Unemployment benefits to increase by $9

Workers filing for and approved to receive Unemployment Insurance benefits beginning July 1 will see a $9 increase in the weekly maximum benefit. The new maximum weekly benefit is $291, announced Myla Florence, Director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Florence explained that individuals who began receiving Unemployment Insurance benefits prior to the close of business on June 30 will continue to receive payments based on the maximum weekly benefit amount of $282.

The maximum benefit amount for Unemployment Insurance in Nevada is set at 67 percent of the average weekly wage of workers covered by Unemployment Insurance. The average weekly wage paid to eligible unemployed workers reached $207.51 last December. Under the new payment rate, the maximum amount of benefits that a person can receive during the maximum 26-week claim duration is $7,566.

Workers do not contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund in Nevada, the fund is wholly supported by a payroll tax paid by employers. For more information about Unemployment Insurance, visit any Nevada's Job Link office or on the Internet at www.DETRjoblink.org. Unemployment Insurance is a program of the State of Nevada, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.