PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- As a result of the March 1 automatic federal budget cuts known as the "sequester," Rhode Islanders receiving unemployment benefits paid by the federal government can expect to see a reduction in their weekly payments starting in mid-April, according to state Department of Labor and Training spokeswoman Laura Hart.
Hart said the earliest benefits could be reduced is March 31. She said the state would give beneficiaries at least 15 days notice before any benefit reduction.
Based on earlier projections, the department had said the benefit cuts could come as soon as March 10.
The benefit reduction is anticipated to be more than 10 percent, a weekly cut of about $37.
Hart said more than 8,000 Rhode Islanders on federally-funded "emergency unemployment compensation" face the reduction.