Fed-ED, Need Info

I just went through my 4th extension. Last year I had qualified for this program that allowed me to continue on my original claim because my new claim was significantly less. In short I was getting approx. $340 a week and my new claim had put me down to $154 a week. So i finished my 4th extension and it looks like they put me back to my original claim. I am wondering why I didn't get the Fed-Ed extension. on my $340 a week. I was under the understanding that I was able to. Do I need to call and apply for the Fed-Ed level? $600 a month is not something I can live on.

I was making it a "OK" with the $340 a week, but to have that suddenly cut in half is stressing me out. What is the current info on the Fed-Ed level?

I think you might need to appeal to your state's unemployment agency and find out what happened ... just explain to them what's going on and how it happened.

Charmgyrl wrote:I just went through my 4th extension. Last year I had qualified for this program that allowed me to continue on my original claim because my new claim was significantly less. In short I was getting approx. $340 a week and my new claim had put me down to $154 a week. So i finished my 4th extension and it looks like they put me back to my original claim. I am wondering why I didn't get the Fed-Ed extension. on my $340 a week. I was under the understanding that I was able to. Do I need to call and apply for the Fed-Ed level? $600 a month is not something I can live on.

I was making it a "OK" with the $340 a week, but to have that suddenly cut in half is stressing me out. What is the current info on the Fed-Ed level?

From what I understand, once a new claim is opened and you exhaust all benefits therein, you lose elgiblity for Fed-Ed from the prior claim. Also, the EUC fix, from what I've read, doesn't apply to Fed-Ed/EB.

I hear you on all of this. I got off the phone with EDD last week discussing what extention I was on. I should have been on my 3rd. The EDD EE went through each extention and said I was on my 4th. She got to the 3rd and said it was only for 1 week! I was never informed of such. She gave me this twisted mumbo jumbo stating most think it's part of the 2nd tier. I was so confused by the end of her explanation. I too, am nearing the end of my so called 4th EXT, and will hopefully be receiving FED-ED if I have not found work. Who knows if I will receive it or if it will be for the same amount. It is like they make the rules and we are just supposed to zip it and accept it. They actually make mistakes, but question them and heaven help us.

pomgirl2u wrote:I hear you on all of this. I got off the phone with EDD last week discussing what extention I was on. I should have been on my 3rd. The EDD EE went through each extention and said I was on my 4th. She got to the 3rd and said it was only for 1 week! I was never informed of such. She gave me this twisted mumbo jumbo stating most think it's part of the 2nd tier. I was so confused by the end of her explanation. I too, am nearing the end of my so called 4th EXT, and will hopefully be receiving FED-ED if I have not found work. Who knows if I will receive it or if it will be for the same amount. It is like they make the rules and we are just supposed to zip it and accept it. They actually make mistakes, but question them and heaven help us.

Below is the breakdown of the various tiers. Note that, at one point, 1 week was added to Tier 2 -- that may have been the one week that she was referring to.

Regular UI: 26 weeks
1st extension (Tier 1): 20 weeks
2nd extension (Tier 2): 13 + 1 = 14 weeks
3rd extension (Tier 3): 13 weeks
4th extension (Tier 4): 6 weeks
EB (called FED-ED in California): 20 weeks

The person you spoke with is confused! One week was added to tier 2 in 2009. Here is the information on the Federal Tiers. Call back your unemployment office with this information and set them straight. Good Luck!

https://unemployed-friends.forumotion.com/t660-current-federal-and-state-unemployment-extension-news-and-updates

Thanks! Yes, she actually said the 3rd tier was only for one week and gave me start and end dates for each tier. (I made her). They do have me on my 4th tier now. She said "tiers are "up to" a certain amount of weeks." Them made sure I understood that Just because the 3rd tier was up to 13 weeks or so...it did not mean I would receive 13 weeks. She said some people just received 1 week . The sad thing is that everyone assumes we are all on unemployment for 99 weeks, when actually we are not guaranteed that at all. For many it is less. They sure make the rules as they go.

pomgirl2u wrote:Thanks! Yes, she actually said the 3rd tier was only for one week and gave me start and end dates for each tier. (I made her). They do have me on my 4th tier now. She said "tiers are "up to" a certain amount of weeks." Them made sure I understood that Just because the 3rd tier was up to 13 weeks or so...it did not mean I would receive 13 weeks. She said some people just received 1 week . The sad thing is that everyone assumes we are all on unemployment for 99 weeks, when actually we are not guaranteed that at all. For many it is less. They sure make the rules as they go.

