Yes, Some Unemployment Benefits Have Been Extended, but Not All

Snatched right from the Department of Labor's website:

COBRA Continuation Coverage Assistance Under ARRA

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides a COBRA premium reduction for eligible individuals who are involuntarily terminated from employment through the end of May 2010. Due to the statutory sunset, the COBRA premium reduction under ARRA is not available for individuals who experience involuntary terminations after May 31, 2010. However, individuals who qualified on or before May 31, 2010 may continue to pay reduced premiums for up to 15 months, as long as they are not eligible for another group health plan or Medicare.

The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 signed by the President on July 22, 2010, did not extend the COBRA premium reduction.

Individuals who believe they have been incorrectly denied the subsidy may request the Employee Benefits Security Administration review their denial and issue a determination within 15 business days. The application to request a review is available at http://www.dol.gov/COBRA.

My clarification:

1. Every person that is currently participating in the COBRA benefit premium reduction where the federal government is picking up 65% of the monthly COBRA fees, will no longer receive this financial assistance once they have exhausted the 15 month maximum under the ARRA. 

• Example: If you began paying for COBRA benefits as of August 1, 2009, and the regular fees were calculated at $1,000 per month for your family but with the 65% premium reduction in place you have been paying $350 per month.  As of November 1, 2010 you will be required to pay the $1000 per month because October 31, 2010 will be the last day of the 15 months of COBRA premium reduction assistance under the ARRA.  I strongly suggest that you check with your former employer about length of COBRA coverage past the 15 months and your new monthly fees.                                                                 

    2.   If you were involuntarily terminated (laid off) from your employment after May 2010, the
          65% premium reduction is not available to you.

****     I applied for a review and in less than the 15 days as stated on the DOL website, I
                was successful in being granted the 65% federal subsidy. If you have been denied,
                apply for a review.       

Stimulus Cash For Appliances

In New Jersey starting today April 1st, the federal government has launched another program as part of the ARRA stimulus act. 

This program called Cash for Appliances is a rebate program designed to get old, power-sapping refrigerators, clothes washers, and dishwashers replaced with energy efficient models and boost the sales for the appliance industry.

The federal government is hoping this program will do for the appliance industry what the Cash For Clunkers program did for the auto industry last year.

This program will end April 30th. For more details go to http://www.njcleanenergy.com/ and click here to read on:

More Stimulus Help for Homeowners

If you haven't already, you should apply for heating assistance through  NJ Shares, LIHEAP or USF.  If your household qualifies, one of these programs will credit payments directly to your PSEG account monthly.  Additionally if you check off the box titled "Weatherization", your home will be added to the list of homes which will be considered for weatherization, go green and energy efficient upgrades such as insulation, weather stripping, caulking, window replacements, and in some cases appliance/furnace/hot water heater replacements.  I qualify and my home has been selected.

La Casa de Don Pedro was scheduled to come to my home at 9:30am to perform a weatherization inspection.  At 9:29 they pulled up in front of my house, and by the time they parked the van and started walking to my front door it was 9:30am on the nose.  I was greeted by two pleasant young men who immediately introduced themselves, provided their identification, explained the purpose of their visit, what they hoped to accomplish and what I could expect.
They performed tests on the furnace, hot water heater, window seals and the house foundation.  The inspection included drilling a hole in a wall to determine if the walls were insulated, checking the manufacturer dates, makes and models of my refrigerator, furnace and hot water heater. The same day they installed weather stripping, energy efficient light bulbs, and CO2 detectors.
Upon the completion of my home inspection, I was provided a laundry list of next steps which included replacing my hot water heater, refrigerator and a window and installing insulation in the walls of my first and 2nd floor.  The process was explained in detail, the expectations were reviewed and timelines walked through before they left.  My questions were answered and I was able to make copies of all docs that I signed giving them permission to perform the various inspections.  They swept up behind themselves and removed any debris they created. Yes, I was impressed.
Two hours after they left the 1st plumber called to make an appointment to come to my home to inspect the hot water heater job.  Three hours later the 2nd plumber came to my home to inspect the hot water heater job.  This job as it had been explained to me by La Casa de Don Pedro had been put up for bid.
The next day, that's right the next day, the plumber called at 8am and arrived at 9am sharp to install my new energy efficient 40 gallon hot water heater.  My hot water heater upgrade included new copper piping, an auto feed from the hot water heater to the furnace (I no longer will have to manually add water to the furnace when the water is low), a new low water shut of switch on the furnace and the installation of a new digital thermostat in my dining room.
In the weeks to come I will be contacted by the window and insulation contractors and either Sears or Lowes regarding my new energy efficient refrigerator (yes the same size as I currently have).
I spent a few minutes speaking with the plumber that installed the hot water heater (you know me, forever inquisitive), he shared a bit of his story of what it has been like for him and his business trying to weather through these difficult economic times.  He said he is very grateful for the stimulus programs that Obama has in place.  He has been able to hire back 5 of his laid off workers due to the ARRA (stimulus package) and added that 80% of his business now comes from the ARRA.

All of these upgrades and replacements are FREE to me, my tax dollars being put to work.  I love my president!

Get started here http://njshares.org/; or http://njshares.org/aboutNJShares/whoWeHelp.asp; or  http://njshares.org/whereToApply/index.asp.