Extended Jobless Benefits – Ohio

Thousands set to lose jobless benefits, By Randy Tucker, July 18, 2011, Oxford Press: “Jobless benefits for thousands of displaced Ohio workers are set to expire at the beginning of next year, an event some economists fear will sap hundreds of millions of dollars in personal income from the state’s economy and further stall the economic recovery. Others, however, say the end of extended benefits will be good for the economy because it will force jobless workers to step up their job searches and bring down the unemployment rate. The end of extended unemployment benefits that Congress approved in December 2010 for up to 99 weeks will, at least in the short run, put added pressure on food pantries and other social service agencies that are already struggling with growing demand from jobless workers. More than 33,000 Ohioans have exhausted their unemployment benefits so far this year, putting the state on pace to exceed the 47,241 beneficiaries who received their final unemployment checks in 2010, based on figures from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services…”