Re: Florida legislature -- possible new benefits?

Hoppy Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:19 am

nancym wrote:Steve-- Thanks, I think I've started to just scan the NELP emails too quickly, my eyes are starting to glaze over with all these different numbers and dates!

Hoppy-- I think it's more like 13-1/2 weeks from Feb 27 til June 2. But the catch is that you'd' have to have exhausted Tier 4 to be eligible for all of that. A few people might get that number of weeks, very few. And the irony is that anyone who actually ran out of Tier 4 before Feb 27 would have to be on a reduced numbers of weeks due to low income base (i.e., not getting the max weekly amount or max weeks) would be subject to the same calculation for the number of weeks in EB! So I wonder if it is technically possible for anyone at all to get 13 weeks!

Most who never got EB would probably get paid from March 27, when most exhausted EUC til June 2--that's 9 weeks!

I suppose if someone who was wasn't getting the max weeks had just started EB back at the start of November, had all 8 weeks in 2009 subtracted from their EUC, then ran out of Tier 4 before Feb 27, then added whatever calculation for EB they had still available, that person might be able to collect all 13 weeks. (Not sure if that 14th week would be paid, or maybe only half?)

Aren't there a few people on this board who would actually fall into that niche of EB?

Hoppy, are you eligible for any of this at all?

Nancy, I sure hope I'm eligible for something! I started my EB in Oct. and got either 4 or 5 weeks when Tier III went into effect. I had been approved for 20 weeks. I signed for my last Tier IV check on April 6 so if this is all 'true' then I might get, what, from April 6 to June 2? 8 weeks? they'd still owe me 7 weeks! LOL! try to get it, right?

geegejoe Fri Apr 30, 2010 8:31 am

Can anybody help? My last week for me to claim Tier 4 was week ending Feb 27. So with this new law (eb) Would I be elligable for the 13 weeks? Does anyone know when the Gov is going to sign it?

Thank You

**nancym** Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:10 pm

Steve_ wrote:
Nancy, I sure can empathize with tired, blurry eyes.

I still don't understand why I went straight to EUC Tier 1 back in August when my normal benefits ended. I could have sworn that some people that I worked with went into EB before they ever went to any EUC tier. I am probably wrong, this can all get so confusing. I know that there were people that got laid off 6-8 months before me that got all the EUC Tiers 1-4, and also got 20 weeks of EB.

A side note: According to the Florida law for EB, EUC takes precedence. EB existed in Florida law for many years, but it was useless to anyone during this recession until the legislature changed the way the unemployment rate was calculated for EB. That took place last spring, after the push from NELP to end outdated practices and the feds temporary offer of 100% funding to the states under the stimulus act.

The "normal" procedure is that EUC from the feds takes precedence. But there were times during these past couple of years when there was no EUC available, either because it hadn't been enacted yet, or because of cutoffs in the programs or tiers. During those times EB would kick in. (But then there were these provisions from the feds that allowed for someone who had already started EB to continue on it if they had a week or something into the program!) But then Florida cut off its EB in the law on Jan 2, 2010. So we sort of have this musical chairs of benefits going on.

THAT has a lot to do with my blurry eyes! Smile

**nancym** Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:14 pm

Hoppy, don't hold me to it, but it sounds like 8 weeks to me that you should get!

**nancym** Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:26 pm

geegejoe wrote:Can anybody help? My last week for me to claim Tier 4 was week ending Feb 27. So with this new law (eb) Would I be elligable for the 13 weeks? Does anyone know when the Gov is going to sign it?

Thank You

If you never received EB since 2006, then it seems that you should be eligible for all of that. If you're not sure, EB was that program where we all had to meticulously enter at least two job searches on two different days of the weeks with the contact info for each one, either online or by mail; so you'd know if you did that!

Beware, however, that EB is also calculated on your base income. If you didn't get the max weeks and amounts for regular and the tiers, you won't get the max for EB either. But it definitely sounds like you should get something if you never received EB.

Here's the website for the bill; when the gov signs it, it should show up here in the bill history.
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=43510&SessionId=64

More importantly, watch for updates from the AWI website "Hot Topics"--
http://www.floridajobs.org/unemployment/hottopics.html

I have to give some credit; even though AWI's computers are as slow as they ever were, at least they've made some progress on communicating via their website in the last several months.

studioWI Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:31 pm

Any idea on whether Crist is going to actually sign it?

