Commentator, Feedback, Please

[Hot Topic]

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

I received a letter just before Christmas notifying me that I had collected all of the unemployment benefits currently available to me.

It mentions that Congress hadn't acted (at the time) to extend the filing deadlines for Federal extension benefits or added any additional extention benefits. Therefore, unemployed workers who had collected all benefits available didn't have any more payable weeks to claim.

I was then encouraged to monitor EDD's website for Congressional developments and further extension related updates.

At the end of the letter, EDD made it clear they were issueing the letter only for informational purposes and that there was no need to contact them regarding the notice.

As we know, extensions were okayed to at least the end of January. Is this something that will effect people like me or are we finally out of the loop? It's a waste of time to call because EDD automatically disconnects people after informing them that there are a lot of people waiting to speak to a representative.

 

[Willlyjo]

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

I received a letter just before Christmas notifying me that I had collected all of the unemployment benefits currently available to me.

It mentions that Congress hadn't acted (at the time) to extend the filing deadlines for Federal extension benefits or added any additional extention benefits. Therefore, unemployed workers who had collected all benefits available didn't have any more payable weeks to claim.

I was then encouraged to monitor EDD's website for Congressional developments and further extension related updates.

At the end of the letter, EDD made it clear they were issueing the letter only for informational purposes and that there was no need to contact them regarding the notice.

As we know, extensions were okayed to at least the end of January. Is this something that will effect people like me or are we finally out of the loop? It's a waste of time to call because EDD automatically disconnects people after informing them that there are a lot of people waiting to speak to a representative.

EDD is saying that you don't have to worry about applying for any extensions! If you are eligible, they will make sure you get them.

If you received all your UI benefits and have not started with any extensions, then the fact extension filings were okayed to at least the end of Jan. shows that if you were/are eligible for such extenstion, you WILL recieve it. Once such extension is exhausted, you will go on to the next available extenstion providing the Gov't extends the filing period further.

Once an extension starts due to your eligibility, you will continue getting paid until the benefit has been exhausted--even if such payments run beyond a Gov't mandated filing deadline.

BTW, you can email EDD and they will respond to any issues you have, within 2 days at the most!

 

[commentator]

Well, wj is pretty much right here. It means that you don't need to do anything. If the exensions are extended, (which they are, I understand, till the end of January) and your regular 26 weeks of state benefits have ended at any time between now and the end of January, you will be signed up on the first extension, probably 13 additional weeks of benefits. From there on out it will be in a tier to tier progression, they won't stop you until you have the whole 13 weeks in Tier One, even if the extensions are eliminated. If you make it to be ready to receive Tier Two before they end,you'll get that whole section, Have you had any extensions before, or were you on your regular U.I. up till now?
It goes forward, but you should get more info soon, they don't require that you sign up on the next round of extensions, if you are eligible, you will be set up for them automatically. If it doesn't work this way, you're convinced there's something wrong, as has been suggested, emailing them may get you some personalized information. Hope so!

 

[Beth3]

And in the meantime, be sure to keep filing a weekly UC claim!

 

[commentator]

Exactly. Gee, I must be slipping, I thought sure I was the one who always said that!

 

[Hot Topic]

And in the meantime, be sure to keep filing a weekly UC claim!

I can't without the forms. That's why I suspect that they told me one thing, then turned around and told me something else in the same letter.

I have had extensions which I was notified of by mail.

 

[commentator]

So how many extensions have you had? What does it say, exactly, in the letter? Which Tier are you on (if that is the term they use?) It is possible, if you've had two extensions, that you've hit the end. Twenty six weeks of regular, then two 13 week sets, that's a year.....just speculating, will check it out further, specifically to CA.

 

[Hot Topic]

Re EDD: ...According to our records, you have now collected all of the unemployment benefits currently available to you.

...We encourage you to monitor the Employment Development Department's(EDD) Web site...for Congressional developments and any further extension related updates.

I was then encouraged to sign up for EDD's Twitter messages which would send me an alert when new information was posted or to visit EDD's Facebook page.

They give links to family support lines.

I know, I know. I don't run EDD. If I did, I'd just tell people that their benefits had been exhausted, here are some links that might be helpful if they can't pay the rent, etc., and good luck. They know (or should know) by looking at the computer if I don't have a fruitcake's chance of winning a gourmet food contest because time is up, yadda, yadda.

 

[commentator]

Some states don't even do that. You just stop getting checks. We used to be swamped by people calling and asking "Hey, why am I getting no more checks?" and we would try to look them each up individually. Usually, that last check was an odd amount, also. So "Why did I suddenly get a check for $17 and now I'm not getting any more? Are there any extensions right now?" We answered that at least a hundred times a day on a nice slow day. Now that the recession is here, with almost 10 times the workload in some states, I can't imagine what the call load would be like.

I'm glad they at least do not make you figure out yourself if it's worth your time to file for another extension, automatically sign people up for them if they have the eligibility. That's pretty nice for the claimant, actually. But in the meantime, I hope they put in something more, if you haven't gotten in the full 99 weeks that some did, I hope you are able to get that. This is an unusual time in this country, and it appears to me that we are not by any means ready to do away with the extensions and say, "Problem over!"

 

[Hot Topic]

In California, some people believe that the state is going to have to pull the plug eventually because California has a HUGE debt to the Federal government because of unemployment benefits.

The bad thing is that a lot of people are comparing collecting unemployment to collecting welfare.

I'm still trying to figure out why there are people who believe that somehow unemployment is no longer a problem in this country.

 

[commentator]

Probably won't pull the plug. But in my state they're posturing about cutting the number of weeks a person can draw and lowering the weekly benefit amount (which is already $275 week, one of the low ones.) I can see them doing this in CA instead of pulling the plug totally. The posturing politicians say, "People need to remember that it's assistance, it's not a lifestyle. " As if one could have any kind of luxurious lifestyle on $275 a week in temporary income.

Have you heard the one where they're saying "We need to stop all the millionaires from getting unemployment insurance" ? This is at the federal level.

And the big push to include drug testing of unemployment insurance recipients? After all, people who apply for jobs have to be drug tested, don't they? (And my wife's family operates a medical testing agency!)

All this is a subtle push to change the programs, to put a means testing facet to it, to make it something that only "poor people" have to sign up for, a humiliating, degrading, generally unacceptable program that people will not want to sign up for if they are adverse to getting "charity." Makes me want to holler! As you have learned, bitterly, when it is needed, unemployment can be a real lifesaver. It is not something there should be shame or degradation involved with.

Watch for it, they'll be trying to do the same thing to Social Security next.

And it has been proved, again and again, that no job creation program in the world does more for the economy than giving the recently unemployed (through no fault of their own) a tiny temporary stipend to put back into the economy immediately in terms of buying gas and groceries till they find another job.

Oh well, off my soapbox. Good luck to you Topix, I hope the good things come soon now, time for some good change.