Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan is calling on the US Department of Labor to reconsider its legal interpretation denying Vermonters a $25/week boost in their unemployment benefits. During the last legislative session, Vermont lawmakers passed a $25 weekly increase to unemployed Vermonters. Delivering those benefits hit a snag when the US Department of Labor determined the payments were impermissible based on an interpretation of the law made by staff at the Vermont Department of Labor.
Donovan is calling on the US Department of Labor to reconsider its decision in light of legislative intent. He is requesting federal officials work with the State of Vermont to allow benefits to flow immediately.
“I urge the Department to use discretion and common sense and join Vermont in getting this benefit where it is intended to go as quickly as possible: to ordinary Vermonters suffering severe economic hardship in the midst of a pandemic,” said Attorney General Donovan. “The bottom line is that Vermonters can’t afford to wait. This benefit was intended to go to all eligible Vermonters, and I hope and trust that our partners in the federal government will do everything in their power to act quickly and decisively to get this money into pockets and injected into our economy,” he said.
[Act 51 of 2021 authorized a $25 per week supplemental benefit for all unemployment claims beginning October 3, to individuals receiving unemployment benefits in the regular state unemployment insurance program.
[However, the Vermont Department of Labor was formally notified on September 1 by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) that the $25 per week supplemental benefit does not meet the federal unemployment insurance program requirements and therefore the State cannot use Unemployment Trust Fund dollars to cover this benefit, as was intended under the legislation.
[In May 2021, while the General Assembly was considering this legislation, the Department submitted a formal inquiry to USDOL for guidance on the creation of a supplemental benefit prior to it becoming law. The goal was to ensure any law passed met the federal government’s requirements; however, USDOL did not respond until after the bill passed both chambers and went into law.]
A copy of the letter to the U.S. Department of Labor may be found below:
Source: 9.22.2021 MONTPELIER – Vermont Attorney General