A snippet:

There’s another problem with the unemployment extensions signed into law earlier this month: The legislation does nothing to address the fact that all of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits program all expire at the end of the year. …

The tight deadline for applying for the two additional EUC benefit tiers makes it unlikely that many Michigan residents will qualify for the full 20 weeks of added benefits.

Go see what he’s talking about.

The news release estimates 70,000 to 80,000 people are affected by this extension of benefits.

Now, keep in mind this is a hit and miss situation. Whether such an opportunity is available in YOUR neighborhood depends on whether a business, non-profit group or local government agency has decided to sponsor such a thing. These offers and programs also come and go on very short notice.

But there are freebies and discounts that jobless people in southeast Michigan do have access to, and I do post about them as I get the details. You’ll find them in the Monroe on a Budget archives under:

• Freebies (which can include freebies for other circumstances).
• Layoff recovery plan (notices specifically for those who are jobless).
• Unemployment (posts dealing with unemployment statistics and unemployment benefits)

Watch for details to be posted at Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency site.

Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency is warning those with state unemployment insurance (UI) debit cards that scammers are using cell phone text messages in an attempt to steal their unemployment benefits.

UIA received two calls from individuals receiving unemployment benefits stating they had received text messages telling them to verify their UI debit card personal identification number by contacting the text sender.

“Let me be clear, the Unemployment Insurance Agency and Chase Bank never contact anyone by text or by email about their unemployment claim or PIN.  These two attempts and possibly others are being made by scammers who only want to gain access to the individual’s UI debit card account and steal any funds in the account,” said Stephen M. Geskey, state UI director.

JPMorgan Chase administers the MI UI Debit Card program for the state of Michigan.

The bogus text messages advised individuals they need to reset their UI debit card PIN. One person was told to send a return text with his PIN included, while the other was instructed to call the phone number listed in the text message.  When a victim calls the telephone number, a recorded voice asks the caller for his/her UI debit card number and PIN.  With that information, the scammer can access and remove funds from the card account.

Mr. Geskey further advised that anyone who has received a text about their UI debit card to ignore the message and delete it.  If someone responds to such a message or wishes to verify the status of their Michigan UI Debit Card, they should call the JPMorgan Chase customer service telephone number at (866) 523-2122.

Sven Gustafson, who hosts the Michigan Job Search blog at MLive, did a post yesterday with an update on the latest proposal to extend jobless benefits for those who are unemployed.

I usually do not write about proposals, suggestions, or ideas that are bantered about in political and business circles. I find those headlines annoying and frustrating myself. I prefer to write about what’s really available, and what’s really happening, to families in southeast Michigan.

What I found interesting on Sven’s blog is not the news report itself, but the comment section from the readers. Keep in mind that MLive is a site hosted by several Michigan newspapers, and you can pretty much bet most of Sven’s readers live in Michigan:

Willmiller says: “Please do not extended the unemployment benefits. Its time to rip the band-aid off and let the real healing begin.”

JLuk58 says: “That is easy for you to say. You probably have a job or you have someone or something that is supporting you. If they don’t extend this unemployment benefit many people will not have money to spend and then the economy will really go down the toilet.”

ez4me2say says: “This UE needs to pass. We are living in unprecedented times. There are more people in Michigan looking for jobs than there are jobs available. I have many highly educated friends who are looking for work, and there’s nothing out there, and I’m not talking about $20 per hour jobs. Many are told that they’re overqualified and the jobs that are available are often given to younger people who the employer assumes will take a lower salary.”

Morrey says: “What we need is jobs and solutions. We are workers. Very few of us are proud of being unemployed.”

The only long-term solution is getting jobs back into the market.

I don’t believe it matters so much what the income level for those jobs actually are, because families quickly learn to adjust their spending up or down as appropriate. But the paychecks need to be steady, permanent and reliable.

What do we do in the meantime?

I’m in favor of extending unemployment benefits when the economic statistics prove that it’s more difficult than usual to find a job.

The reason: families who get unemployment benefits are able to limit their need for other social safety net services. It’s just enough cash, in many situations, for families to keep up with basic needs even though they will have to drastically cut back on expenses. (For tips on how to do that, go to my Downsized Budget series.)

The alternative is relying on the social safety network of government agencies and non-profit services who serve the poorest of Michigan families. And those programs are struggling to keep up with the number of clients they already have.

That’s the highest in the country. Furthermore, the rate has been more than 15 percent all summer.

The county-by-county rates will be issued later in the month.

However, this headline will certainly be of interest to my Michigan and Ohio readers. The unemployment rate in Michigan has been 15 percent all summer.

USA Today is reporting Unemployed homeowners could get financial assistance.

A snippet:

The Obama administration is engaged in high-level talks about providing financial assistance to homeowners who’ve lost their jobs and can’t afford their mortgage payments.

The Treasury Department held meetings on the subject as recently as Thursday with key stakeholders, according to Laura Armstrong, a spokeswoman for Hope Now, an alliance of non-profits and mortgage servicers, and more discussions are planned.

Proposals include getting servicers to let jobless homeowners skip some monthly payments, according to Faith Schwartz, executive director of Hope Now.

There are more than 450 comments posted on that story.

Some of the chatter revolves around who is “deserving” of such assistance and whether bad choices such as overspending on homes, rather than unemployment itself, are causing personal financial problems.

This is nothing new. The “who deserves it?” question is the unspoken reason for nearly every application process involved with seeking financial help. That’s why you have to show at the very least, proof of income, for a lot of financial safety net programs. That’s also why you have to deal with an annoying amount of red tape for so many of those programs.

Others commenting on the story are pointing out that this idea is coming along a little too late to help a lot of families whose homes have already been lost, or who are in danger of doing so in the near future.

But a money-saving resource or program almost always involves eligibility dates and deadlines. Every college scholarship has an application deadline. Miss the deadline, and your application won’t be considered. And every sale at a grocery or drug store is valid only for the stated week or sometimes stated day. Buy milk one day before it goes on sale, and you are paying the regular price.

It will air on WGTE TV 30 Toledo, WTVS TV 56 Detroit and most other PBS stations at 8 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 9.

CNBC news report.

Thanks to Mike (who blogs at Erie Hiker) for the heads up!

Susan Tompor of the Detroit Free Press has been on a recurring rant on this topic. Her column today points out that the state of Michigan is not meeting up to the U.S. Department of Labor recommendations on what fees would be considered reasonable.

Unfortunately, the current contract with the bank that manages the debit card program doesn’t run out until 2011.