“High Unemployment Period” Extended Benefits (HUP EB) are now available in Pennsylvania, the Department of Labor & Industry said on November 3.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently notified the state that Pennsylvania’s total unemployment rate had reached 8.1 percent, triggering the availability of these extended benefits.

The department will notify individuals who may be eligible for HUP EB. The amount of HUP EB available for each individual will vary.

The first payable week of HUP EB is the week ending Nov. 12. Under current law, the final week for which regular EB and HUP EB may be paid is the week ending Dec. 31, 2011.

HUP EB may be payable to claimants who have exhausted all of their regular state unemployment compensation (UC), federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC), and regular Pennsylvania Extended Benefits (EB).

Claimants who exhausted their regular state EB on or after June 11, 2011 may qualify for as many as seven weeks of HUP EB. Claimants who received HUP EB during the prior High Unemployment Period but did not receive all of their benefits when that period ended on June 11, 2011 may qualify to receive the remaining balance of their HUP EB.

Requirements are the same for the HUP EB program and the regular EB program. A claimant must actively search for work during each week for which benefits are claimed.

Individuals who believe they may be eligible but have not received a notice from the department by Nov. 26 should contact the department at 1-888-313-7284.