NASHVILLE – The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) informed the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) late Thursday afternoon the Extended Benefits (EB) program will end in the state on Saturday, Oct. 31.

USDOL uses a state’s unemployment metrics to determine when its EB program will start and end. Tennessee crossed the threshold of economic recovery that triggered the ending of the program on Oct. 10.

EB is the second extended unemployment program the federal government offers to claimants who first exhaust their benefits with the state program and then the additional 13 weeks of benefits through the CARES Act program, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).

Former EB claimants may reapply to determine eligibility to receive benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which is part of the CARES Act and runs through Dec. 26.

Tennessee had approximately 3,000 claimants who completed their certification for the EB program during the week ending Oct. 24. They will complete one more certification for the week ending Oct. 31 and receive their final EB payment next week.

TDLWD is ready to help these claimants get back into the workforce and find jobs through the Reemploy Tennessee initiative.

Jobs4TN.gov integrates Tennessee’s unemployment system with its workforce development system to streamline the process of finding work. The site’s database currently has over 237,000 job openings and provides help with resume writing, job interview techniques, and other skills that will guide individuals through reemployment.

For one-on-one assistance, career specialists at Tennessee’s more than 80 American Job Centers can work with claimants to provide customized job searches, information on virtual job fairs, Reemployment Services, and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) appointments, and assistance determining if job training assistance is available

The state offers these services at no cost to the job seeker.