“Yes, you don’t have a job. But now you have a world full of options.” –Bill Meagher
about healthcare? Will they miss this laptop if I take it home? Another fairly standard reaction is intoxication. This can take on the basic form of drowning one’s sorrows. It can also include drinking to forget. Surprisingly, the drinking can include celebration that you no longer have to take part in that stupid weekly Zoom call where it seems every other person must use the phrase “circle back.” Another typical stage also includes blame. Those who lose their jobs often grapple with blame, feeling like they brought this drastic change on by things they did, or worse, things they didn’t do. Blame is not very productive, though it is a very human reaction. An exception to this is when the recently unemployed considers who to lay the blame on, as in “I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was going to blame you.” Another basic reaction can often be summed up as revenge. This can be as simple as keying the boss’ car or microwaving a big piece of salmon in the break room. But sometimes the act of planning a proper act of revenge that might take two years to pull off can do the trick too. Finally, there’s acceptance. Yes, you don’t have a job. But now you have a world full of options. You now have the
To begin with, apply the first Sunday following your departure from your workplace. The EDD’s benefit week that runs from Sunday to the following Saturday. You can and should fill out your application online. You want to go slowly and fill in the data truthfully. After your account is set up and your application is complete, your mail relationship with the agency begins. They will send you a variety of information which includes a form with nine questions on it regarding your job search. My source advised that these questions need to be considered carefully and again your answers need to be truthful, because like the federal Internal Revenue Service, slipping in a white lie can be costly. The benefits from the state max out at $450 a week and last a maximum of 26 weeks. While the state expects you to report your income while you are receiving benefits, and that income is likely to be deducted from your unemployment check, for senior workers, there is some good news. If you received Social Security benefits, those are yours to keep and have no connection to state benefits.
luxury of thinking outside the box. Your imagination can run wild with possibility and recall of your youth when passion and not obligations ruled the day. On the other hand, you may be too old to become an astronaut. Fired? You Still Have Paperwork to Do The state of California has all kinds of public agencies some of which we interact with at least occasionally. We see the California Highway Patrol cruising past you on the 101. Or you are standing in line at the DMV, hoping you have the right form filled out. But those agencies pale in comparison to the importance of the Employment Development Department. This of course is the agency that pays out unemployment benefits to folks who find themselves unemployed, including those who have been pink-slipped. And paperwork is king when it comes to this place. I have a former reporting amigo who wound up as an Employment Program Representative with the EDD and though he retired, he did agree to speak on background to pass along some basic wisdom and make navigating this process easier.
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