File Unemployment

If you lose a job in Florida, chances are you will take a long time to find another. Florida has the maximum rate of long-term unemployment in the nation. According to a latest census data, more than 53 percent of jobless Floridians are without work for six months or longer-worse than any other nation.

As per the researchers, Nevada and New Jersey also had at least 50 percent of their jobless people without work for six months or longer. Many of long-term unemployed in Florida and other states were in the hardest hit sectors of manufacturing, construction and government. Adam Looney, director at The Brookings Institution believes that lack of worker mobility, owing to the housing crisis also has led to prolonged unemployment in Florida.

The time period a person is unemployed depends on certain factors including their background, work history and the kind of job they are searching for. Typically, unemployment is lower in the spring and summer months for the reason that many hospitality jobs reopen for the tourist season.

In the previous year, unemployment in Florida dipped to 9.9 percent, as nearly 130,000 jobs were created. In between October 2008 and April 2009, an average of 700,000 American workers became jobless each month which contributed to the worst decline in the employment. Research says that that people who became unemployed during the recession—particularly those who had been employed for longer time often make considerably less even when they do find work, impacting the quality of life for them and their families.

Involuntary job loss can be a disturbing experience in ordinary times but latest research illustrates that outcomes of unemployment are worse for workers and their families at the time of recessions. All through economic downturns, those who bear job loss tend to be out of work for longer duration, resulting in higher earning losses. As a result of the Great Recession, unemployment’s average duration is at its highest level since record-keeping commenced in 1948.

The Hamilton Project inspected the employment and earning summaries of full-time workers who were out of work for economic reasons between October 2008 and April 2009, and followed their employment and earnings in the two-years after their job loss.

Before suffering job losses, these people made roughly $3,640 per month, or $43,700 annually on average. Being unemployed for two years, the average earnings of these workers was reduced to $1,910 per month and nearly $23,000 annually which is 48 percent lower than their average pre-job earnings.

According to Looney, the length of job hunt has not got shorter. Whether you are out of work for a month, six months or a year, it’s harder to find a job before the recession. As per a study, the nation’s dreary job growth is contributing to long-term unemployment.

Being without a job for longer duration is possibly the singular tragedy of the Great Recession and nowhere is it more sharp than in Florida. Wait for the exit polls to scream economic angst, and as the race to Nevada, you can expect lots of promises for the old and jobless.

Are you out of work due to illness, non-industrial injury or pregnancy related condition? If so, you may be entitled to receive disability insurance benefits.

Disability insurance offers fractional wage replacement to eligible workers who are not capable to work because of a disability. There is a number of disability insurance and other types of disability benefit programs that will assist you pay the bills, get back to work, or both.

Definition of Disability

Disability is defined as any physical or mental illness or injury which stops you from performing your customary or regular work. Short term disability unemployment insurance can cover you for a few months to a few years while long term disability covers you if something lays you low for some years or everlastingly, although policies normally stop paying you money once you reach retirement age.

It’s a better idea to be familiar with these disability programs before you need them, so you may take benefit right away. For example, disability benefits might begin on the date you file your claim, not on the date your disability started. Besides, there might be a waiting period before disability benefits begin, from the date you file your claim.

Eligibility for Disability Insurance

Disability insurance benefits can be paid only after you meet all of the following requirements:

• You should be incapable to do your regular work for at least eight consecutive days.
• You must be employed or keenly looking for work at the time you become disabled.
• You must have lost wages because of your disability or, if jobless, have been enthusiastically looking for work.
• You must have earned at least $300 from which SDI deductions were withheld during a previous period.
• You must be under the treatment and care of a licensed doctor or recognized religious practitioner during the first eight days of your disability. You must remain under care and treatment to carry on receiving benefits.
• You must complete and mail a claim form within 49 days of the date you became disabled or you may lose benefits.

How to File a Disability Claim?

No one desires to think about filing a disability claim, but sometimes there is need for them. Expectantly, it is only for a temporary disability and not a permanent one. You will be thankful for disability insurance if it does happen, because you will in any case have some money coming in while you can’t work.

