UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION Extra benefits coming for the Valley's jobless

About 200,000 Ohioans are expected to be eligible for extra jobless benefits.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning Valley residents who are eligible to receive an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits should receive applications in the mail by Friday.
People who think they are eligible but don't receive an application should call a toll-free number set up by the state at (866) 860-0019.
The benefits are coming because of a federal law passed by Congress and signed by President Bush that was designed to boost the economy and assist people who were laid off.
About 200,000 Ohioans are expected to be eligible for the extra benefits, said Jon Allen, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.
Greg Murdock, manager of the agency's Youngstown office, said many people called the office last week, asking about the extension.
Who is eligible: To be eligible, people must have qualified for an unemployment claim on or after March 19, 2000, and still be without a job. The additional 13 weeks can be paid only through Jan. 1, 2003.
Allen said the state mailed 37,000 applications for the extended benefits last week. The remaining amount, about 260,000, are to be mailed this week.
He said the agency has been preparing for this for months, so it should be able to send out the first checks under the extension later this week.
Payments: Normally, unemployment benefits last 26 weeks. Weekly payments are up to 50 percent of average weekly wages, with a maximum of $308 for workers with no dependents, $373 for workers with one or two dependents and $417 for workers with three or more dependents.
Ohio has about 180,000 people who are receiving unemployment benefits.