Unemployment Insurance
Posted on January 10, 2011 by Ben Connard As part of the political deal to extend the Bush tax cuts, Congress also extended unemployment benefits through 2011. State unemployment benefits usually max out at 26 weeks. The federal program extends those benefits up to 99 weeks, depending on the state’s unemployment rate. A state unemployment rate of above 8.5% allows for the maximum eligibility. Unemployment benefits are a controversial topic. No one is going to get rich collecting unemployment- the max benefit in New York is $405 a week (about $10 an hour vs. minimum wage…