The Department of Labor and Training has announced new maximum weekly benefit amounts for the two major income support programs it runs for Rhode Island workers and employers: Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI).

Beginning July 1 the maximum weekly benefit rate for Unemployment Insurance will increase to $586 per beneficiary, an increase of $10 from last year's maximum of $576. For beneficiaries with the maximum five dependents the maximum weekly benefit rate will be $732.

The maximum weekly benefit rate for Temporary Disability Insurance will increase to $867 per beneficiary and $1,170 for beneficiaries with a maximum of five dependents, an increase of $15 from the current weekly maximum benefit rate of $852.

he Labor Market Information (LMI) division of DLT calculates benefit rates for UI and TDI every June, before the start of the new benefit year. UI and TDI maximum weekly benefit amounts are calculated using the average weekly wage in covered employment for the previous calendar year. The maximum weekly benefit rate for UI is set at 57.5 percent of the average weekly wage for covered employment, rounded down to the next lower dollar amount.

The maximum weekly benefit for TDI is set at 85 percent of the average weekly wage, as follows: UI provides temporary income support to workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and who have sufficient wages to meet the monetary requirements. It is funded entirely from state and federal UI taxes paid by RI employers. TDI protects workers against wage loss due to a non-work related illness or injury, and through Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI), which provides up to four weeks to bond with a new child or to care for a seriously ill family member. Workers pay for TDI through a payroll tax.