Two Month Unemployment Benefits Extension; Unemployment Benefits Extended To February 2010

Red, White and Blue Press ^ | December 18, 2009 | Issac Lewis

[2ndDivisionVet]

Congress passed a two-month unemployment extension bill for those who were facing the possibility of losing their unemployment insurance benefits. The unemployment benefits extension program is set to go into February 2010, but there has been a great deal of confusion as to what the unemployment extension means and who qualifies. Originally, a six-month extension was wanted, however, the bill passed a two-month extension, which does the following:

To begin, the extension will allow the continuation of Emergency Unemployment Continuation Program, which provides unemployment benefits in relation to a specific state’s unemployment rate. Secondly, the unemployment benefits extension continues the Extended Benefits Program, which added 13 to 20 weeks of unemployment benefits to unemployment benefits for certain states. Also, Federal Additional Compensation will continue and under this program unemployment benefits were increased by $25 per week.

These three areas of unemployment benefits are what will continue under the two-month unemployment extension by Congress. As far as who specifically qualifies for these extensions will be determined by what stage or tier of the unemployment benefits process you are in, and as per the many questions and comments on rwbpress.com concerning similar articles on unemployment, consulting your local unemployment agency the best way to know if you qualify.

Any additional sources or info can be posted in the comments section to help others with this complex unemployment benefits extension or if you need some reading material consult the links below from the House of Representatives and Senate. The first link regarding unemployment benefits extension is the source for the main body of this article the others are from the bills in the Senate and House.

House: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/dod_summary.pdf House: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/hr3548.pdf Senate: http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG%202009/102809ui.pdf

[Frantzie]

I fortunately am not out of work but the job market is horrible. In past recessions I would say get back to work to people but there are no jobs. This is what Hussein wants.

The masses of fools keep watching their ball games and reality TV while liberal cable and sat TV control the clueless serfs. I cancelled Tv and had to watch a ball game at thanksgiving a a relatives. The NFL punk’ed Rush, does fawning ads for Obama and has Olberman on NBC.

[Daisyjane69]

Save this link, my FRiend. For when people are about to argue with you about things in PA.

http://www.hrpmsi.com/DynamicContent/Speak1007.htm

Three states require their employees to contribute to their unemployment premiums, along with their employers:

Alaska
New Jersey

and

PENNSYLVANIA !

[Red in Blue PA]

Many thanks!

[I_Like_Spam]

These endless extensions really don’t serve the best interests of the long term unemployed.

I was here in the early 80’s, and knew some of the men who were let go when many of the steel mills closed. They had these extensions then- although not as long as we had a bit more sanity in the WH then.

If someone is out of work for a long time, they just need to get back to work and move if needed. Sitting on their can and collecting checks for such a long time just makes the inevitable a lot harder.

[SamiGirl]

It is devastating to lose a job. I was in the tech. sector and never imagined that my place — the premier research facility in the world — would collapse. So, I feel your pain. The job market is absolutely dismal. There are too few jobs and too many unemployed, qualified people. It’s just horrible. Hang in there and try and stay as positive as possible. I know, easier said than done.

I wish you the best.

[Red in Blue PA]

Thanks for the kind words. I find that having a busy schedule makes one **almost** forget being unemployed. We have a lot of tress on our property and these have not been cut for many years. I spend alot of time doing this, along with sealing the driveway, painting, and many other things which have not gotten doen because I was too busy working......well, now I have the time! And I have saved myself literally thousands in tree service fees.

I could not imagine being unemployed in an apartment. I guess I could, but then, you would need to find some other way to keep busy.

What was once an annoyance (a large property with a lor of upkeep) is now my salvation.

[death2tyrants]

The FAC is supplemental to the regular unemployment benefits. From what I understand, both have been extended.

[ronnie raygun]

They create the condition so you have no choice but to be a dependent.

[aimhigh]

I have been paying into for all these years,

Unemmployment is an insurance program where the premiums are paid by the employer, not the employee.

[John-Irish]

And how about tying up a polka-dot handkerchief and carrying it on a pole?

[Red in Blue PA]

Not for me.....please see Post 22.

[icwhatudo]

It ain’t fun AND my company and I paid into it for many years, so please spare me.

No one is saying you should not get what you paid into. Basic unemployment benefits last 26 weeks and is paid by a trust fund created through company payroll taxes.

Extended benefits and COBRA subsidy for health insurance are being funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

[mountainbunny]

I won’t argue with you. As I said, I worked there 15 years, and unless everything has changed, it’s paid for out of employer taxes and employees don’t pay into it.

Practically speaking, if you work, you pay it. You may pay it or your employer may pay it, but it is paid to both state and federal governments based on the individual's earnings.

So you pay it whether it comes directly out of your salary or not, since it's part of the calculation the employer makes when he decides to hire you. Same with health insurance, FICA, etc. When he offers you the job at $30.00 an hour, he's actually paying much more than that once you figure in the taxes and benefits he offers.

Here's the State Unemployment Tax Rates for 2008 (^) from the Tax Policy Center. That is money the employer could give directly to the employee or grow his business if he wasn't obligated to send it to the government.

Without getting too much into how I feel about mandatory unemployment tax in general (I'm against them), I do feel slightly better knowing that at least the people getting benefits have paid into the system because they've been employees.

[School of Rational Thought]

And thus my salary just a bit lower.

Sorry, but nothing is free.

[Bobalu]

Everything an employer has to shell out because you work for him is your pay. Much of it is just pulled out of your paycheck before you get it, this is to fool the morons so they won’t get mad as hell and revolt at the ballot box.

social security
unemployment
workmans comp insurance
etc..etc

Every cent of it is yours!
Dems hid 1/2 the social sec payment by the myth that your employer pays it...bs, you pay it all...same with the unemployment plan costs, you pay that as well.

[WVKayaker]

... I hate to tell you, the extension isn’t an extension of what you have been bringing in, it’s $25 a week.

From the article: Also, Federal Additional Compensation will continue and under this program unemployment benefits were increased by $25 per week. ...

$25 is ADDED to whatever the state benefits were as determined. If someone was receiving $200 a week, they will now receive $225. The number of WEEKS AT THE INCREASED AMOUNT is extended...

[autumnraine]

Ok, I hope this is true. It hasn’t been for anyone in Georgia so far.

[Apple Blossom]

Ping for Jamie.

[thulldud]

I worked helping veterans at a state unemployment office for about 15 years: Unemployment Insurance (UI) is paid for by employer taxes. The employee doesn't pay into it.

The employee must generate the value to the employer to make that payment worthwhile, or he's out on the street. So, yes, the employee DOES pay into it. The payment is simply concealed.

[William Tell 2]

Please don’t tell me social programs aren’t necessary. They are. It’s just a question of how much, to whom and why.

I love to hear people complain about somebody collecting unemployment, then defend multimillion dollar bonuses for guys who ran a company into the ground!!! All of which is being paid by our taxes.

Hell, at least the person collecting unemployment paid into it. These guys on Wall St are getting rewarded for failure.

Don’t let me get started about how people don’t like the cost of going to a doctor, meanwhile I live around the corner from a guy who made $15 million last year because he could hit a baseball out of the ballpark. He’s scheduled to make $20 million next year.

I just tell people next time they’re sick go knock on his door.

Why is this guy making so much? Because of television commercials that people watch during the game. It’s one reason I stopped watching professional sports on television.

Then there are those in this forum who are always complaining about government abuse of whatever. Yet, when I urge them to contact their representatives and the White House about one of the most blatant scandals regarding voting rights, the abuse of power and the Justice Dept ever, they post pictures of a cat sticking its tongue out.