Ind. jobless benefits extended 20 weeks

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Federal legislation will provide up to 20 weeks of additional unemployment benefits in Indiana.

The extension means eligible Indiana residents will be able to claim up to 99 weeks in unemployment benefits.

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development is waiting to receive specific rules about the extension, including eligibility requirements. The agency anticipates providing the benefits to eligible people beginning the week of November 23.

Agency commissioner Teresa Voors said Indiana was among the first states last spring to implement the federal government's $25 increase in weekly benefits. She also expects Indiana to be among the first states to providing the new extension.