General EUC Discussion - Ongoing

I cannot find the application mentioned by the Career Expert where claimants can enter their social security no. and verify if they will qualify on either the AWI or fluidnow website. Has anyone tried to Josh, Amanda or any of the other listed UIB contacts recently?

I already know that I qualify.It does me no good until they Know I qualify,they need to get an application up online so people can apply and then they can issue checks. Unbelivable that it is going to take until December to do that.

Just a word of caution. After you have entered your social security # and see if you qualify, there are 2 choices at the bottom of the page. If you do not qualify to file a new claim do not file an application at this time. The application for the Fall 2009 extension is not programmed in yet.

Someone mentioned this article on the Four Pillars board and I posted the link here. It's a good read. This was on SunSentinel.com yesterday.

Some among jobless must wait for extended aid
Others already should be receiving Tier III benefits


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-benefits-delayed-20091117,0,2791683.story?page=1

*ADMIN EDIT Please stay on topic

haven't seen anyone posting anything lately,......i am so down that is pathetic. AWI is taking their sweet time to
update our stuff, and in the meantime we are drowning in miseries and debt.

I read somewhere they will post the applications for Tier III after Thanksgiving. I guess they want to have a nice undisturbed holiday while we starve.

Not quite sure where to post this. (And btw, hi Robbi, long time no "see.")

AWI has updated the page I usually log on to with "www.fluidnow.com" which now automatically goes to this page: http://www.floridajobs.org/unemployment/uc_emp_claims.html

So now they have added a link for anyone exhausting Tier 2 before 11/7/09 to apply there. At first I couldn't imagine what was the purpose of that, since it's after that date and EB is dead as of 11/7/09. But then it occurred to me that there were numbers of people who actually didn't know about the EB extension until much later, and Florida can still legally pay those people for the weeks going back to the time they exhausted their Tier 2 up until 11/7/09, and then automatically shift them over to Tier 3.

If anyone knows of anyone in the whole state of Florida who still doesn't know about EB, please pass it on! They have only until the end of December to be able to collect that money. This may seem like a joke to those of us who have been following this so closely, but who knows, that little link might apply to someone in need who may still be (understandably) confused about this whole "sequence of benefits" thing.

Hi Nancy. I had to go out of town. My son was really sick and needed emergency surgery..no insurance, so I am still dealing w/that. I have been trying to catch up with all of the posts and somewhere I saw a link with something from Robbie Cunningham saying they won't post the app for Tier III online till after Thankgiving. I can't find it now. But I guess that means at least another couple weeks till we see something and goodness knows I could sure use it now more than ever.

Nancy,
My friend had clicked on the page to apply and after she entered all the information she got the message that she had already applied so she called Cassandra. Melody returned her call and you are correct.
The programming for the EUC3 application is not complete and online access will not be given until after the letters of determination are prepared and ready to be mailed.

Robbi314 wrote:Hi Nancy. I had to go out of town. My son was really sick and needed emergency surgery..no insurance, so I am still dealing w/that. I have been trying to catch up with all of the posts and somewhere I saw a link with something from Robbie Cunningham saying they won't post the app for Tier III online till after Thankgiving. I can't find it now. But I guess that means at least another couple weeks till we see something and goodness knows I could sure use it now more than ever.

Robbi, I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope your son is going to be ok.

As for AWI, all the info on their website, in the news, combined with what just about all of us who have called to talk with the people at AWI seems to indicate an application date about the start of December, with the usual letters going out, but we can catch the online app before we get the letters, like last time.

(Those who were still getting benefits had an easier time in some ways by not having to apply and going into Tier 3 automatically, but then some of those lost EB weeks in the process of transitioning to the new program.)

We can always hope for an earlier miracle, but there's probably nothing to be gained by checking AWI's site every few minutes or even every day for at least a week or so. If you haven't already checked the eligibility link, you can do that, but it doesn't allow you to actually apply yet.

This was in the BIZ WATCH column of my local paper, The Daytona Beach News Journal
Unemployment taxes to jump 12-fold in Fla.
Tallahassee - Unemployment compensation taxes paid by Florida businesses will skyrocket next year due to the state's high jobless rate that hit 11 percent in September, revenue officials said Wednesday.
The minimum tax will jump from $8.40 per employee to $100.30 - an almost 12-fold increase - while the maximum will go up from $378 per employee to $459
The exact amounts for each business will be based on a formula that includes benefits paid to its former employee over the past three years.

If I remember correctly, one of the reasons the Republican Senators objected to the extension bill that was passed was the question of funding. They felt the money should come from unassigned stimulus funds and not from extending the portion of the unemployment tax that was due to expire this year. So here we have a state administration whose republican senator wanted to reduce businesses unemployement tax by (I think) $2.40 when it is now being raised by $91.90? Is there a neutral member who can make sense of this for me?

