Posted on 02/26/2010 8:20:39 PM PST by Justaham
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Depending on extended unemployment benefits to see you through the Great Recession?
You'd better not: The Senate failed to push back the Feb. 28 deadline to apply for this safety net.
Starting Monday, the jobless will no longer be able to apply for federal unemployment benefits or the COBRA health insurance subsidy.
Federal unemployment benefits kick in after the basic state-funded 26 weeks of coverage expire. During the downturn, Congress has approved up to an additional 73 weeks, which it funds.
These federal benefit weeks are divided into tiers, and the jobless must apply each time they move into a new tier.
Because the Senate did not act, the jobless will now stop getting checks once they run out of their state benefits or current tier of federal benefits.
That could be devastating to the unemployed who were counting on that income. In total, more than one million people could stop getting checks next month, with nearly 5 million running out of benefits by June, according to the National Unemployment Law Project.
Lawmakers repeatedly tried to approve a 30-day extension this week, but each time, Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., prevented the $10 billion measure from passing, saying it needs to be paid for first.
"Right now, the 1.2 million workers who will lose benefits in March are being held hostage by partisan attempts to delay and block this critical legislation," said Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
ping
Almost two years...Dang, I sure am a dummy for actually working for my money.
(Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand needing the money and being unemployed, but if Congress would STOP trying to spend us out of this hole maybe we wouldn’t have to extend unemployment benefits into the sunset.)
the riots/lawlessness are close at hand. if the ebt cards cease to be refilled, we will have outright anarchy!
It has to end sometime, lets get it over with! And yes I am one that has benefited from these extensions. But I would rather have my job back.
Why, the nerve.
"Right now, the 1.2 million workers who will lose benefits in March are being held hostage by partisan attempts to delay and block this critical legislation," said Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project.
If wanting benefits to be paid for by real money and not magical fairy dust, and not wanting to turn unemployment benefits into a permanent, never-ending entitlement is "partisan," then I'm a member of that party.
Bunning has a good point. He wants to extend benefits but wants to use the unspent Stimulus funds to do it. He’s making a good point that we can’t keep up deficit spending. The money has already been allocated so lets reallocate it.
Don’t imagine that unemployed people really want to sit around and collect unemployment. Unemployment compensation is usually so miserable it will hardly pay for food, much less a roof over one’s head. You have to understand that in most circumstances it’s possible to get a job, even during a downturn, but this time people absolutely cannot find jobs no matter how humble—scrubbing toilets, whatever. I have been looking hard for work for a long time. Got one interview after thousands of applications, and never an offer. And I’m typical. So please don’t be too quick to judge. We are not lazy, but nearly 20% of the US workforce is unemployed or working just part-time. The competition is fierce especially since so many illegals are still here.
me too! (it's been over a year) but, without extended unemployment checks and food stamp cards, you have to admit, we would already be in the midst of another civil war.
I don't fault Bunning’s intentions but I do fault him for who he's punishing.
im a realtor where are my unemployment benefits??????
It has been and is a flawed system which doesn’t recognize certain types of “independent contractors” as being eligible.
That’s something which should have been fixed years ago.
You have to pay into the system to eligible, hence the name unemployment insurance. Now the extensions are a different mater seeing as you and your children are going to have to help pay for them in the end. Worse yet, are the COBRA subsidies which you will also help pay for. Sorry, this is what passes for basic fairness today. I don’t even what to bring up loan modifications or cash for clunkers.
How much money do the unemployed get? I have never known anyone who has gotten an unemployment check?
I don’t subscribe to the “things are getting better” mantra. If anything, the lack of jobs is getting worse. I don’t blame those who are unemployed for their situations. I do blame the government (and particularly this administration) for creating their situations. Clarifying, if government would just get out of the way, this economy would fix itself, as it always has before.
I don’t want to see those who are already suffering because of this administration to suffer even more. With some areas of the Country approaching unemployment at 30%, I do favor extending unemployment benefits. The alternative would be far worse.
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