1. Obtain a disability form. This can be acquired from the Department of Labor in your state. You can print the form from their website.
2. Fill out your part of the form. Some of the detail you will need to provide should be collaborated with your doctor, as he has the records. You may need to submit the dates you were hospitalized and/or all treatment you have received from the doctor of record as well as any experts you have seen for your medical condition.
3. Have your doctor fill in his part of the form. This will be the diagnosis part of the form and should be filled in by a practicing physician. He must give a specific diagnosis or the claim may be left without.
4. Acquire other supporting documentation to go with the form. In case you were hospitalized or if you were treated by a specialist you must include this detail since it will be helpful in supporting your unemployment claim for disability.
5. Have your employer fill out their portion of the form. The employer must do this so that the disability department knows how much to pay you. Do not wait for your salary; it will only be a portion of it. Disability has a cap on the sum they pay.
6. Send the filled in disability form to the Department of Labor Temporary Disability Department (TDI). You will then need to wait. If there is a difficulty with the form they will send it back to you with precise guidelines on what is still required. Hopefully it won’t be too long before you collect a check.

How much is Paid?

The main term in a disability policy comprise the payment to be made in the event of disability. Unlike other policies give a lump amount upon a qualifying event; most disability policies pay a recurring sum on a usual basis, normally monthly. The amount to be paid, and for how long, are variables in a disability policy. For instance, you may decide a policy that pays $3000 per year for up to 5 years. In any case, you cannot buy disability insurance for a sum more than your present salary. There are riders obtainable that add to the payout amount every year to stay even with when inflation and wage increases.

Collecting Disability Insurance

Anticipating you have a legal in-force policy when you become disabled, you can file a claim with the insurance firm. The insurance form will evaluate the claim to ensure that it obey the rules of all the terms of the policy and to avoid fraud. After a claim is approved, the insurance company will pay every month until you return to work, or the payments are completed depending on either duration of time or other terms in the policy.

The two most common programs that fall under the umbrella of disability are Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Medicare and Medicaid are also components of these programs.

Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (SSDI)

Unlike retirement benefits, you may obtain Social Security Disability Insurance benefits at any age, if you have paid Social Security Taxes. But you ought to have a serious physical or mental injury that your doctors and the Social Security Administration’s doctors agree will stop you from performing considerable work for a year or more. Social Security Disability Insurance does not cover partial or short-term disabilities, but the state disability insurance does.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

SSI is paid to individuals with little or no income and very few assets, who may or may not have ever worked. These benefits are funded by general federal taxes most of us pay (Abbott).

Medicare

Medicare is federally-funded health insurance for people aged above 65; it is benefit of Social Security. It is also obtainable to people who have been on SSDI for 2 years. Instant eligibility is available for some unusual situations, but normally not for mental health disabilities. For those entitled for Medicare, a monthly premium will be withdrawn from your monthly SSDI check.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a health insurance accessible for those on SSI. It is supervised by your state and mutually funded by the federal and state governments.

Cobra Health Insurance

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) insurance may be an alternative for health care coverage if you have been laid off.

COBRA contains provisions giving definite former employees, spouses, retirees and dependent children the right to temporary continuation of health coverage at group rates.

While the term “group rate” makes it sound like you will be receiving a discount that will make the insurance premiums reasonable, they are normally much pricier than people expect. When you were working, you likely paid a small fraction of your actual health insurance premium. You may have paid 10% while your employer paid 90%. Under Cobra, you have to shell out 100% of the premium. Sometimes you even have to pay an extra 2% administrative charge. The total premium can be difficult to pay.

What Happens When COBRA Ends?

COBRA coverage is limited, generally to 18 months for terminating employees, and 36 months for dependents losing eligibility. But what can a person do when COBRA ends?

For someone who is totally disabled, federal law offers an extension that will continue COBRA until the start of Medicare. For those who are completely disabled, but have a medical condition that would put them off from buying individual health insurance, there is another federal law, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) that permits such persons to procure coverage.

If you leave work due to disability

In 1989 COBRA was revised to allow people, who had to discontinue work due to disability, to lengthen the time they can keep COBRA Continuation. Under this law, someone who meets the requirements may stay on their employer’s COBRA Continuation until they become suitable for Medicare, which is usually 29 months after they leave work due to disability.

Can you receive UC Benefits and Disability Benefits?

After being laid-off due to a disability, many people apply for and collect state unemployment benefits. Unemployment compensation benefits offer short-term income to unemployed workers. In order to obtain weekly unemployment compensation benefits, you must confirm with your state Department of Labor that you are vigorously looking for and is available for work. Every state has different necessities to acquire unemployment compensation benefits.

Receiving jobless compensation benefits can affect your social security disability claim. But, you cannot be deprived of social security disability benefits only because you received unemployment compensation benefits.

Social Security Administration (SSA) allows SSDI benefits to individuals who not only can work, but are working. For instance, to make possible a disabled person’s reentry into the workforce, the SSA authorizes a 9-month trial-work period during which SSDI recipients may collect full benefits. Progress in a totally disabled person’s physical condition, while allowing that person to work, will not immediately lead the SSA to end SSDI benefits.

SSA looks at the totality of the conditions in evaluating whether or not you are disabled including but not limited to your medical conditions, treating past work history, source records, and earnings.

Bottom line is receiving unemployment compensation benefits will not automatically debar you from obtaining receiving social security disability benefits BUT it can be used against you. Some Administrative Law Judges (ALIs) consider that if you are collecting unemployment compensation, then you believe that you can work, and this clashes with a claim for disability. The ALI may inquire you about the particulars of why your job ended due to a mental or physical condition(s).

If you have given up your part time job for any of the reasons, then your Unemployment Insurance benefit might stop. The one factor that all states have in common is that, in order to receive benefits you will have to be continuously looking for work, and able to accept work if you find a one that is suitable. However, you may also be eligible for unemployment payments, depending on the circumstances.

Favorable situations to claim the benefit after temporary job loss

Monetary Eligibility

Any person who is separated from his/ her job is eligible to file a claim for unemployment in New York. Every claimant applying for the benefit is expected to be clarified that they are no longer employed due to circumstances that is beyond their control.

Consideration of Separation on Good Cause

If any of the workers quits or leaves a job without a good cause, then they will not be considered as eligible to receive the benefits. So, what is good cause then? Good cause includes factors such as not having their childcare, facing harassment in the workplace that violates state or federal laws and commuting distance from house to office that is more than 50 miles. Remember whatever the reasons you would have provided to quit the job, you will be asked to provide verification of facts.

Other reasons that may not be considered under Temporary Job Unemployment Benefit

Workers who are under Bond or Contract

Generally the workers who are under the contract bond will not be qualified for the unemployment insurance unless the contract has been completed or made inactive by the employer with no fault to the contract.

Ineligibility of bond will be caused when the employee breaks the contract without good cause.

Part Time Workers / View Information

Termination of a temporary worker that is beyond the employee’s control might be considered as a reason of not being eligible for the claim. Every state has its own employment laws. It is expected to comply with federal laws and regulations as well. Every worker is needed to view information regarding contract of work, employment and also the unemployment insurance by visiting the New York Department of Labor website.

Steps to Obtain the Unemployment Benefit over Temporary Job

Basically there are two options available to apply for the claim:
Web Service: Through this, you can opt for the online service. Web assistance provides a safe process in filing your unemployment insurance claim. You can claim, view or print your weekly payment, check your payment status, change the payment method and withhold tax options.

Phone Service: You can also claim for the benefit via phone service.  You can call and contact the telephone claim center with the toll-free number during business hours. Translation service is also available which will help the voice recording assistants to help you to communicate with your preferable languages such as:

• English
• Spanish
• Russian
• Cantonese
• Mandarin
• Creole
• All other languages

To file a claim you can contact: New York Residents on the number: 1-888-209-8124 / for out of State Residents: 1-877-358-5306. Between Monday to Friday business hours 8 am to 5 pm
New York State Department of Labor will evaluate your claim for UI benefits and decide whether you are qualified for the benefits and then will process the claim.

