Unemployed husband on 12-31-2010

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Maine

On 12-31-2010 my husband will no longer have a job due to downsizing and cut backs. He is a union member. He was the last one hired in his position. They are talking about giving him $20k and not having any rights to be called back if a postion was to open up. If he take the $20k can he still collect unemployment benifits? If so can he start filing as soon as he's done or does he have to wait a certain amount of time before he can file?

Your husband will need to file for benefits the first week he is out of a job, in other words does no work for which he is paid. For example, 12/31/10 is a Friday. He has worked all that week. So he can begin filing any time after Sunday, 01/02/11. His job will probably provide him with a separation letter and the information he will need to sign up.

The severance may or may not affect him, may postpone his drawing for a few weeks, but in any case, he will need to sign up as soon as he is out of work so that the claim can be set up and the state workers in Maine will know and be able to tell him exactly how the severance will affect his drawing.

Under no circumstances should he wait any period of time without signing up, as in Maine, and all states, your claim does not begin when you are laid off, it begins when you have actually filed your claim. in other words, you cannot have your waiting week before you sign up.

You should not wait and use up your severance before you sign up (or at least you do not need to.) Unemployment insurance is not based on a person's income, so you do not have to be low income or have no income coming in before you sign up. Do it immediately. A very cursory check of your state's website will tell you how much a week your husband is going to likely be receiving, and he will probably have about six months of regular benefits and then MAYBE the federal extensions will still be in effect. But they'll tell him all about it when he files. And usually they can't give individual pre-estimates, just answer very general questions. But the state max is probably what he'll be getting.