Regular unemployment benefits are paid out for the first twenty-six weeks that you are unemployed. For some people those twenty-six weeks pass by and they still have no job, and they are actively searching for work each week. This is usually the case when the nation is experiencing a recession, so nationally unemployment levels are high. To help people out who are still have trouble finding work during times of high unemployment the federal government passed a law that allows you to collect extended unemployment benefits.

As of January 2009, the federal government passed legislation that allows workers who have already used up their 13 weeks of extended benefits to qualify for another 7 weeks of benefits, if they used up the 13 weeks of benefits before the passage of the November 2008 legislation. This legislation is intended for all states to follow, there are special rules for states that have a high level of unemployment. If you live, in a state, that has an unemployment rate of 6% or more you can get an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits, so that you receive a total of thirty-three weeks of benefits.

Here are the steps that you will need to follow to collect extended unemployment benefits.

Step one:
Call your state's unemployment office to see if you qualify to file for the extended benefits program. You want to do this before your twenty-six runs out so you know if you need to explore other options.

Step two:
If you qualify for the extended benefits, you should receive an official notification in the mail. You will receive this notification once your regular benefits have run out. This notice does not guarantee that you will receive the extended benefits, it s designed to alert you of the option, you will still have to file for extended benefits and get the claim approved before you can collect the extended benefits. If you do not receive this notice in the mail you may not be eligible for the extended benefits, if you disagree with this you can always call your state's unemployment office to ask why you did not receive a notice.

Step three:
You need to fill out the appropriate forms so that you can apply for extended benefits, these forms are not the same ones that you fill out for your weekly claims, so do not get them confused. You will need to contact your state's unemployment office to get the correct forms for the extended benefits.

Step four:
When filling out the forms make sure that you provide all of the extra paperwork that is required of you. There are different requirements for the extended benefits than for regular benefits, so in order to be approved you will need to provide them with the additional details. When filling out your forms you will want to contact the same office that you filed your claim for regular unemployment benefits.

Step five:
If you are denied the extended benefits after you have applied you will need to file for an appeal. If you decide to file an appeal, you need to keep in mind that they can take a long time to complete, during this time you will be receiving benefits. They can also be rather expensive. It is best to file an appeal only if you are going to be receiving a high amount in unemployment benefits. With the appeal, you can file it directly with the unemployment office yourself or you can hire a lawyer to go through the process for you

Not everybody who applies for the extended unemployment benefits will be able to collect those benefits because of eligibility reasons. In order to collect the extended unemployment benefits you are going to need to meet the eligibly requirements. The following is a list of the eligibility requirements that you will need to meet to collect the extended unemployment benefits, and you must meet all of the requirements to qualify:

• You are currently unemployed or are only working part-time
• You cannot be eligible for a new regular unemployment claim
• You had to have filed your unemployment claim May 7, 2006 or later
• You exhausted your unemployment insurance benefits, meaning you have used all 26 weeks of your unemployment or the benefit year on your claim has expired
• Your claim is based on 20 base weeks or you have had earnings of at least 40 times the weekly benefit rate in your base year

If you do qualify for the extended benefits you will still need to file weekly claims to get your benefits. This can be done in the same manner that you filed your weekly claims for your regular benefits. You are also going to need to still be actively looking for work, and in some states, you will need to be registered with your state's job service department. Your weekly benefits are not going to increase or decrease when you are collecting extended benefits; they are going to be the same amount that your regular benefits were this would be determined based on your most recent claim.

If you do not qualify for the extended unemployment benefits, there is no need to panic just yet. Even if your unemployment runs out and you do not have a job there are still things that you can do to help your family survive. Here are some things that you should do if you are about to run out of unemployment benefits, either regular or extended benefits:

• Contact your state's unemployment office. Ask them if you are receiving all of the benefits that you are entitled too. In some cases, you can qualify for more benefits because of recent part-time employment or other circumstances. You also need to ask them about training programs that they offer and if you enroll in one of the training programs what kind of support they will give you.
• You can also look into finding a temporary job, through a temporary employment agency or even a job you would not normally accept. Doing this will give you some kind of income to help you out until you find suitable employment.
• Check to see if you are eligible for food stamps. You can find tools available online that will tell you if you qualify. You should also look into seeing if you qualify for any other benefits and services, such as WIC, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or something else.
• If you belong to a church, you can call your church and ask for help. Churches have numerous resources that you can tap into. You can sometimes receive rent assistance, food baskets, home repairs, or even help around the house. Some churches will give this help to members with nothing required, where other churches require you to work in their food pantry or serve as a volunteer somewhere else.

• Look into your local community, you can check online or in the phone book. Most local communities have nonprofit organizations that can provide assistance in times of emergencies. You can get emergency food help from the local food bank; you can apply for help for holiday assistance for your children, through programs like Sub for Santa. Lion's Club offers help with glasses for children, and the Salvation Army can help with utilities.
• If your children are in school contact, the school office to se if the school offers any programs to help your children or if they know of any programs that you can receive help from. Many schools offer free or reduced lunches and breakfast for children who qualify. This program is offered at every school through the federal government.
• Look into state health insurance for your children or even low cost health insurance. This can save quite a bit of money that can go to other expenses because you will no longer have to pay your premiums through COBRA.
• Contact your utility company to see if they have programs for people who are considered low income. This can help you pay your bills so that they do not start stacking up.
• Talk to your friends and family members about your current circumstances. Sometimes family members can help you to help you pay your mortgage or even provide a place to stay if times get tough.
• To help reduce your monthly bills call your creditors and tell them about your situation, that you are currently unemployed but are actively seeking employment. Ask them if you can make special arrangements for a limited time so that you do incur late charges on your bills. See if they will accept token payments or reduced payments for a specific time. Also, do not use your credit cards unless you absolutely have too, this will prevent you from increasing your monthly payments.

Unemployment can happen to anybody and the only way that you are going to get through those tough times is to ask for help when you need it. Remember most of these benefits are something that you have paid into while you were working, so you should not be embarrassed about having to use it when you need help.