Another year or fifteen days of unemployment benefits?

The 15 and 30 day extensions that are being spoke of in the press are not positioned to add more weeks of benefits, they are simply an extension of the expiration date of the current extensions. If you have already started/finished tiers 3 or 4, the 15 and 30 day extension bills will do nothing to help you. If you have yet to start tiers 2, 3 or 4*, the 15 and 30 day proposals will allow you additional time to apply for the next tier of benefits. A detailed explanation of the tiers can be found in previous posts here.

There is a lot of buzz about adding an additional year of benefits but so far no legislative language has been released, it is possible they this may mean a new tier of benefits for those completing tiers 3 and 4.


"During a visit to BizTech, a business incubation center in Butler County's seat, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said that senior Senate officials told him on a recent visit to Washington that more was to come - as soon as this week.

That could include an extension of unemployment benefits for another year, followed by the extension of current subsidies for COBRA health insurance payments for another 12 months and current Medicaid assistance by an additional six months, Strickland said."

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100224/BIZ01/2250360/Strickland++More+aid+to+jobless+on+way

*(states with an unemployment rate of at least 8.5% qualify for 6 weeks of benefits in tier 4)

Senate Finance Committee is looking at a 3 month extension

"The Senate Finance Committee is preparing a jobs bill that would combine job-creation tax credits for businesses with only a three-month extension of the expanded federal jobless benefits now slated to end later this month, sources familiar with the proceedings said today."

http://www.congressmatters.com/storyonly/2010/2/3/2085/-Benefits-on-the-Line-for-Millions-of-Unemployed


This could potentially be a true extension, but being that it is just now going to committee, if history is our teacher, do not expect a bill to pass until March which would mean no checks till April at the soonest.