You are also eligible for the extension of the extension of unemployment benefits in NY  by extra 13 weeks. Qualified claimants enjoy extra stimulus money that assist them better for the situation of unemployed for New Yorkers for a longer duration. You elgibility of extended benefit can be checked on NY Department of Labor website

Working on a temporary job course-work is like gaining some respectable payment on their dislocation of the full time job. Dislocated workers will be paid payroll to their bills exertion that can assist in meeting and their living expenses. However the workers who were put out of their jobs will be facilitated to receive unemployment insurance compensation based on the working hours of the temporary jobs.

Working on temporary jobs affect the claimant’s weekly unemployment benefits. Check amount of the unemployment benefit. It will be based on the money that they have earned in their temporary jobs compared to the duration of time they have worked in their part time jobs.

Covered Employment in Texas

The present wage-less dislocated workers should have been worked during four of the last five quarters. States consider this as the base period, where Texas is not exempted.

Generally wage less employees who are exempted under covered employment of Texas are the family members, babysitters, independent contractors and ministers who work for non-profit organizations.

Amount of Weekly Benefits of Texas

The amount of unemployment insurance gross wages of an unemployed worker earned will be determined on the base period subjected to the weekly benefit.

Workers who have earned high wages will generally receive greater weekly benefit checks. However your weekly benefit amount will be calculated on the highest quarter earnings of your base period.

How is your Weekly Benefit Calculated?

High quarters of the total earning will be divided by 25 to get your weekly benefit amount.

This amount will be adjusted to the inside allowed range of benefit amount in Texas. Weekly benefit amount will be ranged between $61 and $426 based on your wages earned in your previous job.

Remember your maximum or total benefit amount will be the least amount of 26 times the weekly amount. In the other words, 27 percent of all your wages in the base period is considered to estimate your possible UI Benefit.

Partial Benefit in Texas

If an employee takes up the temporary job then the amount he earns on the temporary job will be deducted from his weekly unemployment insurance benefits. For instance, if an individual earns about $200 in his part time job and the weekly unemployment is rated as $500 then the weekly unemployment benefit will be just $200.

If in case any part time jobs offers the paychecks more than the amount expected under Texas unemployment benefits then you may not be eligible to receive the unemployment benefit check.

If part time job ends before the claim of unemployment insurance claim expired, then the claimant needs to contact the Texas Unemployment Office. You can reopen the benefit claim and can start receiving unemployment compensation check again.

Continue to Meet Eligibility Requirements on New Assignment or Work

You should also understand that though you receive your unemployment benefit there are some factors that may affect your compensation.

In order to be eligible for continuing the benefits you need to contact your temporary help agency after completion of an assignment either by e-mail, in person or over phone (1-800-939-6631)  by the next working day.

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) cannot pay you benefits, if you apply for benefits before seeking a new assignment and waiting three business days for an assignment. The rules apply whether you are a full-time or part-time worker for the temporary help agency.

An advantageous aspect of working for yourself is you almost never get fired. That’s one of the reasons why many people who have full-time jobs also have a side business on the side.

But unexpectedly, if you have lost your 9-5 job, you might want to think taking a gap from your business in order to maximize your unemployment benefits. The main point is, if you don’t want to deceive yourself or the system, it requires calling the local unemployment compensation office and asking lots of questions.

Some states support out-of-work individuals as they feel that some form of extra income is needed to stay afloat while other localities deduct a portion of money earned from the weekly benefits. It all depends on the nature of work and the law of each state.

If your gross earnings for a week equal or exceed your weekly benefit amount or if you work 32 or more hours in a week, you are ineligible for unemployment benefits for that week.

While if you work less than 32 hours and make less than your weekly benefit amount, you are eligible to receive only a fractional benefit payment. Moreover, your weekly compensation will be reduced dollar by dollar for every 55% of part time earnings in a week. Any money not paid due to a reduction remains in your account balance throughout the end of your benefit year.

The first concern of any unemployment insurance office is that your business doesn’t hamper your ability to find out and accept your next full-time job. The general rule for unemployment eligibility is that you must be able to accept work and must be looking for work.

