There were 1,228 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, an increase of 342 from the week before, as claims increased following a steady decline. Altogether 12,821 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 456 from a week ago and 2,696 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,089 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 20 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 964 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 11 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc