S.C. offering 6 additional weeks of unemployment benefits

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South Carolina residents may now receive an additional six weeks of extended state unemployment benefits.

The extended benefits program is in addition to the previously announced 10 weeks of benefits announced earlier this month, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce said Wednesday.  

South Carolina law allows for the benefits to be added to the previously announced 10-week program for individuals whose regular unemployment insurance benefits year ended on or after June 14 because the unemployment rate for the last three months exceeded 8%, DEW said.

This is the final extension offered under state law.

Claimants must have exhausted both their 20 weeks of regular unemployment benefits and 13 weeks of the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, according to DEW.

Upon exhaustion of regular state and federal unemployment benefits, DEW will notify individuals who are eligible to apply for the new program through their MyBenefits portal on the agency’s website. The weekly benefit amount will be the same as the individual received for regular state benefits.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation expires Saturday.