With effect from January 18, 2022, an unemployed worker may also apply for extra unemployment benefits or vocational training living allowances if he/she has dependent non-working parents

Would a worker feel highly pressurized if he/she is involuntarily dismissed from employment yet has to support his/her parents during the unemployment period? To guarantee the basic living standards of the jobless families, the amended Article 19-1 of the Employment Insurance Act was implemented on January 18, 2022. The dependent "non-working parents" of the insured persons will be included as the eligible dependents to receive the extra unemployment benefits or vocational training living allowances.

According to the BLI, based on the Employment Insurance Act amended and implemented on January 18, 2022, a person covered by the Employment Insurance may, during the period when he/she is receiving unemployment benefits or vocational training living allowances, apply for extra benefits or allowances equaling to 10% of the insured person's average monthly insurance salary in the six months right before the separation and withdrawal from the insurance program for each one of the dependents (including non-working parents, spouse, minor children or disabled children). The said extra benefits or allowances shall be given for up to 20%.

The BLI further explained that, when applying for the unemployment benefit or vocational training living allowance through public employment service Institutions for his/her dependent non-working parents, the worker only needs to provide the information of his/her dependents in the application form, in the meantime attach a copy of the dependent's household registration or other personal identity documents to complete the procedures. On completing the unemployment confirmation (reconfirmation) or the referral procedures for vocational training, the public employment service Institutions will input the information of the dependents of the insured person and forward all of them to the BLI for approval of the payment.

Finally, the BLI reminds the workers that, the application for additional benefit or allowance for dependent parents shall only be filed when the confirmation (reconfirmation) of unemployment status is completed after January 18, 2022 (inclusive). Further, if an insured person did not provide the dependent information when applying for the unemployment benefits or vocational training living allowances through the public employment service  Institutions and is therefore unable to receive such extra benefit or allowance, the worker may, within the two-year period for lawfully claiming such rights, submit to the BLI the completed "Application for Payment of Extra Benefit or Allowance for Dependents" along with the relevant supporting documents of the dependent(s) for payment, so as to safeguard his/her rights and interests.