She is very confused! Call EDD and get it straightened out. You are in CA, a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. You are entitled to ALL the weeks in tier 3 before you move on to tier 4. Don't let it go, the 99 weeks goes by fast enough with a mistake being made by an EDD employee.

OK - So I just emailed them and they usually email back quickly. I do have a number to get through to someone, but want to see what they say via email. I like having things in writing from them. I asked them to be very specific as to why my benefits in tier 3 were shortened to only 1 week. I told them the explanation before was not clear. I told them exactly what you said and that I should have been paid for all weeks. I will let you know what they say. Should be entertaining. :-)

pomgirl2u wrote:OK - So I just emailed them and they usually email back quickly. I do have a number to get through to someone, but want to see what they say via email. I like having things in writing from them. I asked them to be very specific as to why my benefits in tier 3 were shortened to only 1 week. I told them the explanation before was not clear. I told them exactly what you said and that I should have been paid for all weeks. I will let you know what they say. Should be entertaining. :-)

Good Luck! It is tough enough without having weeks taken away. Sending good vibes your way!

Reading this it seems to be saying that the benefits follow the tiers (which are posted on the EDD site) and the Fed Ed is AFTER all tiers have been exhausted. My q is if I go back and count the weeks and compare the calendar weeks to the weeks I received; there is a gap here and there. It seems to happen at the end of a tier (one week is in the questionable Tier2 when there should have been 14 weeks but I received 13. The notice I got at the end of my initial claim period said to file a new claim; and I called to see if I needed to or if they automatically started another extension; I was told to file a new one and I did; got an award letter; and then no checks. When I called they interviewed me about why I waited so long to call; then they sent an update claim form to "finish out" a tier. I sent it in and they sent one week. I reconciled all my checks and bank deposits and believe they owe me six weeks; two from the first extension. I will call them but is it correct that they pay all the weeks in each tier in succession without a waiting period?

socal in midlife wrote:Reading this it seems to be saying that the benefits follow the tiers (which are posted on the EDD site) and the Fed Ed is AFTER all tiers have been exhausted. My q is if I go back and count the weeks and compare the calendar weeks to the weeks I received; there is a gap here and there. It seems to happen at the end of a tier (one week is in the questionable Tier2 when there should have been 14 weeks but I received 13. The notice I got at the end of my initial claim period said to file a new claim; and I called to see if I needed to or if they automatically started another extension; I was told to file a new one and I did; got an award letter; and then no checks. When I called they interviewed me about why I waited so long to call; then they sent an update claim form to "finish out" a tier. I sent it in and they sent one week. I reconciled all my checks and bank deposits and believe they owe me six weeks; two from the first extension. I will call them but is it correct that they pay all the weeks in each tier in succession without a waiting period?

There should be no waiting period when you move from regular UC to any of the Federal tiers or state EB. Did your BYE change? I don't think this would affect it, but it is possible that this could be causing the confusion.

Good luck!

pomgirl2u wrote:OK - So I just emailed them and they usually email back quickly. I do have a number to get through to someone, but want to see what they say via email. I like having things in writing from them. I asked them to be very specific as to why my benefits in tier 3 were shortened to only 1 week. I told them the explanation before was not clear. I told them exactly what you said and that I should have been paid for all weeks. I will let you know what they say. Should be entertaining. :-)

Pomgirl are you in CA? Do you use the online form to email the EDD or do you have a specific email address of someone familiar with your case?

DesperateInRI wrote:

socal in midlife wrote:Reading this it seems to be saying that the benefits follow the tiers (which are posted on the EDD site) and the Fed Ed is AFTER all tiers have been exhausted. My q is if I go back and count the weeks and compare the calendar weeks to the weeks I received; there is a gap here and there. It seems to happen at the end of a tier (one week is in the questionable Tier2 when there should have been 14 weeks but I received 13. The notice I got at the end of my initial claim period said to file a new claim; and I called to see if I needed to or if they automatically started another extension; I was told to file a new one and I did; got an award letter; and then no checks. When I called they interviewed me about why I waited so long to call; then they sent an update claim form to "finish out" a tier. I sent it in and they sent one week. I reconciled all my checks and bank deposits and believe they owe me six weeks; two from the first extension. I will call them but is it correct that they pay all the weeks in each tier in succession without a waiting period?

There should be no waiting period when you move from regular UC to any of the Federal tiers or state EB. Did your BYE change? I don't think this would affect it, but it is possible that this could be causing the confusion.

Good luck!

BYE did not change....each stub says claim thru 1/29/11 and they have sent multiple "up to date" forms, I have sent them back and they either said they did not get or the info was incomplete. This is going on since early March.

Bumping for help from any west coast members!