State Specific Rules for Part-time Pay

Each of the states has different set of rules for mixing side income and UI benefits. With some states as long as you’re available full-time and looking for work, your part time self employment doesn’t affect insurance check. So if you do some consulting work or want to run an online store on weekends, your benefit check won’t suffer.

While selling your own goods is often considered converting your existing assets to cash, some business activities could be seen as earning a salary. So, depending on how your state views it, the activity may not your benefits at all.

The start of your unemployment benefits is also delayed by severance pay. For example, if you collect ten weeks of severance pay, you will be ineligible for receiving UI benefits for the first ten weeks after your last day of work. Moreover, if you want to stop receiving benefit payments, simply stop requesting payment and your account will become inactive. But keep your unemployment debit card and password in a safe place in case you need to reactivate your benefit account.

Pension Payment and Unemployment Compensation

Pension payments from a fund your base period employer contributed will reduce your UI benefits unless:

• You roll the pension into another retirement fund without taking a taxable payment or,
• You have to pay a penalty for early withdrawal.

According to one of the experts, “A person has to make out a mental plan,” “No multi-tasking.” If you analyze how much your part-time employment generates and what it costs can help you out in making some important decisions while you’re looking for your next job. Moreover, it will also give some realistic expectations for how you want to schedule your time and what you want to do next. Don’t use the same block of time for both job hunt and your business but switch back and forth between the two.

Our jobs are much more than just the way we make a living and its usual to feel helpless, hurt or angry after losing it. They give us purpose, meaning and influence how we see ourselves, as well as the way others see us. Beyond the loss of income, unemployment also comes with other major losses and is one of the most stressful things you can experience.

These days every newscast includes discussion of wide-scale joblessness and economic crises at home and abroad. The American worker has been taken on a roller coaster ride over the last few years that have left many in a tailspin when it comes to their health and their jobs. Filing for unemployment is one thing, but dealing with unemployment stress is a different kind of challenge.

Dr. Brian associate professor at Argosy University, Seattle says, “An unusually high unemployment rate for a prolonged period of time means that twice as many people are dealing with being unemployed.” “Losing job can mean losing your individuality and the longer that period of unemployment lasts, the more negative effect it can have on your emotional health. There is no stability for job anymore but you can get through stress of unemployment by controlling the situation and focusing on your goals.

As per a study made on the health effects of being long-term laid-off by Kate Strully, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society scholar at the Harvard School of Public Health, “For those who lost their job through no fault of their own, such as an establishment closure, the odds of reporting fair or poor health increased by 54 percent, and among respondents with no pre-existing health conditions, it increased the odds of a new health condition by 83 percent. Even when workers became re-employed, those workers had an increased risk of new stress-related health conditions.”

Dr. Marianne Greenfield, program chair at Argosy University says that the five stages of the grief process are anger, denial, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Those individuals who relate their identity with their job can progress to the point of self-doubt, negativity and hinders their ability to move forward. Moreover, the long-term joblessness can also lead to instances of insomnia, depression and anxiety.

The experts suggest that the unemployed must build a strong network of emotional support. Usual exercise, rest and proper appetite help keep you on track during your job search. Be careful not to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. In this instance, it can be easy to get isolated from others as depression and isolation go hand in hand. As per Greenfield, “Doing something that helps others has a beneficial effect on how you feel about yourself. The meaning and purpose you find in helping others will enrich and expand your life.”

“There is a difference between and having a reaction and having a breakdown,” says Riedesel. It is advisable to consult a professional, if you can’t control the mental and emotional symptoms as a result of unemployment.

New claims for unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level after two record setting years in 2011. Applicants for unemployment fell in a row, suggesting that the job market recovery was gaining speed.  Overall, average length of time in which the Washington workers collected the benefits has reduced from 42.2 weeks in 2010 to about 36.2 weeks near the end of 2011. Still, unemployment in Washington remains high.

Unemployment applications measure the rate of layoffs. Though the job cuts have fallen sharply, the employers have been slow to start hiring again. The Labor Department says new applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week by 4000 to a seasonally adjusted 364,000. That is the lowest number since April 2008- a pace that usually indicate hiring is strong enough to decrease the unemployment rate.

