Turning the Tide for 2016: Unemployment Insurance Eligibility Expansions that Support Working Families

Over the last several years, a number of states made severe cuts to benefits and eligibility in the unemployment insurance (UI) program. In 2015, there was again legislation to cut available weeks of benefits, but we saw proposals and laws that headed in a positive direction in other states. With the worst of the crisis past us, the purpose of this webinar is to take these “green shoots” of positive change and grow them in 2016. In particular, we speak to reforms of part-time and partial benefits and expansions of compelling family circumstances rules that can better assist working families. We feature a presentation by a member of a coalition in the District of Columbia that seeks to increase benefits and improve partial benefits. This webinar introduces NELP’s newly-released Unemployment Insurance Policy Advocate’s Toolkit and provide advocates with an overview of other resources that can assist them in 2016 legislative sessions.