ELIGIBILITY FOR EXTENDED BENEFITS.

A. An individual shall be eligible to receive extended benefits with respect to any week of unemployment in the eligibility period of the individual only if the Commission finds that with respect to such week:

1. The individual is an "exhaustee" as defined in Section 2-712 of this title; and

2. Except as otherwise provided by this section, the individual has satisfied the requirements of the Employment Security Act of 1980, for the receipt of regular benefits that are applicable to individuals claiming extended benefits, including not being subject to a disqualification under the Employment Security Act of 1980, Section 1-101 et seq. of this title, for the receipt of benefits.

B. An individual shall not be eligible for extended benefits unless, in the base period with respect to which the individual exhausted all rights to regular benefits, the individual shall have been paid wages for insured work of not less than one and one-half (1 1/2) times the amount of wages during that quarter of the base period of the individual in which the wages were the highest.

C. Any payment of extended benefits under the Employment Security Act of 1980 shall not be made to any individual for any week of unemployment in his or her eligibility period during which the individual:

1. Fails to accept any offer of suitable work;

2. Fails to apply for any suitable work to which referred by the state employment service; or

3. Fails to actively engage in seeking suitable work.

D. Suitable work shall be defined as any work which is within such individual's capabilities, except that if the individual furnishes satisfactory evidence that the individual's prospects for obtaining work in his or her customary occupation within a reasonably short period are good, the determination of whether any work is suitable work with respect to such individual shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 2-408 of this title with respect to regular benefit claimants.

1. Any work which is within the capabilities of such individual means that the individual has the physical and mental capacity to do the work and the background and experience which would enable the individual to perform the job.

2. Work for an extended benefit claimant shall not be considered suitable if the gross weekly pay of the job does not exceed the extended weekly benefit amount payable to the individual for a week of total unemployment plus the amount of any Supplemental Unemployment Benefits (SUB), as defined in Section 501(c)(17)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, 26 U.S.C., Section 501, payable for such week and equal the higher of the federal minimum wage provided by Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C., Section 206, without regard to any exemption or any applicable state or local minimum wage.

E. If any individual is ineligible for extended benefits for any week by reason of a failure described in subsection B of this section, such individual shall be ineligible to receive extended benefits for the week in which such failure occurred and until the individual has been employed during at least four (4) different weeks which begin after such failure and has earned wages equal to or in excess of four (4) times his weekly benefit amount.

F. 1. Extended benefits shall not be denied to any individual for any week by reason of a failure to accept an offer of, or apply for, suitable work if the position was not offered to such individual in writing or was not listed with the state employment service.

2. Extended benefits shall not be denied to any individual for any week by reason of a failure to accept an offer of or apply for suitable work if such failure would not result in a denial of benefits under the provisions of Sections 2-408, 2-409, 2-417 and 2-418 of this title to the extent that such provisions are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section.

3. Extended benefits shall not be denied to any individual for any week by reason of a failure to accept an offer of or apply for suitable work if the work failed to meet any of the requirements of Section 2-409 of this title.

G. An individual shall be treated as actively engaged in seeking work during any week if such individual has engaged in a systematic and sustained effort to obtain work during such week, and such individual provides tangible evidence to the state employment service that he has engaged in such an effort during such week.

H. An individual filing an interstate claim shall not be eligible for extended benefits after the first two (2) weeks of extended benefits that are payable if no extended benefit period is in effect for such week in the state where the claim is filed.

I. The state employment service shall refer any claimant entitled to extended benefits to any suitable work which meets the criteria prescribed in this section.

Added by Laws 1980, c. 323, § 2-715, eff. July 1, 1980. Amended by Laws 1981, c. 259, § 14, emerg. eff. June 25, 1981; Laws 1982, c. 304, § 15, operative Oct. 1, 1982; Laws 1984, c. 252, § 4, emerg. eff. May 29, 1984; Laws 1993, c. 88, § 1, emerg. eff. April 18, 1993; Laws 1994, c. 166, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Laws 1995, c. 340, § 11, eff. July 1, 1995; Laws 2002, c. 452, § 20, eff. Nov. 1, 2002.

NOTE: Laws 1994, c. 73, § 1 repealed by Laws 1994, c. 166, § 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.