BellaOnline Forums Career Unemployment Waiting for Congress to Extend Unemployment Benefits

Interesting Angela and thanks for responding again. Here we get separate benefits for housing. There is housing benefit if you rent, and the government will pay mortgage interest for a certain length of time, although the rate they will pay it at has recently gone down. Also if people have savings over a certain amount some of their benefits/eligibility for benefit will be reduced (sort of sliding scale where the more savings you have the less benefit you can have).

So does everybody get the same amount of benefit in the US or does it depend on your circumstances? (eg if you are single or part of a couple, if you have children or if you are ill/disabled etc).

Hi Asha:

I need to move to your location (lol).

No, everyone does not get the same amount or for the same length of time. Everything is determined by "credits" which were accumulated while you worked.

And you do not qualify for this benefit if you have not worked a certain amount of time before being laid off.

You do not get this benefit if you quit or get fired.

Having children, being disabled has nothing to do with this benefit - it all about YOU and the JOB you lost.

Hi Asha, and thanks Angela- I'll just elaborate on you have already posted.
You have to apply for unemployment immediately after losing your job, and your claim goes through an approval process. Approval depends on if your unemployment is of no fault of your own. Your savings do not affect your benefits, and they are cash and paid directly to you to use how you see fit.
It could take up to two weeks before you receive your first payment, however you do claim and are paid for those weeks. So, your first payment will be your largest- a lum sum to cover the weeks you were not receiving payment.
Once you exhaust your regular state benefits (after about 26 weeks), you move into the federal emergency compensation, or tiers(which are provided during economic crisis periods when unemployment is unusually high). The federal compensation should take effect automatically (unless they are being stalled by Congress or some other reason). Both state and federal funded benefits have a point of expiration.

There are other sources of aid that can be applied for such as food stamps, medicaid, and TANF(welfare cash assistance). Each state has programs in place to help those with no/ low- income. Then there are numerous organizations and co-ops that provide assistance, and all of these can be found through the 211 helpline.

Hope this helps.

Candice:

I don't pay much attention to the unemployment benefits since I no longer get them.

But did I hear right that they gave folks another year's extension????

I hope so.

If I don't talk with you before the holidays - Happy Holidays & all the BEST for 2011

Happy holidays to you too! Yes they finally came to an agreement which is good news for many.