Is Unemployment insurance a failed program? (regular, crime, cost, money)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had to hold my tongue when a relative of mine told the family how she was working the unemployment insurance program to her advantage. She was working for a bank up to last summer but they laid off a large number of employees due to a merger. She had worked as an administrative assistant, and has strong clerical, software and typing skills.
Anyway, the bank agreed to continue to pay her for three months in a severance pay arrangement. That covered her to September 09. Then she started on unemployment insurance. She is making 50% of her old gross income or about 60% of her take home pay. She does some house cleaning for cash (off the books) part time and this puts her close to her old income. She sits home and watches lots of TV and has put on 50 pounds since she was laid off.
She told us with a smile that unemployment is the easiest money she has ever earned. She applied online and has never had to talk to a human being. Everything is automated. As she went through her 26 weeks of regular benefits, she quickly went on extended benefits. At no time was she called into the office and and had to sit down with the employment folks to see what they could do to help her find a job. She told me she does not really want to work and will milk the system for everything it has and expects to collect the full 99 weeks. That will be almost 2 years.
While I am sure there are many hard working people who are on unemployment benefits who want to go back to work. Isn't it possible that a very large number of people are like Alice and want to keep collecting and non working for as long as the system should allow.
What should be done about people like Alice my relative and how can the system find out who they are and stop them from exploiting the taxpayers? The money they are paying her now is from the taxpayers. She went through the employer paid 26 weeks already.
What should be done about people like Alice my relative and how can the system find out who they are and stop them from exploiting the taxpayers? The money they are paying her now is from the taxpayers. She went through the employer paid 26 weeks already.
Nothing. Law of Diminishing Returns. It would cost more to police the program, than would be saved by doing so.
Many people base their sense of self worth on their jobs. Some base it on their income. The former are workers, the latter investors. The OP's relative is missing an opportunity to do some creative gold digging and, by gaining fifty pounds, losing her opportunity. Unemployment will never pay as much as a really rich gullible husband. Get your ass skinny kid and good hunting.
That's amusing. I collected unemployment insurance for 5 months. The whole time I was required to show prove of my job searches, no matter how futile. When I took a per diem/ part time position that eventually didn't work out, I was required to pay back 8 weeks worth of benefits. there must be 'easy" states and "hard" states to claim in.
They have laid off so many people with the unemployment office and automated the system so much there is no one there who will really care if you milk the system and collect for the whole 99 weeks.
Have you thought about turning her in? In Alice's case the unemployment insurance system has failed and has created a leech, if you don't mind me saying so. If you do I apologize.
One of the requirements of collecting UI is you have to be actively searching for work, and based on what you are telling us she is technically committing fraud.
As to your original question, no I don't think unemployment is a failure but I do think the system needs to be revamped as far as funding, requirements for claiming, and fraud detection.
As someone who just came off a year and a half of unemployment (started a new job today, yay for me!), I am grateful for these benefits, otherwise I'd be out in the street.
As in any system, there will be ones who seek out to take advantage of it, especially when there's money involved. I collected 2 UI checks, but I had worked hard to find a new job (basically I treated my time out of work as work time to find jobs, so 8 hour days job seeking). Is it the system's fault or is it the individual's fault for gaming the system? If a person kills another with a gun, is it the gun manufacture's fault or is it the person who pulled the trigger? And if you see the person committing the crime but don't report it, are you partly to blame?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
