More than 100,000 state residents face losing unemployment benefits

[undeterred]

More than 100,000 state residents could lose their unemployment benefits by the end of April unless emergency measures are taken soon, state lawmakers warned Thursday. The state Department of Workforce Development already sent about 8,000 letters on Tuesday notifying people their unemployment benefits will end within several weeks, spokesman John Dipko said. Once the remaining amount is gone, additional benefits will not be available, the letters said.

The department started sending the letters this week and plans to continue mailing them at a rate of about 1,500 each week, continuing indefinitely, to notify those "who are nearing the point of exhausting" their benefits, Dipko said.

To head off the terminations, state legislators are writing to members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee urging Congress to extend unemployment insurance benefits and federal assistance covering health insurance through the end of the year. "Without this extension, 104,000 Wisconsinites will lose their benefits by the end of April, 2010," reads the letter, signed by Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit; Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville; Rep. Chuck Benedict, D-Beloit; and Rep. Kim Hixson, D-Whitewater. "The job market has not rebounded."

Marv Wopat, a Rock County board member and former General Motors employee, said the prospect of thousands of unemployed people in hard-hit places like Janesville losing benefits could devastate laid-off workers trying to rebuild their lives. "It's terrible news," said Wopat, who has three children receiving unemployment benefits. "A lot of people are going to school and trying to get their feet on the ground."

People in Wisconsin can receive a maximum of 93 weeks of unemployment benefits, Dipko said. Wisconsin's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is about 8.7 percent, which is below the national rate but far higher than the state rate of 5.9 percent from a year ago. The state has lost about 163,000 jobs during the past year.

more at: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_a77a4ebc-11fe-11df-a0e1-001cc4c03286.html

[Jimbo S]

1. If I read this right

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/83629597.html

Currently, one is entitled to 26 weeks UE through the state and an additional 73 weeks through various federal extensions. What this means is now people won't get the full 99 weeks, only 93.

I got nervous when I first read this, but the MJS blog clears it up a bit and I can breathe easier.

[undeterred]

2. Unemployment benefits in limbo

MADISON (WKOW) -- Unemployment benefits ran out Sunday for nearly 1.2 million Americans, including an including 27,000 people in Wisconsin.

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, of Middleton, hopes Congress will come up with an emergency extension this week.

"This is just a crime," said Feingold. "It's always been the case that both parties have come together and said look we have to extend unemployment benefits and obviously if there was a time where it's cruel not to extend them, it's this time."

If congress doesn't act by June, nearly 130,000 Wisconsin residents will see their unemployment insurance phased out.

http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12060143

The benefits situation is very confusing. But clearly there aren't enough jobs being created to solve the problem.