99er Tier 5 Unemployment Extension Bill

The Department of Labor estimates 1.4 million 99ers have exhausted their regular and Tier unemployment benefits.  Beginning Monday, August 9, 2010 Congress will take yet another break, this one will be 6-weeks in length.  Please tell me who can wait 6 weeks to pay rent, or shall I say what landlord will wait 6-weeks to collect rent?  I have NEVER in my life witnessed anything like this.

I think Congress fail to realize bills are continuously flowing in.  Rent, Mortgage and utilities need to be paid; we need to maintain a cell phone to have contact with potential employers and the outside world, since most of us CANNOT afford to have home phones.  For the solitary parent’s we still have to find a way to feed our children nutritious meals; provide them with clothes, shoes and school supplies.

Congress has the nerve to complain about the money being spent on extended benefits and its effect on the deficit, however, I don’t see any of them volunteering to take a pay cut combined with UNPAID vacations.  I have NOT personally verified this information as of yet, but I was online reading comments relating to unemployment and one of the subscribers stated, “companies like SONY and Emerson will not consider the unemployed and there’s an article that quotes an Adecco Mgr as saying “some of our clients have told Adecco not to refer an unemployed candidate”.

Are you kidding me?  I was stunned when I read the statement.  All I can say is, NO LOYALTY, NO SUPPORT!  Do your research people and beware of the company you’re purchasing products from, if they’ve implemented a “Do Not Hire The Unemployed Campaign”…We The American People Need To Implement A “DO NOT Buy From Those Who DO NOT Support The Unemployed Campaign”.

It looks as if it will be towards the end of October, early November before a decision regarding Tier 5 is made.  As I stated in my previous post, brace yourselves, utilize your creative talents to earn money during this recession.  I will RE-POST the information, it’s extremely helpful.  When and IF a Tier 5 extension is passed, the power is there to CUT IT OFF at any given moment.  Question to ask yourself, if approved, how long will Tier 5 last – 6 weeks?  8 weeks? 10 weeks?  I can’t stress this enough, use your God given talents, you’re on your own now!  *I just had an idea, keep record of the jobs you apply for, position, co name – etc.  We, all 1.4+ million of us need to send those letter to Congress, CNN, Fox News and other stations demanding them to investigate why these companies are NOT hiring the unemployed, they need to be exposed.  I just received a turn-down letter in the mail this past Friday, from a position I applied for about “3” months ago.  It’s beyond rough out there, but through it all, PLEASE do your best to maintain a POSITIVE attitude, look in the mirror everyday and tell yourself “I WILL MAKE IT”.  I am asking people to NOT give up, things will get better.  Continue to apply for job opportunities.  PERSISTENCE pays off, in today’s economy we just need a double dose of it.

Pleas read “How To Use Your Creative Talents To Earn Money During A Recession”.

Hang in there!

~Solitary Parent

Have You Heard The Latest?

Have You Heard Shaarron Angle’s Comments On The Unemployed??

It’s truly amazing to me to hear comments from people like Sharron Angle. She would literally go crazy, if she were to lose her 6-Figure job, FREE MEDICARE, savings, home, car and was reduced to living on unemployment. I went to an interview and was told that I was “over-qualified” for the position. This unemployment situation is about to get worse and even more intense. Benefits SHOULD be extended, there are no jobs. Another MAJOR aspect they’re not paying attention too, if you can’t pay bills, your credit is getting damaged in the process…most corporate employers conduct background & credit checks, if your credit is not in order, most likely you will NOT be extended a job offer. I suggest congress pay close attention to REAL issues that are affecting REAL PEOPLE! There should be a Tier 5 & 6…HELP!! HIRE!! RE-BUILD!!

~Solitary Parent

New Developments on Federal Unemployment Extensions

I HOPE THIS POSTING HELPS!!!  For those of you that will have your benefits re-instated, PLEASE keep in mind, the benefits will end on or before November 30, 2010…save your money, downsize, do whatever you need to do to position yourself, because I doubt if there will be a 5th tier or another extension, I could very well be wrong, but prepare yourselves just in case – be pro-active and think ahead.  I cannot stress this enough, reach out to your local churches and agencies, enroll in school – the monies left over will be sent to you in a check or deposited directly into your account, take any and all free job training opportunities availalbe through the Employment Development Department (EDD).  All I can say is…POSITION YOURSELF.  You DO NOT want to find yourself in this same situation come November.  POSITION YOURSELF.

The website for the EDD office here in California is www.edd.ca.gov Please read the updates below:

New Developments on Federal Unemployment Extensions
(Updated July 21, 2010)The U.S. Senate has approved legislation authorizing further access to federal unemployment extension benefits. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for concurrence and to President Obama for signature. A reauthorization of federal extension benefits could become effective by the end of this week. The move would allow more than 400,000 people in California who have experienced a disruption in extension benefits since early June to regain access to such benefits.

The new federal legislation provides for eligibility retroactive to June 2, 2010 and extends access to the maximum amount of extension benefits through November 30, 2010. It does not provide any additional benefits to the current maximum of up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. Unemployed individuals may be eligible for assistance to meet basic needs as well as other services such as health care, counseling, employment and training assistance. Read the Assistance for Unemployed California Residents flyer for more information.

EDD stands ready to respond quickly to the reauthorization of extension benefits. About 145,000 of our customers affected are those who were collecting on the last extension claims called the FED-ED extension in California.

