I got the letter today from the Commonwealh of Virginia Virginia Unemployment Commission:
Notice of Benefit Year Ending (BYE)
An Important Notice About Your Unemployment Benefits
The notice goes on further to say
...If you have not worked since you filed this claim you may not be eligible for benefits on a new claim
Well I was laid off May 7th 2009 and I have not found work since. I filed unemplyment on 7/2/2009. I collected for 4 months until November when I stopped looking for work and pursued a possible business ownership opportunity. I spoke with the Virginia Employment Commision at that time and they indicated that they would put it on hold until June 24th, at which point if I did not reopen it, it would expire.
Well I did reopen it two weeks ago because the business startup was a bust and I lost a bundle. Now I am in fear of the words "you may not be eligible for benefits on a new claim." It may be possible that once I explain the situation to the unemployment commissiion I will be OK, but the news that the Jobs bill was killed off today has me on edge.
This after my COBRA subsidy was under attack from Republicans also. I lucked out because my lay off (May 7th 2009) was within the timeframe established by the ARRA (stimulus).
I have worked my entire life and this is then first time that I have been unemployed and this is the first time in my life that I have not had employer based healthcare. I'm 54 years old.
I cant imagine how those whose unemplyment and COBRA benefits have been axed by the Republicans. Under seige is the best way to describe the feeling I get. Aside from taking away our benefits they want to drug test us, call us Hobo's, and they really really don't like us.
Like I said The Unemployment are under Seige.