Somebody around here was buying into that green shoots crap last week on the continuing claims crap. Here's a wake up call. -ng-
freep.com
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No cash for some jobless
34% of out-of-work Michiganders can't collect assistance
BY KATHERINE YUNG • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • JUNE 20, 2009
Despite billions of federal dollars being poured into Michigan's unemployment benefits program, the safety net for jobless workers doesn't stretch far or wide enough for a growing number of residents as the state jobless rate hits its highest mark in a quarter-century.
More than 232,000 jobless Michiganders -- 34% of the unemployed -- were not eligible for benefits due to the program's rules, many of which were established decades ago.
Another major problem: A growing number of unemployed residents are running out of the benefits, even though payments have been extended several times.
The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency estimates that between May and December, more than 99,000 Michiganders will have exhausted their 79-week benefits. They face a job market that's expected to get only worse as more auto plants close.
These problems are coming to a head as Michigan's unemployment rate soars. In May, it climbed to 14.1%, the highest since July 1983.
"What are we going to do about that as a society, as a government?" asked Rick McHugh, an attorney for the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group for low-wage and jobless workers.
If Michigan changes a few of its rules, federal money is available to help one group of unemployed workers to obtain the benefits. But so far business groups are resisting the move.
Jobless workers urge benefit changes
Thanks to recent government efforts, unemployment benefits in Michigan now last about 1 1/2 years. The problem: about a third of the state's jobless people are not eligible for this assistance.
The benefits -- a government safety net created during the Great Depression -- have become increasingly important as thousands of Michigan workers lose their jobs each week.
But long-standing rules that govern the program exclude a variety of workers, including many part-time employees, self-employed people and certain commission-based professionals |
