# Unemployment benefits

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unemployment-benefits/561988>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 26, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unemployment-benefits/561988 "2010-11-26T16:28:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unemployment-benefits/561988/21 "2010-12-02T17:14:09Z")

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Sorry. I meant weeks. Months was a typo, and I hope an obvious one to most readers.

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**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unemployment-benefits/561988/22 "2010-12-02T17:29:49Z")

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Thanks… I was totally unaware of the Tiers concept.

Were some extensions in the past (maybe in 2001 or 2002) simply a matter of an additional 26 weeks?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unemployment-benefits/561988/23 "2010-12-02T17:56:26Z")

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In 2002, Congress approved an federal extension equal to half the time you were eligible for state unemployment. So, if you could get 26 weeks of state, you could get 13 weeks of federal, if you could get 8 weeks of state, you could get 4 weeks of federal and so on.

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