Unemployment benefits end for more than a million Americans

About 1.3 million of the nation’s 4 million long-term unemployed are no longer getting unemployment benefits. These extended federal unemployment benefits recently came to a halt, affecting many families who depend on this money for day-to-day expenses.

According to the National Employment Law Project in New York City, the cuts include 86,900 individuals in Pennsylvania, which has the fourth-highest total of unemployed workers collecting the emergency long-term benefits.

The expiration of the federal program, which was originally authorized in 2008 and extended 11 times as the recession and its effects dragged on, will affect an additional 2.3 million people this year. The extended benefits were designed as a cushion for the millions of Americans who lost their jobs and failed to find new ones.

President Obama said that his administration would push Congress to act promptly and in a bipartisan fashion to address this. Recipients still face, at best, a delay in their checks and, at worst, a permanent end to them. The recession may technically be over, but for many, the recovery has yet to begin.

Advice from Caroline Munley, Pennsylvania personal injury attorney

If you’ve been affected by the cut in unemployment benefits, find help with job searches and career training at Pennsylvania Career Link or other job search sites. You can find mortgage assistance through the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), and additional federal assistance through programs including Medicaid, Food Stamps, and WIC.