A multi-tired path that ultimately provides unemployed individuals with up to 99 weeks of benefits will begin to end in December for some 40 percent of unemployed Ohioans and for all the jobless by next April. That is unless the Democratic-controlled Congress votes to add another three to six months of coverage.
The pathway provides the traditional 26 weeks of state-funded benefits to those who have lost their jobs. Thanks to federal programs, the unemployed can qualify for an additional 53 weeks and then, if still jobless, another 20 weeks. The combined state and federal benefits add up to 99 weeks of checks to people out of work. If Congress fails to act the federal side will end leaving jobless Ohioans with only the 26-weeks of coverage.
The problem is that the federal programs are ending by December meaning new applicants who have exhausted their 26 weeks of state benefits will not receive any further unemployment assistance. According to Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services spokesman Benjamin Johnson the cutoff of benefits will proceed this way:
“Claimants who exhaust the regular 20 weeks of unemployment compensation after November 20 will not be eligible for the federal extended unemployment compensation program. Claimants who exhaust their current tier of federal benefits after November 27 will not be eligible for the next tier. “ Johnson added that the State Extended Benefits program – the final 20 weeks of compensation – will end on December 4, 2010.
While Congressional Democrats want to add more coverage for the unemployed, the chances of it getting done during the current lame duck session of Congress are small. In January, with the GOP in charge of the House, additional coverage will come with strings attached. Incoming House Speaker John Boehner has signaled that he is willing to consider extending federal unemployment benefits, but he may seek cuts elsewhere to pay for them. The numbers are stark for Ohioans:
If Congress does not extend the federal unemployment compensation program, The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services estimates that 108,000 people will exhaust their unemployment compensation in December. In January another 66,500 people will lose benefits followed by 44,700 in February, 31,800 in March and finally 42,600 in April. As the program draws to a close, most of these claimants will exhaust well before they receive 99 weeks of benefits.
Johnson did point out that other government safety-net programs are available to people who have used up their unemployment assistance.
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