A New Blog "Unemployed Workers 4 Change"

Hi Everyone!

I am sorry i have not been posting recently, I was trying to find a job and hopefully not be unemployed any longer, but that is not the case and even if it was, i am still so angry about what is happening with the unemployment situation that i just cant sit quietly anymore. Please carry over to the new blog any conversations and questions you have, join in discussions, share articles, lets get it up and going as fast as we can and as always please share the link with anyone else who is concerned about these issues. We do still want to keep the trolls out if possible so the same rules apply to the new one as the old one. We are here to help and support one another and anyone who disrespects others with be booted.

Thank you and look forward to hearing from you,

Alley

http://unemployedworkers4change.blogspot.com/

SEE EVERYONE IN FEBURARY WHEN CONGRESS IS TRYING TO EXTEND THE APPLICATION DATE FOR THE 4TH TIER (6 WEEKS)

Carl is obviously a pessimist :) Anyone heard if they are actually working on that and HR 3404, AND if they plan any more extensions for those people on this last one.

NJ Specific question - for those who got the NJ Letter dated 11/9

I got the initial letter on Monday, November 9, regarding the EUC extension, saying the day to certify is 11/25, etc.

In this letter it said "in the coming days you will receive a monetary determination letter that will explain your potential additional EUC benefits. You will also receive a separate certification notice with instructions on how to continue claiming EUC benefits"

I have yet to receive these additional letters - just wanted to check in to see if others have.

Facebook Badges

Carl started something that is pretty cool If you want to put your facebook badge on the blog feel free. If you are not able to do that then please let me now and I will help you do it. We are always looking at the best possible ways to get information out to everyone with as few steps as possible. So any ideas or thoughts you may have and want to share please feel free to post here.

Jobless Benefits Set to Expire Unless Congress Acts

Here is an article from today's New York Times. There will be additional articles to follow regarding the issues will the extension and the effects joblessness on the long term unemployed.

Below there are a few outtakes from the article, Please click on the title link to read the entire article.

"The record-long extension of emergency benefits that was hastily signed into law on Nov. 6 was widely praised as an essential lifeline for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who had spent a year or more in fruitless searches for jobs."

"But many legislators, state aid officials and struggling workers apparently failed to read the fine print. The added federal benefits, built on a series of previous extensions, are slated to end on Dec. 31; it was assumed that Congress would vote to prolong those programs. While discussions have started, Congress is not yet considering a specific proposal. And unless it acts before the Christmas break, officials warn, the extensions will end, leaving large numbers of workers with no coverage. If Congress, now caught up with the health care overhaul, delays action until next year, millions would still face painful gaps in aid."

Frist Payment Received

Good Morning everyone!

To I collected from my account my first payment of the emergency extension! Yesterday I saw that the 14 week balance was transferred to my unemployment account.

I know there are states that are reporting that they still have not received the instructions from the USDOL and therefore they are not yet updating their computers, Tennessee is one of those states, at least as of Thursday last week. But there are a lot of states that have already started to make payments.

Please let us know what you know from your state office.

NELP Update on New Bill Issues

Dear friends,

As many of you know, last week an additional UI extension of 14-20 weeks was passed by Congress after much delay and signed into law by President Obama on Friday, November 6^th. These additional extensions were contained in H.R. 3548 (The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009).

The bill guarantees an additional 14 weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation to all states, regardless of their unemployment rates. These additional extensions will be available to workers who have already run out of their federal benefits available to them (both Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits, where available). Additionally, workers who exhaust their federal benefits between now and the end of the year will also be eligible for these additional extensions. Individuals receiving federal extended benefits at the end of the year will be "grandfathered in" and permitted to finish the Tier of benefits they were collecting before January 2010.

The bill provides an extra 6 weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation to workers in states with unemployment rates over 8.5%. There is some confusion about the delivery of these benefits to workers in February 2010 after they exhaust the new 14 week extension. It is true that the payment of these benefits depends on further renewal of all extensions provided for under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by Congress for 2010, but this action is widely anticipated before workers will face the end of the new 14 week extension. Likewise, this same Congressional action is needed for workers who will exhaust either their regular state benefits or current extensions after the end of 2009.

You can find more information about how this extension affects your benefits, as well as what is available in your state, by checking out our press release and fact sheet. The fact sheet explains that benefits will be payable for weeks of unemployment starting this week, but states are likely to take several weeks to set up the programming needed to start the flow of benefits.