Thanks Nancy. It will take a bit of time but hopefully all will be ok. From all I have read, the part that makes me think that all of the excuses about reprogramming the computers for tier III is just that, excuses. The fact that they can automatically start tier III for those who are just now exhausting EB, but can't seem to figure out how to pay those of us who have already exhaused our benefits makes no sense. Either you have the computers ready to work with the EUC Tier III or you don't

Robbi314 wrote:Thanks Nancy. It will take a bit of time but hopefully all will be ok. From all I have read, the part that makes me think that all of the excuses about reprogramming the computers for tier III is just that, excuses. The fact that they can automatically start tier III for those who are just now exhausting EB, but can't seem to figure out how to pay those of us who have already exhaused our benefits makes no sense. Either you have the computers ready to work with the EUC Tier III or you don't

The difference I know has to do with the fact that we've had a time gap in benefits and certifying online. I think by law they have to verify that we didn't make any money in those intervening weeks, or if we did that it doesn't add up in the benefit year to qualifying for a new benefit year. So I assume the programming is at least partly to do with that.

Having said that, I think they are used to the same old computer system and the same way of doing things that they may simply not be able to come up with creative workarounds for what would seem like a relatively simple offline computer function. Geez, a simple online app could be filled out by everyone right now, data entered into their system as to "yes" or "no" eligibility and then take it from there. But then what seems common sense and logical is not always the pathway that state governments can take, either for bizarre legal or management reasons, as evidenced by the reasons for EB cutoff on Nov 8. Just my gut feeling, but sometimes businesses become slaves to their old computer systems, rather than remembering it's just a tool and there are lots of tools that can be used for any particular task.

I have been reading the posts about the programming and ( although I am NOT a programmer, I have some knowledge about how it works), it seems to me that something just isn't right about all this. They already have a form that establishes eligibility that they used for EU and they have a program for Tiers I and II. You programmers correct me if I am wrong (it wouldn't be the first time) BUT from all the programs and if-then statements I have typed, it would seem they could copy what they have and by changing a few things to meet new criteria they should be good to go. I cannot wrap my head around that they have to start from scratch - that is why "cut and paste" was invented .

From the DOL directive I get the impression that the extra benefit week added to tier 2 and Fl decision to change eligible claimants to tier 3 before the EB benefits expiration date makes the reprogramming more complex than it should be. I have no legal training so some of the wording is beyond my comprehension but I believe the directive gives the states the option of paying the extra tier 2 week after all qualified tier3 benefits are paid only if claimants are transitioned to tier 3 prior to the expiration of EB. (Now I feel that is as clear as mud) Maybe UIO, NancyM or Gonzo could look at the directive again and interpret this section more clearly than I can.
2 things I think we all have to bear in mind, 1st - Florida by all reports is going broke and second they refused stimulus money to fund EB. The state analysts agree that they realize about $1.60 in revenue for every $1.00 they pay to claimants in unemployment benefits and if the benefits can be paid with federal money, that is $1.60 in revenue with no hit on the state treasury.
I am one of the claimants who is losing a little bit of my EB balance by being automatically transitioned to Tier 3 but I would rather lose the balance than see Florida broke and unable to fund any unemployment benefits.

You got it right about the DOL directive, grandmom49, except it doesn't apply just to those like yourself coming off EB. The EUC deadlines are essentially the same as the EB deadlines in FL, so it's the EUC deadlines that make the Tiers more complicated to implement. If they gave the exhaustees, those without ongoing benefits, that last week of Tier 2 first, after waiting for that programming and eligibility, and then had us wait for another stretch of time to then get the 13 weeks of Tier 3, as ridiculous as it all seems now, it would be even more ridiculous! And we could even miss the Dec 31 deadline if they did that. So the new law gave the states the option to give the 13 weeks first, then catch up on their business to give that one extra week later.

As for EB, Florida did not refuse the money for EB, they took it (finally and at the 11th hour, and only temporarily to boot). What they refused was the extra money for unemployment expansion, not extension, that was offered in the ARRA, with some minor strings attached. That would have provided benefits to more people, but not necessarily any more benefits for any of us, though it might have made the fund less depleted, depending on how many more would have then been included in the new rules.

But your point is well taken that Florida is almost broke and is among the states that is struggling the most with all this. 11.2% as of today. I sure hope this December "jobs summit" brings up some great ideas about how to get out of this mess!

I don't know if this is the correct thread for this but here's a link to an article that appeared this morning on msnbc.com:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34068716/ns/business-personal_finance

The article attempts to clarify the confusion about the extensions and the Dec. 31st deadline. Some of the information is accurate, some is iffy.

Hoppy wrote:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34068716/ns/business-personal_finance

...Some of the information is accurate, some is iffy.

