Assistance for the Umployed?

Atlanta, GA - On June 5, 2009, my wife, Sharon, was called into her boss's office and was fired. Earlier that day, while at lunch, Sharon was asked to return to the office to assist her boss, a doctor, with her patients (my wife is a Nurse Practitioner). Sharon asked the Medical Assistant who called to inform the doctor that she had already ordered her lunch and would return as soon as she was finished. Later that day, Sharon's boss told her that she should have left the food, and fired her - just for that - irrespective of the fact that the two parties had signed a contract 9 months before. The contract clearly states that each party must give the other a thirty day termination notice. This remains a legal matter that we are pursuing.

As it turned out, Sharon was fired on the Friday before a scheduled family vacation to Myrtle Beach. We left for vacation on Sunday and despite the harsh reminder that only one of us had a job to return to, we had a good time. The family spent time on the beach, at the pool, visited a zoo and an aquarium, among other things. We carefully spent what money we had allocated for the trip and ensured that we did not out-run our budget. Before returning home we had decided to get an attorney to review Sharon's dismissal.

We returned from vacation a week later and on Tuesday, June 16^th, Sharon met with an attorney who advised her to apply for unemployment insurance immediately. Sharon went to the Department of Labor office in Morrow, GA, the next morning, June 17^th. Today is July 14^th - 4 weeks later - and my wife is yet to hear whether or not she has been approved for unemployment insurance. This is preposterous!

We know, based on information from the Department of Labor's website that this process should take up to 3 weeks. Added to that, many government agencies have been forced to slash staff which means that there are fewer staffers dealing with the constantly, increasing ranks of the unemployed. Without doubt, one can appreciate that this must be a daunting task. Nevertheless, there must be a way to speed up the process.

It is common knowledge that the government does not offer a lot to those who claim unemployment assistance. In fact, the maximum amount that is given is only $330 per week, and to get that amount one has had to be earning top wages. For example, losing a job paying $10/hr will not bring one $330 per week. Despite the size of the help, the fact is, it is some help. One can feed the children for the month; pay some bills and probably a portion of the rent/mortgage. But what happens when the first unemployment check does not arrive until 5 weeks after the first claim is submitted?

For us, it has been 4 weeks and counting. What if I was not working? How would my family eat? What about the bills that came due during the last four weeks? Thankfully, we have had food to eat over the last month and most bills have been paid. I said most, because my income cannot cover all our bills and food.

This leads me to think of the family that has one person working. If that person loses his/her job and has to wait for unemployment assistance to kick in, what happens in the meantime? Are they supposed to die of hunger, lose their electricity or water, while they wait to get help? This has to change.

State governments must devise plans to get help to the needy more quickly. Yes, we know it takes time to verify information and handle tons of cases, but maybe a better run system could prove to be more efficient. When was the last time that someone reviewed the unemployment assistance program? It may be time for a comprehensive overhaul.

Source:

Georgia Department of Labor's website: http://www.dol.state.ga.us/.