After 26 weeks there are Tiers 1 through 4 followed by EB.
Tier 1= 20
Tier 2= 13
Tier 3= 13
Tier 4= 6
Whatever Tier you are on, you can finish.....but you cannot move to the next tier. So if you are not yet on Tier 1, you cannot move to it and instead will stop at 26 weeks.
99 weeks is too long, in my opinion. Not working for that long makes people get used to being on the dole and less attractive as workers.
It is very strange that some people get 99 weeks of unemployment and others only 26. I have two acquaintances who were 99ers. Both found part time work within a few weeks of the end of their two year vacations. One said “God Bless Obama” when his UI was extended for the third time.
If 26 weeks isn’t enough maybe renew Tier 1, which takes you to 46 weeks, almost a year. If, after 46 weeks you haven’t found a job you need something to get you to take drastic action. Ending UI is that “something” for a lot of people, sad as that is.
After 46 weeks people should be considering moving to an area with a more vibrant economy, going for a different career, taking muliptle part time jobs, changing careers, or other fundamental different tactics than sending resumes out to 10 companies on Monster a week.
OK, so if everyone is on different weeks, how come the media is saying everyone ends together?