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Congress is still in recess and will not reconvene a lame-duck session until next week. In the meantime, there has been no news on their plans to extend the EUC Tiers or the 100% federal funding of EB when they return.
However, New Jersey only requires that the state meet the three-month average unemployment rates that trigger EB; it does not require 100% federal funding to continue to provide EB. So even if the current legislation is not extended, you may be eligible for EB (up to 20 more weeks of benefits) when you exhaust your regular benefits. As noted in an earlier post here...
Appreciate your fast response diorgirl. I hope the government does something, like I said there is NO WAY people can sit here and say we have weathered the storm or are on a major road to recovery. I look for jobs all the time and they just arent there and IF they are, owners know they have you by the balls and offer outlandishly LOW HOURLY RATES on spite because they can get away with it !! I hope things sort out but right now in NJ its still a MESS !
You cant tell me that by Nov 21st this state will be "fine" if you cut off extensions to those currently on unemployment... total BS is what this is !
Appreciate your fast response diorgirl. I hope the government does something, like I said there is NO WAY people can sit here and say we have weathered the storm or are on a major road to recovery. I look for jobs all the time and they just arent there and IF they are, owners know they have you by the balls and offer outlandishly LOW HOURLY RATES on spite because they can get away with it !! I hope things sort out but right now in NJ its still a MESS !
You cant tell me that by Nov 21st this state will be "fine" if you cut off extensions to those currently on unemployment... total BS is what this is !
You may well feel that way, but at least in New Jersey you will still be able to claim up to 20 additional weeks of unemployment benefits through EB. That is not the case in the majority of states in this country, which will discontinue EB when the federal government no longer funds those benefits 100%.
BTW, I'm not telling you anything is fine. I am simply informing you of the unemployment benefits that may or not be available to you in New Jersey when you exhaust your regular benefits. If you want to vent, you should do so to your federal legislators -- Senators and Congresspeople -- who actually have the ability to vote for or against extensions of federal unemployment benefits.
You may well feel that way, but at least in New Jersey you will still be able to claim up to 20 additional weeks of unemployment benefits through EB. That is not the case in the majority of states in this country, which will discontinue EB when the federal government no longer funds those benefits 100%.
BTW, I'm not telling you anything is fine. I am simply informing you of the unemployment benefits that may or not be available to you in New Jersey when you exhaust your regular benefits. If you want to vent, you should do so to your federal legislators -- Senators and Congresspeople -- who actually have the ability to vote for or against extensions of federal unemployment benefits.
Thanks as always for your info, thank you. Im just frustrated that guys like myself who are NEWLY losing thier job because the economy is STILL IN THE TANK AND WILL BE FOR YEARS, get unemployment and after 26 weeks I now will be (hopefully) put on EB but NOT be able to collect any of the TIERS because I will miss the deadline by 3 weeks.. I hate to be the barer of bad news but we are YEARS away from recovery, and whoever thought this Nov 21st 2010 deadline was long enough needs to take a peak at REALITY and do something ASAP !!! Your going to be putting people FURTHER in the HOLE , homes lost, cars gone, and not to mention the unwanted stress and heartache its putting on families.
Do the right thing Senators/Congress .. realize we need assistance still and that not everyone lives in a 5million dollar house up on the hill ...
In complete agreement, not to beat a dead horse or anything...but it is what it is. Meanwhile of being on UnemploymentBenefits, I've been searching for a job and have come across a few things I'll admit that were willing to hire me. At about 1/2 what I was making not working at all. It is ridiculous the power position employers are in and especially those that are hiring those that aren't heavily schooled and or trained in the particular area of the job they seek.
I know it can't last forever (I live in NJ) and am grateful for as long as I have been receiving benefits but, they come to an end for me in 2weeks unfortunately and the best thing I've found thus far will have me working roughly 70hours a week to match what I've been making!
The best part was the letter I just received in the mail. A couple of kind words that made me feel oh so much better about the position I'll soon be in (sarcasm) and a pat on the back followed by a boot out the door!
I continue to sing the same tune... every job is 1/2 at best from what I was making, I mean are u kidding me??? Let me go out and kill myself now because employers knowwwwwww they have us by the balls... its insulting these crooks can do this.
Its more insulting like I said, someone like me who just got on unemployment is going to get screwed because the government fails to understand this economy and job market is YEARS AWAY FROM FIXED !!!!