EDD has been advising these customers to continue submitting completed continued claim forms in the event Congress took further action on the extensions. For those who have done so, EDD should be able to start issuing checks to eligible claimants by next week.
For those who have not submitted claim forms, EDD will be issuing such forms next week so eligible claimants can certify for further FED-ED benefits.
The department has been maintaining a list of the remaining 255,000 of our affected customers. These are customers who ran out of either a regular UI claim or one of the four tiers of federal extension claims over the last several weeks. Some of these claimants have already received claim forms in the event Congress took further action. EDD will automatically file the next level of extension claim for the remainder of these customers. There is no need to contact the department. Staff will be working throughout the weekend so claim forms can be sent to these individuals next week.

Customers will receive claim forms in rapid succession over the next few weeks to complete quickly and send back to EDD. The department will issue checks for eligible weeks of unemployment until we are caught up on all retroactive weeks of benefits on these claims.
The Congressional action being taken now will not have an effect on the more than 150,000 individuals in California who have already run out of the maximum amount of extension benefits available, up to 99 weeks total. At this time, no further weeks of benefits are being added to the maximum benefits available.

In addition, the new bill does not continue the subsidy for COBRA health coverage. It also does not allow for the $25 federal stimulus payment added to each week of unemployment benefits on any new claim filed after May 23, 2010. For any existing claims already receiving the extra $25 payments, those payments can continue until the customer runs out of benefits or until December, whichever comes first.

EDD is closely monitoring developments regarding the federal extension of unemployment benefits. We strongly encourage our customers to monitor this Web site for updates, or sign up for our Twitter messages that advise you when new information is posted.

The Unemployment Extension Debate ~ Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Once again, Congress will debate on the latest unemployment extension this coming Tuesday, July 20th, 2010. People are hurt, angry, devastated, disappointed, unable to feed their children, pay their bills or purchase much needed medication. This situation reminds me of a verse I heard in Kanye West’s song Flashing Lights, “like Katrina with no FEMA”…

If you’ve somehow managed to click on this link, you’re not here by mistake. I would like to take this opportunity to ENCOURAGE you to hold on, because something’s gotta give. While you’re waiting on Congress to make a decision, apply for Social Services in your area, contact churches and pantries as well as local agencies for utility bill assistance, rental assistance and help with school supplies if you have children. Temporarily give up having cable and a home phone, borrow money if possible from friends and family to keep your cell phone active. If you have Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile, consider switching over to MetroPCS, Cricket Wireless or whatever’s in your area until you’re back on your feet financially.
Looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen on Tuesday!

~SolitaryParent

Federal Unemployment Extensions…My Personal Story

We need a Tier 5 and a Tier 6 Federal Unemployment Extension. I’m a single parent, I have been unemployed for the past 18 months. I HAVE NOT received child support payments from my ex-husband in over a year, he’s currently unemployed and now disabled. Prior to this economic downfall, I NEVER had a problem getting a job. I have applied for many jobs, I NEVER receive a reply, and the few job interviews I have went on, I was basically told that I was “over-qualified” for the position. I don’t know what exactly it is that Congress is thinking, but I use the money to pay rent, buy food and pay other household bills. Prior to being laid off, I was earning over $4,200 per month, now that I’m on unemployment I receive about $1,800 per month, do the math…My children need new shoes, new clothes and school supplies. I can’t even afford to go to the laundry mat to wash our clothes. I live in California, I got my unemployment check, nearly 1 month ago….I still had a balance available on my claim, I paid bills and was looking forward to the next check…that’s my life now, living paycheck to paycheck. I went to the mailbox expecting a check, only to get a letter from unemployment stating no more checks would not be sent out. What! Are you kidding me? Why would the letter be sent weeks AFTER the check???

It is now July 12th, I have NOT paid my July rent, I have not paid my garbage bill, my utilities are due, I have very little food in my refrigerator, how am I supposed to feed my 3 kids??? I have ALWAYS been self-sufficient, this is not working for me. I want one of those members from Congress to spend the week with my children and I, to get a first hand look at how things really are. The benefits should be extended without interruption at least until March or April 2011. Jobs have been lost forever, where are new jobs going to come from? If there are 3,000,000 unemployed workers…then Congress need to figure out a way to create 3,000,000 jobs vs. taking a two-week vacation. The damage is extensive. A huge number of our jobs are out of the country. If this country can have benefit concerts and raise millions, sometimes billions for other countries, why can’t it be done right here in this country? All of the celebrities should get together and host a benefit concert “Groceries For America”…we need to help each other before helping someone else. I pray to GOD that extensions are beyond the end of the year, other than that, unemployed families will find themselves in a terrible position during the holidays. It’s going to take longer than 6 months for most of us to dig ourselves out of this financial nightmare we’re now living. I am praying for all of us AMERICA, black, white, asian, hispanic, latino…please join me…get a group together and let’s pray beginning the moment you read this post. Let’s pray in agreement for approved unemployment extensions and retroactive pay, job creation, job restoration, job stability, housing stability, above poverty level salaries, zero debt, no more living paycheck to paycheck, medical coverage, excellent health and generational wealth. We need this economy and our personal situations to take a U-Turn and head in the right direction, we have families to support and people to help. When you begin to see that positive increase in your life, PLEASE help someone else that may not be as fortunate as you are. Give back to your community! Pay a bill and/or buy a bag of groceries for a hungry family. I am praying and believing things will get better. I want to be able to help others someday, believe it or not, there’s always someone out there whose situation is worse than yours!

Please feel free to share your feelings, I know some, such as myself are for the extensions are some are against the extensions.

Wishing you all the very best!