switch back to extension on the previous claim (payment, fill, work)

[blithegirl]

Help please! I have two questions:

1.I'm depleting my current claim soon, I understand that I'll be put on where I was (tier 1) on my previous claim, I'm wondering as soon as I have zero balance on my current claim, do I need to call them or go to the local office for this switch, or it's automatic. Similiarly, move from one tier to another, is it automatic or we need to call? Really don't want to call because of the long wait, but it doesn't feel good when you don't know what's going on with your claim....

2. I'm in NJ. After the EUCs expires at the end of year from my first claim (I'll deplete tier 3 first week of 2012, so I won't be able to get in tier 4), will I be qualified for EB from my second claim after that? I have 26 weeks on my second claim.

Thanks a lot!

[lilyflower7]

You need to call them the minute your previous claim expires. If you try to claim online you're going to get some kind of error message. Call, be patient, explain the situation and if you get someone competent they'll switch you back no problem. For me, it took TWO calls because the first person who said they'd switch me back actually didn't. The upside is that when you call (I suggest EARLY morning on a Friday or Saturday) they'll almost always bring your claim current so you typically have nothing further to fill out.

It's actually possible that something might be passed to extend tiers into 2012 (we won't see any new ones but I wouldn't be surprised if the qualification timeline gets pushed out.) I'm not sure how EB works in these cases, I've heard varying things so I'd ask specifically related to your case when you call.

[blithegirl]

Thank you very much for the reply! I'll definitely call right after the last claim and have zero balance on Sunday. I think the unemployment workers are trained to not to tell you what's going to happen after you deplete your current tier, they always say you'll know when you deplete it, let alone that far out, it is what it is, let's see.

[raymond2]

Originally Posted by lilyflower7

It's actually possible that something might be passed to extend tiers into 2012 (we won't see any new ones but I wouldn't be surprised if the qualification timeline gets pushed out.)

I wouldn't hold my breath on extension renewals in 2012, the last couple of times was dragged out and heatedly debated until Obama made the compromise to extend tax breaks for the wealthy.

Even then, he only managed to extend UI for 1 year, while those tax beaks are extended 2 years.
It's going to be an election year, and Obama already stated he will NOT compromise to extend further tax breaks for the wealthy again.

There's not much to compromise with now and a few states are stalling to legally implement those congressionally approved extension tiers & EB in their own states as evidenced by people on this forum, (whose payments have been pre-maturely stopped) still writing their state's representatives to allow them to collect.

New extensions already ended for 99er's a year ago, so everyone should learn the lesson from the 99er's to expect for extensions to likely end... and plan for their future accordingly. Many 99er's held onto the belief & hope of new extensions for too long.

[lilyflower7]

No, there's no guarantee that it will be extended - however, extending qualifications for the current tiers are much more likely than a tier V... still, it's all general speculation at this point.