And yet another correction in unemployment related items
August 12, 2009
Evidently, according to reader K of Frugal Zeitgeist, only those unemployment claims filed before June 15th are eligible for the massively extended benefits.
Since K is in NYC, I figured I’d better check out the CA site to make sure I know what’s what. According to the informational PDF, Miss M is right that the claims balance is the amount I can claim before running out of money:
The maximum amount of a regular UI claim is either 26 times the claimant’s weekly benefi t amount or one-half of the claimant’s base period wages, whichever is less.
Both the Federal government and California have their own extended benefits programs that will kick in:
only when unemployment is very high. This program pays additional benefits to those who qualify and have collected all of the benefits on their regular claims and
who are not eligible for any other UI claims. The EDD will notify individuals by mail and/or through the media when they become potentially eligible for these benefits.Under Fed-ED, claimants who have exhausted their regular UI claim may be eligible to collect up to 13 additional weeks of compensation if a Fed-ED period is in effect. Once activated, the Fed-ED period must continue in effect for at least 13 weeks. When the program is deactivated, it must remain inactive for at least 13 weeks.
And then for California:
California has its own state-financed extended benefits program. The benefits paid under this program are from the state UI fund. The trigger mechanism for the Cal-ED program is similar to Fed-ED. Under either Cal-ED or Fed-ED, an individual receives up to one-half of the regular UI base claim. Therefore, any claimant who has
received the full amount of extended benefits on a Fed-ED claim cannot qualify for a Cal-ED claim based on the same base claim.
Obviously I don’t PLAN to remain unemployed for so long that I need to use the extended benefits programs, but it’s best to be informed.
Mr M is now on his first extension of benefits, he gets very little but it definitely helps. The longest I was unemployed was 3 months, I got a new job well before the economy recovered from that recession (2001/2002). I’m sure you’ll find something before that first 26 week period is over š
Miss M: Not that there aren’t a few perks to being on semi-perma-vacation, but I sure hope you’re right. š