Don’t let Congress take away your benefits!

Are you unemployed? If you are one of the one million workers who have been recently laid off, your unemployment benefits could end in January unless the government acts quickly. According to state officials and legislators, unless Congress renews existing federally paid extensions, your benefits could end at the start of the new year.

Time is running out for the nine million people who are currently receiving unemployment benefits. If you or someone you know is out of a job, be sure to pass this important information along!

The emergency benefits package was signed into law on November 6th, which was praised as an important piece of legislation for the thousands of Americans who have spent the past year unsuccessfully looking for work. The law provided up to 14 weeks of federally paid assistance to unemployed individuals who had already used up their state benefits, many of which can last up to 79 weeks in some states. And for those states who are struggling with particularly high unemployment rates, the law added six additional weeks of payment, bringing the full total to 99 weeks of paid benefits.

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Unfortunately for the millions of struggling American families, there are bits of fine print on the law that need to be clearly read. The benefits are slated to end on December 31st unless Congress renews the program. For example, if you have lost your job after July 2009, you wouldn’t be able to receive any federal extensions after your customary six months of state aid runs out.

While Congress has started discussing its next move, they are still not considering a specific proposal. Officials warn that any possibility of an extension could end if they don’t act by Christmas break. Since Congress is currently occupied with the health care overhaul, it is looking more and more likely that millions of unemployed workers could be left out in the cold.

According to Representative Jim McDermott, “there are six people looking for every available job, and these payments are enabling people to pay their mortgages and put food on the table”. Representative McDermott and many of his colleagues believe that the extension is heavily supported in Congress, but whether or not legislators will actually act is still up in the air. Renewing all federally paid extended benefits for 2010 would cost the government roughly $80 billion.

For those people who have had long-term difficulty finding a job, a gap in several weeks of federal aid can be catastrophic, especially for those with families. The longer Congress deliberates, the more Americans will be forced to encounter eviction notices, foreclosure, and debt.

Prior to the recession, most unemployed workers received 26 weeks of benefits that averaged roughly $300 each week, courtesy of funds from state insurance. Although many people find jobs before reaching the government’s limit, unemployment has reached an all-time high of over 10%. Under temporary measures, unemployed workers are currently eligible to receive extensions that are paid for by the federal government, which are awarded in stages lasting no more than 14 weeks at a time.

In the event that Congress doesn’t approve the law, recipients of federal aid will continue to receive benefits until their time period expires. However, they will not receive the additional six weeks of pay that Congress promised them. According to the National Employment Law Project, 474,111 unemployed workers are set to exhaust their benefits in January, and will not receive any further extensions unless Congress makes a decision within the next few weeks.

In addition to renewing federally-sponsored benefits, Congress also needs to decided whether they will extend aid for the unemployed workers who benefit from Cobra health insurance payments, a tax break on unemployment benefits, and a $25 a week increase in benefits.