Life without unemployment benefits

BRADENTON — Bradenton resident Eddie McKie feels more pressure these days to land a job.

McKie has been collecting unemployment since March 2008, a month after he was laid off from Tropicana. But the 42-year-old will see the last of those benefits in September.

He never imagined he’d need the maximum 79 weeks laid-off workers in Florida can receive. Now McKie fears the worst for himself and his 12-year-old daughter.

“With the economy being the way it is, I’ll be homeless within weeks,” McKie said. “I have a bachelor’s degree and I can’t get a job.”

McKie is among more than 2 million people nationwide who will see their unemployment benefits expire by the end of the year.

The National Employment Law Project estimates 540,000 people nationwide will exhaust all of their unemployment benefits by the end of September, and 1.5 million will run out by the end of December.

The National Employment Law Project’s estimates take into account the two sets of federal extensions — emergency unemployment compensation and extended benefits — depending on what’s available in each state.

Extended benefits are available in all but 17 states.

“Over half a million Americans will face life without a paycheck or an unemployment check by the end of September,” said Andrew Stettner, deputy director of the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group for employment rights.

In Florida, laid-off workers can collect a maximum of 79 weeks in unemployment compensation.

The state provides a maximum of 26 weeks, then the federal government provides a maximum of 33 weeks through the emergency unemployment compensation program and, lastly, the federal extended benefits program gives a maximum of 20 weeks.

The National Employment Law Project estimates 31,513 Floridians will run out of extended benefits, which is the last source of compensation, in September, and 131,893 will run out of extended benefits in December.

Florida will have the second most expirations in December, and the third most expirations in September nationwide, behind only California and Pennsylvania.

Florida out of funds

Florida’s trust fund to pay out unemployment compensation has been exhausted and the state now must borrow money from the federal government.

Victoria Heller, external affairs director for the Agency for Workforce Innovation, said the state began borrowing money from the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday.

The agency was authorized to borrow $300 million in August, and has so far borrowed $52 million of that amount. In September, the agency is authorized to borrow $310 million, and will draw from that as needed, Heller said.

“Most importantly, our unemployment compensation customers will not notice any difference,” Heller said. “All eligible unemployment compensation customers will continue to receive their benefits as usual.”

Heller did not disclose how the unemployment trust fund will borrow or gain money beyond September.