Hoppy Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:47 pm

nancym wrote:Hoppy, don't hold me to it, but it sounds like 8 weeks to me that you should get!

Thanks, Nancy! I sure hope so!

geegejoe Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:08 pm

ok But I used up all my eb before. So would I still be eligable? I'm so confused. SOME BODY HELP

Hoppy Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:24 pm

geegejoe wrote:ok But I used up all my eb before. So would I still be eligable? I'm so confused. SOME BODY HELP

Geegejoe, no you're not eligible for more EB if you already used it. sorry Neutral

jamiegirl Fri Apr 30, 2010 2:30 pm

Maybe someone can answer this for me. I have 5 weeks of regular unemployment benefits left which will exhaust on May 29th which is one week too late to receive Tier 1 benefits. With the passage of bill 1736 - will I be eligible for Extened Benefits since I will have exhausted my regular benefits by June 5th or do I have to exhaust all the tiers before I can receive EB. Sorry if this is confusing..,

UnemployedInFL Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:36 pm

jamiegirl wrote:Maybe someone can answer this for me. I have 5 weeks of regular unemployment benefits left which will exhaust on May 29th which is one week too late to receive Tier 1 benefits. With the passage of bill 1736 - will I be eligible for Extened Benefits since I will have exhausted my regular benefits by June 5th or do I have to exhaust all the tiers before I can receive EB. Sorry if this is confusing..,

Florida's bill, 1736, extends the filing deadline for Florida's Fed-State EB to June 2nd, 2010.
The Florida legislature has to approve any extensions (filing deadlines) and/or expansions (additional weeks over and above the 20 weeks of EB benefits) before AWI can disperse any benefit payments to claimants.

The Federal bill HR4851 not only extended EUC deadlines, it also extended Fed-State EB deadlines.
When the Feds extend or expand the Fed-State EB deadlines then the Florida Legislature can, if it wants, extend or expand the Florida Fed-State EB program. Not all States do it this way, Florida does.

The purpose of 1736 is to incorporate the new dates from HR4851 into Florida Law.

I have some bad news for you. It also appears you'll be unable to receive any benefits from Fed-State EB either, you won't exhaust your regular benefit in time to qualify.

There's still hope for you if HR4213 passes by the end of May, or soon thereafter. If this happens you'll collect your EUC. You must exhaust all EUC before you can collect EB.

studioWI Fri Apr 30, 2010 8:32 pm

Bravo UIF!

Hoppy Fri Apr 30, 2010 8:58 pm

studioWI wrote:Bravo UIO!

Hey studioWI, it's not UIO it's UIF Laughing

UIO is orange Smile

studioWI Fri Apr 30, 2010 9:05 pm

Amended.

Sheila Sat May 01, 2010 5:11 pm

Found this online today. Please excuse if this has already been posted.

http://joblessunite.yolasite.com/m-a-y-d-a-y.php

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/the_99ers_need_a_tier_v_added_to_unemployment_benefits

studioWI Sat May 01, 2010 5:24 pm

Glad to see you're still hanging in there Sheila. Smile

Sheila Sun May 02, 2010 12:05 pm

studioWI wrote:Glad to see you're still hanging in there Sheila.

Thanks, yes I am, and I am fighting! I am also still fighting for the unemployed. Just because I got a job, doesn't mean that millions of others don't need their unemployment insurance for their basics in life. That's what our government needs to be about, the people!...

Hoppy Tue May 04, 2010 9:07 pm

Has anyone read or heard anything about when Crist is going to sign bill 1736(?) I've Googled but haven't seen anything about it. IS he going to sign it??

Jeff Wed May 05, 2010 2:05 am

Hoppy wrote:Has anyone read or heard anything about when Crist is going to sign bill 1736(?) I've Googled but haven't seen anything about it. IS he going to sign it??

All I've heard is gossip and opinion. Nothing concrete. Some say he's undecided. Others say he's too busy doing other things. Then something about the bill being in reconciliation, whatever that is, and not even on Crists desk yet. So I don't really know. All I know is that EB is Federally funded, that's it's for those like us who've exhausted all other benefits, and that it supposedly passed as a bill, federally and in Florida until June2. Yet here we are wondering what the heck is going on.

frustratedinfl Wed May 12, 2010 3:45 pm

According to the Senate website. The bill extending EB was signed and sent to the Governor yesterday... hopefully we will see something soon.

pyrox Wed May 12, 2010 4:10 pm

JUNE 5 WILL COME AND BE GONE BEFORE ANY THING IS DECIDED, WHILE WE SIT HERE AND WONDER WHERE ARE NEXT MEAL IS GONNA COME FROM, I AM SO FRIGGING TIRED OF THE POLITICANS GAMES THAT ARE BEING PLAYED....THIS IS OUR LIVELYHOOD HERE.