They need to make a choice...they either run these unemployment benefits into the ground untill their blue in the face and practically go broke themselves, or deal with hitting the reset button. because like you said, the problem has no where near come to an end and with ending benefits and not extending them, the vicious cycle is only going to start right back up.
My initial claim was filed 11/18/08. I received benefits for a year, at which point I was informed that I would have to open a new claim. My rate went up and I received that rate about 8 months. I started to really worry about what was going to happen as far as extensions so I called, and was informed that I would be returned to my initial claim, and that my second claim had been paid beyond it's normal time, but that I should not worry about it. I asked if the second claim counted towards the 99 weeks and I was told no. Today marks 2 years unemployed, and I have now exhausted my tier III benefits, however, the online form tells me, as did the woman I talked to, that I would eligible for tier IV. The problem here is that even as of now, I am past 99 weeks of TIME, and I have no idea how many weeks of benefits. I am still wondering; is the 99 weeks of unemployment measured in actual weeks passed on the calendar from the initial claim date, or is it weeks PAID? Also, if I opened a second, separate claim, does the law say 99 weeks paid per CLAIM, or just consecutive PAID weeks. I fear that it is the latter, and I am soon to be S.O.L.
My initial claim was filed 11/18/08. I received benefits for a year, at which point I was informed that I would have to open a new claim. My rate went up and I received that rate about 8 months. I started to really worry about what was going to happen as far as extensions so I called, and was informed that I would be returned to my initial claim, and that my second claim had been paid beyond it's normal time, but that I should not worry about it. I asked if the second claim counted towards the 99 weeks and I was told no. Today marks 2 years unemployed, and I have now exhausted my tier III benefits, however, the online form tells me, as did the woman I talked to, that I would eligible for tier IV. The problem here is that even as of now, I am past 99 weeks of TIME, and I have no idea how many weeks of benefits. I am still wondering; is the 99 weeks of unemployment measured in actual weeks passed on the calendar from the initial claim date, or is it weeks PAID? Also, if I opened a second, separate claim, does the law say 99 weeks paid per CLAIM, or just consecutive PAID weeks. I fear that it is the latter, and I am soon to be S.O.L.
It is possible to collect more than 99 weeks unemployment if more than one claim has been established. Except, since you have opened a second claim, it is unlikely you will be able to collect 20 weeks EB on either claim, as your rights to EB under your first claim are usually forfeited when a second claim is open. This is the case in CA and WI. Not sure about NJ.
Potentially, depending on your earnings history, if one has two claims, one could collect PER CLAIM as follows:
for a total of 79 weeks per claim x 2 = 158 weeks. In WI and CA, EB is NOT paid on either the first or second claims when one has opened a new claim - for obvious reasons, as the original 99 weeks has now become, potentially, 158 weeks as shown above.
All that said, the order in which you collect is:
1st claim - 26 weeks state benefits
1st claim - Tiers - until you establish 2nd claim
2nd claim - 26 weeks state benefits
1st claim - Tiers remaining from 1st claim
2nd claim - Tiers from 2nd claim if eligible
You need to find out from NJ if your second claim qualified you for the full 53 weeks of Tier benefits, or something less. For now, since they overpaid your 2nd claim, it sounds like you have used up at least 4 of the possible 20 weeks of Tier 1 from your 2nd claim.
Now, NJ in the past has paid tier benefits even when EUC has expired. That doesn't mean they will do so again. Also, your ability to collect the tiers on your second claim will be dependent on whether or not EUC is extended.
So, yes, to answer your question, it is possible when Tier 4 from your first claim is exhausted, there would no further benefits available to you until Congress extends the benefits program.
However, you are fortunate you are in NJ. If there is a way to either continue paying the tiers or find a way to pay you EB, they will do so.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 11-18-2010 at 02:28 PM..
Thank you Ariadne. I have been going nuts trying to find some sort of guide lines to help me figure all this stuff out. I cannot even figure out why they automatically opened a second claim up for me. It says pretty clearly on their website that a second claim cannot be opened without there being some intervening work other than that of the first claim. It seemed to me that they were doing some kind of accounting thing so that perhaps they spent more fed dollars than state dollars, I don't know. If you are correct in your information, then I will be receiving my full tier IV which is helpful to know. As far as EB, the woman I talked to seemed to think that I would, however, I will hopefully be employed before that! As far as another extension; I seriously doubt that the new congress is going to even bother, and as of this morning, the lame duck congress wasn't even able to get the bill out of the house and that was with a majority of democrats!
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Can't Figure This Out
