Unemployment Insurance Rocks! 40 Days Since Layoff

job mom 2.0 | Comments 2

If you find yourself out of work, please take advantage of one of the best things Obama has done thus far. Apply for his expanded unemployment benefits. You will likely qualify even if you are receiving severance, and quite possibly if you were (*gasp*) fired. I’m receiving over $500/week. Hurry up and go claim yours. Right now. Every little bit helps.

I didn’t expect to get it.

I was ready with all of my arguments – I would explain that I now have to pay for COBRA, that I’m putting ~1/3 of the monthly severance payments away for taxes (which I now must pay quarterly), that I’m incurring tremendous expenses in my job search (however deductible, I won’t see that money again until April 2010). I would try to make them understand that I’m the primary breadwinner – that my husband is freelance and that his salary is a mere fraction of what I [used to] bring home. I was even ready to talk about the toddler and how expensive he is. Basically, I was ready to try anything.

Enter Ms. Jones of the [MY HOME STATE] Department of Labor. “Did you sign a Separation Agreement and Release?” she asked. “Of course,” I replied. “Just fax it over and I can release your back checks. So long as you sign a Separation Agreement and Release, your ability to collect unemployment is unaffected by the fact you are receiving severance.”

What a way to start a Monday morning!

Editor’s note: This is the eighth installment of “Diary of an Unemployed Finance Mom 2.0.” This story is real, nothing is fabricated. For the sake of her privacy, and her hopes of landing a new job, she’s going under the pseudonym, job mom 2.0. You can read the other posts by clicking on the related posts button below.

Follow her trials and tribulations on Twitter @jobmom

Filed Under: Diary of an Unemployed Finance Mom 2.0 • Managing Your Career • Moms Returning to Work • Working Moms Resources