Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 110 Part 5.djvu/90

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110 STAT. 3164 PUBLIC LAW 104-251—OCT. 9, 1996 paragraph, and extended unemployment benefits or extended sickness benefits (depending on the type of normal benefit rights exhausted) may be paid for not more than 65 days of unemployment or 65 days of sickness within such extended benefit period. "(B) BEGINNING DATE.— An employee's extended benefit period shall begin on the employee's first day of unemploy- ment or first day of sickness, as the case may be, following the day on which the employee exhausts the employee's then current rights to normal benefits for days of unemploy- ment or days of sickness and shall continue for 7 consecutive 14-day periods, each of which shall constitute a registration period, but no such extended benefit period shall extend beyond the beginning of the first registration period in a benefit year in which the employee is again qualified for benefits in accordance with section 3 on the basis of compensation earned after the first of such consecutive 14-day periods has begun. "(C) TERMINATION WHEN EMPLOYEE REACHES AGE OF 65.— Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph, an extended benefit period for sickness benefits shall terminate on the day next preceding the date on which the employee attains age 65, except that it may continue for the purpose of paying benefits for days of unemployment. "(3) ACCELERATED BENEFITS.— "(A) GENERAL RULE.—With respect to an employee who has 10 or more years of service as defined in section 1(f) of the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974, who did not voluntarily retire, and (in a case involving unemployment benefits) did not voluntarily leave work without good cause, who has 14 or more consecutive days of unemployment, or 14 or more consecutive days of sickness, and who is not a qualified employee with respect to the general benefit year current when such unemployment or sickness commences but is or becomes a qualified employee for the next succeeding general benefit year, such succeeding general benefit year shall, in that employee's case, begin on the first day of the month in which such unemployment or sickness commences. "(B) EXCEPTION.—In the case of a succeeding benefit year beginning in accordance with subparagraph (A) by reason of sickaess, such sentence shall not operate to permit the payment of benefits in the period provided for in such sentence for any day of sickness beginning with the date on which the employee attains age 65, and continuing through the day preceding the first day of the next succeeding general benefit year.