weekly unemployment supplement because it benefits every unemployed worker receiving benefits. 

The next challenge was to reprogram systems so the majority of our claimants could transition seamlessly to the 11-week extension, as required by federal law. That has also been completed successfully.   

There was a small subset of about 75,000 claimants, less than 5 percent of the total,  whose benefits had expired and whose claims needed the 11 weeks added. That programming, too, has now been completed. 

“I want to commend our IT Division for its outstanding work to complete this programming earlier than anticipated,” said Asaro-Angelo. “We are all public servants. We are here to help people in need. It has always been our sole focus to get these benefits into residents’ bank accounts as quickly as possible.” 

To view the weekly unemployment certification schedule, visit: nj.gov/labor/schedule  

For more information on NJ Unemployment Insurance, visit myunemployment.nj.gov