Tuesday, September 22, 2009

House to extend unemployment benefits


Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. House will vote today on legislation extending jobless benefits for 13 weeks in states hardest hit by the recession amid the worst surge in long-term unemployment in more than half a century.

The measure would continue aid to about 300,000 Americans projected to exhaust their benefits by the end of this month. The aid, to people in 27 states with unemployment rates of at least 8.5 percent, when combined with prior extensions would mean they could receive benefits for as much as 92 weeks...

McDermott’s office said the bill would help those living in 27 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The states are: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
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If your state unemployment rate is at least 8.5%, then you get benefits. That is every state above except Pennslyvania. PA gets benefits because their insured unemployment rate is greater than 6%.

This means that the unemployment rate will increase, as those who have fallen off of the roles because of losing benefits, will be able to get another 13 weeks, and then be "counted" again.

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