Applications for unemployment fell for the third week in a row. The Conference Board also reported to the clients that its measure of future economic activity had a big increase last month. It was the second straight gain, signaling that the U.S. economy was picking up speed and the risk of another recession was fading.

Encouraging economic reports sent stocks stating the drop in the number of applicants and the latest sign that the job market is healing. Even the Conference Board notified, the two months of solid gains in the index signal that shows US economy was gaining speed and the danger of another recession was fading. The index of leading economic indicators rose 0.5% in November following a 0.9% gain in November, which is the strongest in eight months.

And in yet another GDP report, the Commerce Department says the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.8% in the July-September quarter which was the fasted growth, up from 1.3% in the April-June quarter. But it was slightly down as compared to last month’s estimate where the economy expanded at a 2% rate over the summer. In other economic news, a survey showed that a gauge of future economic activity increased more than expected in November.

In 2011, an estimated 440,000 people received benefits, which is nearly 12% less than the all-time record of 503,000 in 2010. In 2009, 470,231 individuals collected unemployment benefits. As per the Washington State Employment Security Department this year the benefit payouts will total about $3.2 billion, compared to $4.6 billion in 2010 and $4 billion in 2009.

The declination in the length of time in which the Washington workers collected benefits is due to an improved economy and also because the unemployed workers simply ran out of benefits. As per the Employment Security Commissioner, about 70,000 workers will have exhausted all of their unemployed benefits by the end of December which will be the most ever during a period when extended benefits were in effect.

The steady decline in unemployment claims may also indicate a further decline in the unemployment rate which dropped to 8.6% in November from 9% the month before. The December rate is scheduled to be announced on January, 6. If the claims keep dropping, the unemployment rate might fall as low as 8 percent before the November elections. Economists will be looking forward for January 6 to check out how many jobs were included this month.

Now, the employers are exhausting their benefits and the majority of people are trying to get back into the workforce. With economy getting a little better and business adding more jobs, the job market is becoming fairly healthy.

Much anticipated stimulus was signed into law by President Obama. Here is a quick analysis to understand how will it help unemployed workers. The plan will provide additional funds to state unemployment offices so they can finance unemployment insurance funds. In addition to unemployment benefits, the bill aims provide subsidized health insurance coverage to people who have lost their jobs. FEMP09©

Many workers who lose their health insurance when they lose their jobs will find it cheaper to keep that coverage while they look for work.

Right now, most people working for medium and large employers can continue their coverage for 18 months under the COBRA program when they lose their job. It’s expensive, often over $1,000 a month, because they pay the share of premiums once covered by their employer as well as their own share from the old group plan.

Under the stimulus package, the government will pick up 65 percent of the total cost of that premium for the first nine months.

Lawmakers initially proposed to help workers from small companies, too, who don’t generally qualify for COBRA coverage. But that fell through. The idea was to have Washington pay to extend Medicaid to them.

COBRA applies to group plans at companies employing at least 20 people. The subsidies will be offered to those who lost their jobs from Sept. 1 to the end of this year.

Those who were put out of work after September but didn’t elect to have COBRA coverage at the time will have 60 days to sign up.

The plan offers $87 billion to help states administer Medicaid. That could slow or reverse some of the steps states have taken to cut the program.

Financial Week reports that the actual unemployment rate has reached 13/9 according to Merrill Lynch Analyst. The analysis by North American economist David Rosenberg indicates that the actual unemployment rate, while normally higher than the official one by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hit a level not seen since at least 1994. The good news: Inflation is not much of a threat as a result. FEMP09©

As Mr. Rosenberg explained, what the official unemployment rate misses is the vast degree of ‘underemployment’ as companies cut back on the hours that people who are still employed are working. Those hours have declined 1.2% in the past twelve months.

The BLS still counts people as employed if they are working part-time, but the number who have been forced into that status because of slack economic conditions has ballooned nearly 70% in the past year, according to the study. Mr. Rosenberg said was that was a record growth rate for the 15-year period he has studied.