**nancym** Thu May 13, 2010 9:41 pm

Hoppy wrote:Has anyone read or heard anything about when Crist is going to sign bill 1736(?) I've Googled but haven't seen anything about it. IS he going to sign it??

Hoppy--

I can't promise what anybody else will do, but Crist has always been in favor of accepting any help from the feds for the state of Florida. It's partly what got him into trouble with Florida's conservative right wing. Now that he's shed at least some of the pressure to appease that group and has to appeal to his former more moderate base, I can't see why he wouldn't sign the bill. Not only would the Dems be mad at him, but the Repubs were the ones who actually allowed this modest extension to be passed, since they control virtually everything that goes on in the Florida legislature, and they wouldn't be too happy either because of the state's budget shortage!

And, not to give them big excuses, but there always is some kind of gap, basically a paperwork gap, between when something passes in the legislature and when it goes to the gov. They literally plow through hundreds of bills and amendments that have to be all gussied up in proper terminology without errors before signing. The delays last year in getting benefits were only partially due to that paperwork delay; most of that time we were waiting for AWI and their computer excuses.

Jeff Mon May 17, 2010 1:34 am

I have a question that maybe someone can answer for me or simply opine. I ran out of EUC4 three weeks ago. And I've never claimed any EB benefits. If Crists signs the EB Bill this week, will my account be automatically refreshed? Or will I have to reapply(ugh). If Crist signs it and I have to reapply, will I be notified? Should I wait for a notice or reapply as soon as Crist signs it? In my fantasy, I won't have to do anything and my account will be automatically refreshed.

**nancym** Mon May 17, 2010 8:32 pm

Jeff wrote:I have a question that maybe someone can answer for me or simply opine. I ran out of EUC4 three weeks ago. And I've never claimed any EB benefits. If Crists signs the EB Bill this week, will my account be automatically refreshed? Or will I have to reapply(ugh). If Crist signs it and I have to reapply, will I be notified? Should I wait for a notice or reapply as soon as Crist signs it? In my fantasy, I won't have to do anything and my account will be automatically refreshed.

Just opining here, but probably wishful thinking on your part that you won't have to apply. EB was always a separate application process, but once the bill and the computers are all set up, that application is not a big deal, just an online request, since they already have all your basic info.

I thought they were sending out notices to people who might be eligible, but frankly, why wait for those. If I were in your shoes, I'd watch the AWI website's Hot Topics section every day to see what they update about how to apply or whatever, and as soon as you are able to apply, do it right away. I don't know if you can apply ahead of time, maybe you should check if that's indicated on the site, or else try to ask a regular AWI staffer.

Jeff Tue May 18, 2010 9:38 am

nancym wrote:
Jeff wrote:I have a question that maybe someone can answer for me or simply opine. I ran out of EUC4 three weeks ago. And I've never claimed any EB benefits. If Crists signs the EB Bill this week, will my account be automatically refreshed? Or will I have to reapply(ugh). If Crist signs it and I have to reapply, will I be notified? Should I wait for a notice or reapply as soon as Crist signs it? In my fantasy, I won't have to do anything and my account will be automatically refreshed.

Just opining here, but probably wishful thinking on your part that you won't have to apply. EB was always a separate application process, but once the bill and the computers are all set up, that application is not a big deal, just an online request, since they already have all your basic info.

I thought they were sending out notices to people who might be eligible, but frankly, why wait for those. If I were in your shoes, I'd watch the AWI website's Hot Topics section every day to see what they update about how to apply or whatever, and as soon as you are able to apply, do it right away. I don't know if you can apply ahead of time, maybe you should check if that's indicated on the site, or else try to ask a regular AWI staffer.

Thanks Nancy. Looks like Governor Crist signed it yesterday. It will expire in two weeks. Then more worry for Floridians all over again. Oh well. Be thankful for what we have.

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Florida legislature -- possible new benefits?