The RI Department of Labor and Training has announced the 2008 maximum weekly benefit rates for Unemployment Insurance and Temporary Disability Insurance for claimants who begin their benefit year on or after July 1, 2008.

Unemployment Insurance: The maximum weekly benefit rate for Unemployment Insurance in Rhode Island is $528 for claimants who are without dependents and who begin their benefit year on or after July 1, 2008. A benefit year is the 52-week period that starts upon a new claim's filing.

The new maximum weekly benefit rate constitutes an increase of $15 over the previous year's maximum. The maximum weekly benefit rate for UI claimants with five or more dependents is $660, an increase of $19.

The maximum weekly benefit rate for Unemployment Insurance is calculated at 67 percent of the 2007 average weekly wage of workers covered by the RI Employment Security Act. Last year, the average weekly wage for ESA-covered workers was $789.

The Unemployment Insurance program provides benefits to insured and eligible persons who are out of work through no fault of their own. The program is financed by an employer tax.

Temporary Disability Insurance: The 2008 maximum weekly benefit rate for Temporary Disability Insurance is $671 for claimants who are without dependents and who begin their benefit year on or after July 1, 2008. (A benefit year is the 52-week period that starts upon a new claim's filing.)

The new maximum weekly benefit rate constitutes an increase of $19 increase over the previous year's maximum. The maximum weekly benefit rate for TDI claimants with five or more dependents is $905, an increase of $25.

The maximum weekly benefit rate for Temporary Disability Insurance is calculated at 85 percent of the average weekly wage of ESA-covered workers.

The Temporary Disability Insurance program protects workers against wage loss resulting from a non-work related illness or injury, and is funded exclusively by Rhode Island workers

About the RI Department of Labor and Training
The RI Department of Labor and Training offers employment services, educational services and economic opportunity to both individuals and employers. DLT protects Rhode Island's workforce by enforcing labor laws, prevailing wage rates and workplace health and safety standards. The department also provides temporary income support to unemployed and temporarily disabled workers. For more information on the programs and services available to all Rhode Islanders, please call the RI Department of Labor and Training at (401) 462-8000 or visit the web site at www.dlt.ri.gov.

###