Heh-heh. I see what you mean. It was a noble effort to untangle the mess, and most of it accurate, but they scrambled the info about the ARRA a bit, and left Florida off the list for Tier 3 eligibility! They also probably should have been more careful and added the usual "up to" when describing the max number of weeks in any program, as so many of you who do not get the max number of weeks OR benefit amounts in any of these reports already know.

While I see that some of the other states are beginning to make progress, Florida has done nothing. The link to see if you qualify is an insult to our intelligence. One would think by now there would at least be an app on the website for EUC III but almost three weeks since this bill has passed, AWI sits with their thumbs up their butts once again. It really upsets me how inept they are. Sorry, but I just had to vent.

Well your right Robbi....AWI doesn't seem to be in any great hurry,but then again,have they ever been? I filed today for what should have been my final 2 weeks of EB. No job searches were required for either week....as I expected.....I assume I have been rolled into tier III. At the end of the claiming process,it said that my next date to claim would be Dec. 7th,which would be 2 weeks from today. I checked my account after 2:00 today and it shows the checks being issued today and my balance is now $0. However,it now says my next week to claim is Nov 23rd. Maybe it will reset now....who knows. I tried the eligability thing on the AWI web site and it said I may not be eligible because I may not have exhausted EUC or EB benefits. I will check my account later to see if there is a change or not. I hope AWI gets off their thumbs for all you people that expired.....this is just getting worse and worse.......and to top it off.....minimum unemployment tax went from $8.40 per employee average to $100.30...WTF!!! We all knew the tax was going to go up but holy shiznit.....what a jump! Kinda shoots the incentive for business's to hire new employees right in the ass. The politics of this state never cease to amaze me

Well Gonzo, I sure hope your account updates the way it's supposed to. Honestly though, I don't trust them to do much of anything right. And there is absolutely no sense of urgency for us by any means, not only in this state, but the feds a well. Heck, my last check was September 9th! As for the outrageous unemployment tax, well it's disgusting. It has been hard enough for anyone to get work here but finding a job will be impossible in this state now. Not to mention consumer cost increases as a backlash of this. UGH!

I'm afraid I disagree with comments made here and on other forums about the recent state unemployment tax increases for employers. Just to be clear, those rates, just like the old rates, are per YEAR. Being shocked at a business expense of that yearly amount is similar to the mock outrage that Republicans had over the increase in the federal surtax that was used to fund this current bill HR 3548 and keep it off the deficit, which amounted to lunch money for one day per year per employee--roughly $14-24 per year. And this amount was built into the budgets of most companies by now, since this tax had been around for many years.

For some perspective on how this new rate came about in Florida, understand that it is not just a result of SB810 (remember, that bill we all fought for that tacked on the TUR as an amendment last spring), but rather long-term bad planning on the part of Florida's government. See this editorial for some perspective on that: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1053318.ece

And I've managed and worked for enough businesses to know that I don't even want to work for any business that can't afford a hundred bucks a year per employee! If they can't absorb that (a small expense compared to almost any other state in the union for this type of tax), they probably aren't going to survive long enough for me to get much work from them anyway.

As one employer put it in another article - http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/florida-employers-face-a-huge-jump-in-unemployment-compensation-taxes/1052594:

" Henry Glime, president and CEO of Tampa-based Gallo Building Services, doubts the increase will have an impact on his fast-growing building materials and construction contracting company.

"If you look at (the increase) as a percentage of payroll, I think it's insignificant. … It doesn't even register," Glime said. "There's more erosion and leakage around the coffee machine."

The new tax is from 1.18% to 5.4% of payroll, but based on only up to $8500 of the yearly salary.
http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/taxes/pdf/UnemploymentFactSheet.pdf

Yes, the percentage of increase (ten-fold) sounds dramatic and makes for interesting headlines, but actual amounts are small, and the more salient point is how embarassingly low the original tax was compared to other states who planned much better for a rainy day, instead of being squarely in line with every single wish of a particular business association that essentially controls the Florida legislature.

And where else would this money come from that's more logical, unless we had no unemployment safety net at all? Overall, both employers and the unemployed have lots of problems in this economy, but this tax is hardly worth mentioning in the relative scheme of things.

Nancy, I understand that this tax is a yearly amount, and I agree that it doesn't amount to much however, at this point in this economy I think that because it looks like a lot more percentage wise, it will be used as an excuse to not give the unemployed any further help. Don't get me wrong. We have been very fortunate to have gotten the extensions we have, but this last one was hard enough to pass and still needs to be fixed for us to get the full amount. Maybe I'm completely off base, but my fear is the increase will be just another reason to create a big deal over nothing and screw up the works.

Since the increase was triggered by a pre-existing law, any CFO deserving of his title knew this was coming. Still, many Florida companies supported this extension because of the benefits the economy derives from recipients spending and paying bills with their benefits.