Unemployment benefits are economic help for all of those who lost their job during these unprecedented times.
It is not a secret to anyone the enormous economic impact that the pandemic left behind. Even though the crisis is not over yet, we can’t avoid taking a look at the past year to see all the problems faced by our country (and the entire world).
Losing a job is a hard process that can make anyone feel bad and wonder about their future.
Our government understands this, but more importantly, the unemployment benefits extension depends on the requirements of each state.
Usually, unemployment claim weeks are 26, which is the normal time that states allow to claim unemployment benefits when losing their job position. However, there are people collecting their benefits for a full year straight. So, how do they do it? If you are asking yourself “can I get an extension on my unemployment benefits?“, then you must know that the answer is yes, you can.
In these hard times, it is normal to lose your job for a second time, so do not despair and keep yourself educated on how to proceed in this situation.
How to apply for unemployment benefits?
First of all, it’s fundamental to understand how we can get the benefits when being unemployed. Workers who are not normally eligible for these benefits can also apply during the COVID-19 pandemic. The requirements to apply depend on the state where you worked, so filing the form can be done online, in person, or by telephone.
The first step is to contact your state’s unemployment insurance program as soon as you become unemployed.
Then, file your claim with all the information needed to proceed. It’s crucial to file the form with the correct information in order to get approval as soon as possible. For instance, you will need to give your address, personal info, and dates of your former employment.
Now, when do unemployment benefits get deposited? The answer to this question depends on the state you are living in.
Note that none of the states have a time set for the deposits. Instead, they express their payment bi-weekly or weekly. This happens according to how fast the department is able to process all the benefits required,
It is necessary to reapply for unemployment?
Keep in mind that there’s a great economic crisis at this moment. This is the main factor that leads most unemployment benefactors to get an extension to their funds. Reaching a full year of being unemployed it’s not usual in normal situations, but this is not a normal situation and our government knows it.
However, there might be a scenario where labor departments make an automatic review to know if a person should be receiving the unemployment benefit after one year.
The American Rescue Plan is the main reason why unemployment benefits have been extended through September 2021. Nonetheless, this extension still allows states to make a review process when a person reaches the one-year mark without having a job.
For instance, if you live in California, then you must know that your state told jobless workers to reapply for aid.
The problem is that processing all the new applications will take time, a lot of it.
This could result in people not getting money while the process of the new application is taking place, which puts them in obvious danger. This doesn’t happen in all states, some of them are automatically updating the benefits for jobless people without filing a new form.
So, the requirement of re-applying for your benefits depends entirely on your state.
Even though the overall jobless rate has decreased at the start of the third trimester of 2021, unemployment will continue to be a problem for many Americans. All of these measures are made entirely to protect jobless workers from economic instability.
Luckily, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Our country’s economy will periodically improve while the pandemic is being contained more and more every single day.