As I reported in my story, 56% of the jobless aren't collecting or don't qualify for unemployment benefits. New college grads and people re-entering the workforce make up the largest number of people looking for work, but don't qualify for the program. The self-employed are exempt. Also, there are people who have simply not applied for benefits. Some may not know how to do it, and some may think they don't need it if they find a job quickly. But in this shaky economic environment, that could be a mistake.
People who are hiring tell stories about the flood of applicants. There are six unemployed people for each available job, according to statistics. If you wait to apply, you run the risk that the benefit runs out before you land a job. If you don't need it, great, but better to be safe than sorry. Stories on unemployment insurance are challenging since the programs vary by state. While the self-employed don't qualify for unemployment benefits, seven states have assistance programs to help people who become self-employed by starting a business. Those states are Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania. Religious organizations are exempt from paying into the insurance fund, but most salaried workers are covered under the program.
Comments
I was employed by a small doctors office until I became too ill to continue working. I was told by my doctors to take a medical leave of absence. The doctor I worked for originally said fine but then I heard back from the office manager that this was not possible and I would recieve no benfits or consideration for my illness as there were too few employees for normal government rules to apply. She had me where she wanted me(new office manager and I had the longest employment tenure and the most support from the doctor himself and the patients), I was given a choice : quit or work, no insurance, no help nothing after 8 years of working as hard as I could for the patients I loved.I was lucky that my family could help me, I am surviving but have had to sell both of my retirement funds to stay afloat incurring huge penalty taxes to be penniless again. I got no help from the government, my husband and I did not even qualify for the stimulus refund...not sure why but it seems we are on the bottom of the pile every time around. All I can say is the numbers are wrong on their unemployment calculations by A LOT!!!
Laur,
Business have to kick in more money to the unemployment fund when their workers collect unemployment. there was an article is Usa toady about employers saying they fired their workers "for cause" SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY MORE INTO THE FUND.
As unemployment office obviously has an intrest for siding with the employer, so as to lower the unemployment rate stats, you will not get a fair hearing.. My advice ... SUE..sue the employer for slander, sue the supervisor personally, sue the unemployment officers..You do not need a lawyer.go to the public library, look up your state procedures, find your local court and rules of procedure. Ask for a jury. Most states an incorporated business must hire a lawyer to represent them . At $200. HR YOU CAN MAKE IT VERY UNECONOMICAL for them to continue screwing you. for the filing fee ($0 if you are indigent)you can make them realize how slander and libeling you is not profitable. Call your local newspaper , TV ..perhaps the investigation section. I would not do business with people that treat people the way they did you, and many people would feel the same if they knew about your plight.
Call your congressman, state rep.. visit them in their office , maybe with a few people like yourself in the same situation... let the local TV station know when you plan to visit him..
Your'e not doing anything else productive right now any way. Might as well clear your name and voice your opinion. Good Luck and God Bless
Sugrad,
Some employment experts suggest a jobs program for the long term unemployed. Yours is an interesting suggestion.
Stephanie
By the way I'm still unemployed since i can not get another job because of this previous situation that happened to me. I find this so unfair for anyone that has been through this as i have. I feel that at the time there should of been help for me including legal aid since i had not income , that should not have gone off who ever i stayed with at the time to help me out. Good thing i had no small kids or we really be in a bad situation. The Lawyers out there wanted money up front at the time to help me appeal..with out something they could not help so that's why i could not get the help that way either. I still feel it's a joke out there for unemployment to decide in my case the sad out come of what truly happened to me and no one was out there to help me fight for my right as a person that done nothing wrong.
Thanks again for listening.
Laur
I could not receive unemployment benefits when i was on a job for almost a year since their business was not doing too good at the end and i was told to leave because i only asked a question to one of the family members of this company which at the time he was agitated because he knew his fathers business wasn't doing too good. I left crying then applied for unemployment and then I was told by unemployment i had provoked an argument and with the supervisor of that business. I couldn't believe it. So i appealed again and told what really happened and then again unemployment sided with this business even though i could not prove that it wasn't true only my word of truth and it still did not matter. I believe i was a victim wrongful discharge but that didn't matter to them either. I appealed 3 times and was not approved. How do i feel? At the time how could i afford a attorney? I had no money but yet had a friend that i stayed with thank goodness until i got on my feet which I'm not still, and even legal aid could not help me because they told me that they had to go on my friends income to see if i qualified and then when i told them that this happened to me I'm the one with out any money right now more or less a roof over my head or food on the table.. Legal Aid said that I could not qualify because my friend at the time where i stayed made too much for me to again qualify..so i gave up and lost over 1,000 that should of been at least given to me for all the hard work that I've done for that company not only that i was basically thrown out in the streets just because i only asked a question. Thanks for listening.
If young people right out of high school and college make up a large part of the unemployment rolls and those same people make up a large part of the uninsured 41 or so million, there's a way to put a big dent in both numbers---reinstate the military draft.