Are you one of the millions of Americans who have lost their job during this recession? Despite economists declaring that the recession ended in June 2009, there was still a 9.4% unemployment rate at the end of last year, with many speculating only a small percentage change in the positive in 2011.
Unemployment Insurance Extension
The good news for you is that unemployment benefits have been extended until December 2011. On December 17, 2010 President Obama signed Bill HR 4853 into law [1]. The law extends federal unemployment benefit eligibility for 13 months, and makes this extension retroactive back to the December 1, 2010 cutoff.
What Happens to the “99ers�
The potential total maximum number of weeks one can collect unemployment insurance is 99 weeks (also known as Tier 5). There is a growing group of people called the 99ers [2] who have been unemployed for a total of 99 weeks or more.
Unfortunately, this new law only covers the unemployed who have not exhausted the allotted weeks of unemployment benefits allowed in their state.