Unemployment benefits have expanded, but state systems aren't ready

Apr 7, 2020
Gig workers and self-employed now qualify, but accessing payments is still a challenge.
Unemployment benefits have been extended to self-employed people — like a barbershop owner in California — but the application is still confusing. Above, a closed barbershop in Boston.
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Florida unemployed face weaker safety net

Feb 12, 2020
After jobless claims spiked in the Great Recession, the state changed its system to pay less for a shorter duration to fewer recipients.
Florida is among a number of states that have cut back on unemployment assistance. Above, Miami Beach.
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Nearly half of states could not cover unemployment insurance in a recession

Nov 12, 2019
As many as 23 states are unprepared for the typical recession.
A job seeker looks at a job listing board.
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Thousands of federal works file unemployment claims

Jan 18, 2019
More apply for benefits as the partial government shutdown drags on.
Albert Romero, 50, has filed for unemployment insurance while he waits to return to his job at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Boulder, Colorado.
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No benefits for the rich

Feb 6, 2014
A proposal to extend long-term unemployment benefits would exclude Americans who make more than $1Million a year.