Recess in the Recession: Unemployment and Health Insurance

Today was set aside to deal with some of the more nit-picky aspects of being unemployed -- filing for unemployment benefits, and beginning the hunt for the Great White Whale of Unemployment, which is of course affordable health care. (If I didn't have a reason to vote for Barack Obama before, I do now. Of course, how many people said the same thing about Clinton in '92?)

I started the morning on the very user-friendly Virginia Employment Commission website, where I quickly filed for unemployment and then became increasingly confused at what exactly my next steps should be. Apparently, you have to have a sit-down interview for a job every week that you then report to the VEC. Who in the world does sit-down interviews anymore? Every job I'm chasing encourages you to apply online, and pray that your resume has the right keyword matches.

I suppose I'm going to have to actually read the VEC booklet that walks me through the process.

We wrestled with whether to file or not, but every other laid-off person I know said, "Do it." If I am lucky enough to get work quickly, I won't need it. If I wind up on the bread line because my severance runs out, they say I'll be glad to have the unemployment money socked away.

Health insurance is another treat.

We can continue my policy with my former employer through COBRA. It's a good policy. A really good policy. It would also cost us more than our monthly home mortgage.

A number of people have suggested we start a Health Savings Account (HSA) and get a high deductible health plan, which would cover most of Thea's medical expenses and let Nikole and I get a annual check-up. They seem to be significantly cheaper -- even adding dental and life insurance options to a high-deductible plan through Anthem is a third of what COBRA would cost us.

Who knew that being your own HR department would be so time consuming?

Comments

[Allen]

Tips from someone on VA's dole for about 6 weeks now.

Sign up at the VEC website and they will send you information through the mail about how much you qualify for and how long. They will also send you a pin to access the weekly filing Web site. To qualify for benefits in a particular week, you need to be available to work and contact several places for work. Sending your resume by email counts as a contact. I've registered 3 contact a week which is enough to get you a check. Make sure you have the address and phone # of each contact when you file.

I'll be keenly interested to learn how the whole health insurance thing works. My benefits from work runs out in a couple of months and I'm looking to options.

[Kelly]

I'm in Calif so I will be of little real use BUT California is the Queen of chasing your ass in circles. My friends who have been on unemployment (and you're right to file...why not!?) do not have to do "sit down" interviews even though I think Calif has a similar "rule" outlined. You have to show that you're making an effort to become employed but trust me, a good many of my friends sat on their asses and still collected somehow. You are not in the sitting on your ass category so I'm sure you'll be just fine. Your friend is probably right about the severance. State compensation is very picky about having other sources of income. your severance MAY be excluded, but you'll need to ask someone. In Calif., no one does you any favors or informs you of much of anything unless you ask. I had to deal with all that stuff when I was pregnant/on disability. You can't take sick time and collect disability but you can collect disability while taking vacation pay. Its all a big mess so talk to someone. But now that you've filed, you're at least on the road.

Good luck with the health insurance stuff. What a crock of crap all that is huh? I am NOT a fan of Kaiser in the least but it may be the most affordable option for you until you get a new job. But I really really am NOT a fan...especially with Thea's little GI problems that she's had. I mean, maybe they're fine in the interim...but its something for you to think about. Its a very affordable way to be able to deal with colds and infections and basic stuff and prescriptions.

[Pauline]

COBRA is to tide you over until the health insurance at your next job kicks in, and dates back to when people quit jobs to take other jobs, and there was a 90-day or so waiting period before the new job insured them. COBRA is not economical in the least when you don't know when the next job will be.

And I don't think the VEC will start paying you anything until the severance runs out. Then it starts. And anything you make freelance or working temp or part-time is subtracted from their allotment, but the total amount is still there, so actually working part-time stretches out your time on the dole. I rode it for six months after 9/11 by working part-time. (But after 9/11, the state kept extending the amount of time people could stay on it, plus upping the weekly allotment.)

[Bookstore Piet]

I was let go from Capital One right after 9/11. Unless they have changed the rules for unemployment claims I never had a requirement for an actual sit down interview. I was required to give them a weekly rundown (I think it was through a VRU) of all the job 'contacts' I made. A contact could be as benign as filling out an online app, dropping off a resume, calling and pestering some poor HR admin, or an actual interview.

Good Luck!

[Parker]

COBRA?!!! Don't do it! They are really a sinister political and military organization who take part in terrorism with world domination as their goal.

[Kristen Reid]

John,
If you figure out the wonderful VEC website let me know!!! I am now thoroughly confused - having spent a good chunk of time going in complete circles on the website (still no idea how to take next steps).....Kristen Reid