A little more help for those getting unemployment benefits

LaTasha Pittman works on her resume and fills out job applications at the Employment Security Commission. President Obama signed into law an extension for unemployment benefits for people who lost benefits when the last extension expired. Photo by Shavonne Potts, Salisbury Post

By Shavonne Potts

spotts@salisburypost.com

Some out-of-work people can breathe a sigh of relief now that Congress has approved an extension of jobless benefits.

President Obama signed into law Thursday a restoration of benefits for people who have been out of work for six months or more after Congress gave final approval.

From this area, Democratic Reps. Larry Kissell and Mel Watt supported the extension. Republican Howard Coble did not.

In the Senate, Republican Richard Burr opposed the measure, while Democrat Kay Hagan supported it.

Debbie Davis, manager of the Rowan County JobLink Career Center and Employment Security Commission, said there is much her agency doesn’t know yet about how this law will immediately affect the unemployed.

Time is a huge factor; the checks won’t be doled out immediately, she said.

The local employment office has to reprogram its computers to handle the change.

“It moves a deadline out,” she said.

Those receiving unemployment won’t get any new benefits, just more time. Essentially, this extension applies to anyone eligible who has not yet finished all the tiers of unemployment insurance.

Those eligible for unemployment can expect to receive their checks through the end of November, according ot the Associated Press.

Davis said a lot of people have been calling the ESC office to ask about the benefits extension.

She tells them to continue meeting their work search requirements, which includes actively searching for a job.

“It’s the most important thing they can do,” Davis said.

The bill won’t add anything for people who have already exhausted their unemployment benefits.

LaTasha Pittman is one of those people, who are often referred to as “99ers” because they’ve already collected 99 weeks of unemployment insurance.

The extension won’t be helpful to Pittman because her benefits ended some time ago, but that doesn’t stop her from searching for a job. She’s been unemployed since 2008. She worked for Carolinas Healthcare in Charlotte.

Pittman said she wore several hats at work including a nursing assistant, staff support and medical/surgical technician where she helped remove stitches and wound care.

“It’s challenging and grueling. It’s a continuous process,” she said.

She’s been searching for jobs that fit her medical experience as well as one of her two degrees, general education and art, which she just received in May 2009.

“I think it’s helpful to a lot of people who have issues with finding employment, quality employment at that. It’s beneficial for people who need money seeking employment,” Pittman said.

Don Honeycutt Jr. believes the extension will benefit many as well, just not him. Freightliner recently hired him back for a three-year contract.

He had been unemployed for a year.

Through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program for laid-off workers, Honeycutt was going to school studying biotechnology. He stopped by the commission office Thursday to withdraw from the program since he’s going back to making trucks.

“Right now it’s hard to find anything. They should have an extension until the economy gets better,” he said.

The Rowan County unemployment rates for June will be released today. The jobless rate was 11.8 percent in May.

For more information, contact the Employment Security Commission at 704-639-7529.