Changes to Wyoming jobless benefits kick in at the end of the week.

Following on the federal 'Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act', signed into law in February, an extension to unemployment benefits-  the  'tier-two' 14 week extension - will no longer be available.

Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Director, Joan Evans, says the federal act requires an unemployment rate of 6% to offer the extension. Wyoming’s unemployment rate is below that at about 5.3 percent.

"So that's gonna be a big change for some folks and we have some new efforts that we're getting ready to launch to really support folks who find themselves in that situation."

Evans says they'll be offering support to job seekers on an individual basis including skill assessments, review of eligibility and other more comprehensive support.

Claimants can still file for that 14 week extension through May 26th. After that, Evans says, only first tier or 20 weeks of benefits will be available.

The Wyoming DWS Claims Center can be reached at (307) 473-3789 M-F, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., for questions regarding the change. Additionally, information on reemployment services along with thousands of job listings can be found at the Department of Workforce Service’s website: http://www.wyomingworkforce.org.

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