Unemployment Compensation for Veterans

As a general rule, you can't get unemployment compensation if you have had a voluntary separation from your employer.  But there's an exception for military personnel.  Even if you have a voluntary separation from the military, you may be eligible for unemployment comp from the state in which you reside under certain circumstances.

For one, you have to have been received an honorable discharge, and had served at least 90 days.  You can receive benefits if you left before the end of you hitch if there were certain circumstances that required a discharge, like medical need or pregnancy or hardship.  And, of course, you have to meet the other requirements for unemployment compensation in that state, such as being fully or partially unemployed, looking and being available for work, and checking in periodically.  You apply at your state's employment office.  For more information, see this entry from stateside legal.

If You Live in Certain States, Your Unemployment Checks Can Work Towards Starting a Business

All states have some form of unemployment insurance, but in five states--New York, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Oregon (and apparently from their inclusion in this document, Delaware)--the unemployed have another option.  In the other 45 states, the unemployed have to show that they are working towards another job by training and/or pounding the pavement.  But in these five states, there is a self-employment assistance program.  Unemployed workers in these states can earn their check by proving that they are working to become self-employed--that they are training to set up a workable business, writing a business plan, or other concrete steps to start a business, and the usual job hunting requirements are waived.

What are the requirements for this?  Each state has different regulations that you can find here.  While this page is set up for policy makers in other states, it lets you know what is expected. 
The U.S. Department of Labor is trying to expand this program to other states, and has given money to states across the country to set up their own programs.  If you (sadly) become eligible for unemployment insurance in your state, ask if your state has a self-employment assistance program, and what you need to go to become eligible.

One Stop Shop for Unemployment Help

The find I made last week is a new page on Career One Stop, a federal jobs page.  This one is devoted to re-employment..  It’s supposed to help you find more sources for help if you run out of unemployment benefits. However, it is hampered by the fact that there really aren’t a lot of well-funded resources, and with the newest outbreak of budget-cutting fever in Washington, there will be even less to go around. It’s sad but true. For instance, the heating help? It’s slated for budget cutbacks later in the year. So good luck with that. But they present you with different state and federal options for the problems of unemployment.  Here’s the parts I found most interesting:


Finding your state’s job bank: This can be useful, as it gives you a centralized place to find job opportunities and put up a resume, if you wish.
Short term training finder: Use it to find a training program in your state in 2 or less years that is eligible for federal aid:
WIA (workforce investment act) retraining providers: schools that provide training and are eligible for WIA funds (IF there’s money for them, and IF you qualify).

Occupation training finder.  This site finds training and education providers in your state that are eligible for federal aid.  Simply input the occupation that you want, the state in which you live and the level of education you are seeking, and it will give you a list of education providers in your state that are eligible for federal aid.

State Financial Aid Links: Links for each state’s scholarship programs. Many states have statewide scholarship programs for different groups of students, like those in particular professions or for groups of students, like the children of deceased veterans, etc.

Link on the New Unemployment Extension, and Much More

While hunting up more information on the extension of unemployment benefits, I found this terrific website created by the Ohio Jobs and Family Services Department. Here to Help is not just for those on unemployment. It also links to a lot of good information for any Ohioans in financial straights: food sources, education funding, health care, housing, job searching, and the Learning Express Library, which helps you prepare for employment and education tests like the GED.
En route to this, I found another gem, weirdly stashed away under car repair (under “more”): Prevention, Retention, and Contingency program. It’s a program in Jobs and Family Services that provides small, one-time vouchers to help poor people scale the financial humps that get in the way of financial progress. It’s especially for families with minor children in the state of Ohio, who make no more (usually) than 200% of the poverty level, and working at least 20 hours a week. They do not have to be JFS clients to receive help. F or instance, if your car breaks down, and you need it for work, or you need work equipment, housing relocation, etc. It’s not for steady expenses—just small, make or break things. Each Ohio county’s Jobs and Family Services office has its own criteria and goals, so they vary from one place to another. If you are poor, the parent of a minor child and in a jam about paying for some small necessity, check out your county’s JFS office, as well as this site on your legal rights by Ohio Legal Services.