For Immediate Release                                                                         February  27, 2009

The South Carolina Employment Security Commission announced today a new federal supplement of $25.00 for eligible claimants.

The Federal Additional Compensation (FAC) program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was recently approved by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009.

This $25.00 supplement is 100 percent federally-funded. Governor Mark Sanford has already authorized these payments.

The FAC benefits are payable to individuals who are otherwise entitled under state law to receive regular unemployment insurance. According to Allen Larson, Deputy Executive Director for Unemployment Insurance at SCESC, the benefits will be effective for the week ending February 28, 2009.

However, claimants will not see the increase in their benefits check for about two weeks.

“Like other states across the nation, The S.C. Employment Security Commission is dealing with almost daily changes in the federal requirements from the U.S. Department of Labor to implement these additional payments," Larson stated. "We are working as quickly as possible to make the necessary computer programming changes required to get the additional compensation out to eligible claimants."