Federal-state extended unemployment benefits ending in mid-February

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions announced Tuesday the state has turned off of Federal-State Extended Benefits.

The FDEB2 program, utilized by states facing high unemployment, will have its last payable week during the week ending Feb. 19.

“The total unemployment rate has gone below 6.5 percent and as a result, per state statute, the extended benefit period has triggered off,” said Ricky Serna, NMDWS’s acting secretary. “Direct notification will be sent out to affected claimants along with information on how our employment services staff can assist them in finding job opportunities that match their skill set.”

In July 2021, the state triggered FDEB2, which provided up to 13 weeks of additional benefits for claimants who exhausted regular state unemployment and/or ended pandemic emergency unemployment compensation when federal benefits ended last September.

Over 2,000 claimants are currently receiving the FDEB2 benefits.

Claimants waiting for an FDEB2 eligibility determination will still receive all benefits owed to them for all weeks prior to Feb. 19. They will receive all qualifying benefits even after FDEB2 has ended.