Learning to navigate the Web during a computer class at the state's One Stop Employment and Training Center in Newark are, from left, Frank Fitz and Randy Weaver of Newark and Joyce Burke of Utica.
Tonja Troyer teaches job seekers about using computers and the Internet in a class at the One Stop Employment and Training Center in Newark.
"I keep forgetting," Shearer said.
Value City Department Stores went bankrupt, and since December, Shearer has had neither the job nor the cards that identified him as the chain's transportation director. He is 53 and out of work for the first time since high school.
Shearer never had been inside an unemployment office, much less learned to file a claim. On Tuesday, however, the Pataskala resident spent about seven hours at the state's One Stop Employment and Training Center in Licking County.
Such regimens are becoming compulsory for thousands of Ohioans. Being unemployed is a lot of work, much of it frustrating and unfamiliar.
"It's murky, murky water," said Lori Mye, an employment specialist at the center. "So many of the people we see now have never been through anything like this."
The to-do list is long, and each task comes with its own set of requirements -- and headaches. Laid-off workers juggle unemployment claims, apply for jobs, search for health insurance, maneuver their retirement accounts and, if things get really bad, seek assistance to cover basic needs.
Shearer considers himself luckier than many. He had a good job and some savings and is able to get health insurance through his wife's employer.
But he's far from set for life, so he must find a new career.
"Each week, you have to document your job search," Shearer said. "At first, when I floated my resume, I had some nibbles. But the last three weeks, there's been nothing."
He clings to routine and optimism. When his wife gets ready for work in the morning, he gets ready.
"I've got to stay in that frame of mind," Shearer said. "I don't want to wind up on the couch watching TV."
Experts say Shearer does other things right, too: He files his unemployment claims online, saving time and avoiding the stress that accompanies long phone waits. He is taking a computer class at the employment center and stays in touch with a caseworker.
"Utilize the resources that are available," advised Julie Smith, a deputy director at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. "Now more than ever, the various work-force systems are working together to help."
Once an initial unemployment claim is made, the recipient can choose to receive money by direct bank deposit or debit card. The first payment usually arrives in less than three weeks, officials say. If you manage your account online, you can receive compensation weekly. By phone or mail, it's every other week.
The amount varies, and there are limits. Weekly compensation cannot exceed 50 percent of your previous average weekly wage. For a worker with three or more dependents, the weekly pretax compensation tops out at $503. For individuals such as Shearer, whose children are grown, the maximum is $372.
"I've heard horror stories, but I've been fairly pleased with the process," said Dan Barnhart, a 44-year-old father of three who lost his job at an auto-industry supplier three months ago.
He uses the computers at the center to manage his unemployment account, and he researches job opportunities there every week. Mornings there can be tough. Early last Tuesday, it was standing room only, and there was a wait for every one of the 16 computers.
Like Shearer, Barnhart is trying to stay upbeat. But his situation is more complicated. When he lost his job, his health insurance disappeared, and he doesn't have a spouse who can provide coverage.
Getting sick "is not allowed," Barnhart said. "I need a job. Now."
So does Joyce Burke. After she'd worked eight years at Chase Bank in Westerville, "they sent my job to India," she said.
She has been trying to find a job for more than a year. "I'm only getting $200 a week in unemployment," said Burke, 51, of Utica. "I'd never been on unemployment before. Now I eat one meal a day."
Tending to that basic need can be a challenge, and there's help for some. In general, income cannot exceed 130 percent of the poverty level to qualify for food stamps, said Beth Kowalczyk of the Office of Family Stability at the Department of Job and Family Services.
That threshold applies only to income -- including unemployment checks -- coming in the door. As of October, balances in savings and retirement accounts aren't among the assets considered when Ohioans seek food stamps.
Kowalczyk said the change was made so that more jobless families could get help without wiping themselves out financially. "It allows them to survive without draining those accounts," she said.
Unemployment can be supplemented, but just a little. Claimants can earn up to 20 percent of their weekly benefit without penalty, state officials say. Any additional pay results in a dollar-for-dollar reduction in the benefit.
Most people are more focused on finding a good job before the clock runs out. Recent extensions mean a newly laid-off Ohio worker can draw unemployment for up to 59 weeks, and maybe longer if the job loss was trade-related.
"Unemployment checks are not the answer," Smith said. "The answer is getting folks retooled and retrained for the jobs of tomorrow."
Shearer would agree. He and millions of other Americans hope that tomorrow comes soon.
"So many of the people we see now have never been through anything like this."
Lori Myeemployment specialist
WHAT'S NEXT?
Here are tips on filing for unemployment benefits, handling your 401(k) plan and dealing with health insurance and other needs after a layoff:
Unemployment
If you're laid off, file an unemployment claim as soon as possible. State officials offer these suggestions for smoothing the process:
• Apply online: It's faster and less frustrating. Even if you aren't computer-savvy, help and computers are available at the one-stop job centers run by all county Job and Family Services departments. Claims also can be filed by phone, but you might wait a half-hour or longer to speak with someone. Go online to http://unemployment.ohio.gov, or call 1-877-OHIOJOB (644-6562).
• Be responsive: If you get a message or request for information from a caseworker, answer quickly. This can prevent delays in processing your claim.
• Take advantage of resources: Recent extensions mean that Ohioans can receive unemployment for up to 59 weeks, and possibly longer if their job loss was trade-related. But don't wait until it runs out to explore retraining and education programs. The one-stop centers have information. To find the one nearest you, go to http://jfs.ohio.gov/workforce/jobseekers/onestopmap.stm.
Health insurance
• COBRA: You can continue coverage through your employer under this federal law, but the premiums have been too high for most people. As part of the stimulus plan, the government will subsidize up to 65 percent of the cost of your premium for nine months. Help is available to any worker laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009.
• Other options: Learn more by contacting the Ohio Department of Insurance at 1-800-686-1526, or go to www.ohioinsurance.gov.
• Children: The state's Healthy Start program insures children who qualify. Call 614-466-2100 or go to http://jfs.ohio.gov/OHP/consumers/
familychild.stm.
401(k)
Your options for your retirement-savings plan boil down to cashing it out, keeping it with your former employer or rolling it over into an IRA.
• Cashing it out: Experts say this is a bad idea because you'll probably lose one-quarter to one-half of the withdrawal to taxes and penalties, and the returns you could have earned are gone forever.
• Leaving it alone: Companies hire administrators to manage the accounts, so even if a company is going out of business, this might be an option. The magic number is $5,000. If you have less than that in your 401(k), the company doesn't have to maintain an account for you if you no longer work there.
• Rolling it over: You can set up an individual retirement account with a bank, brokerage or other financial institution and ask that your 401(k) be rolled over into the new account. This sometimes is called a trustee-to-trustee transfer. If you get a job quickly, your new employer might allow money from your old 401(k) to be rolled into your new 401(k). You won't owe taxes or pay an early-withdrawal penalty if the money is handled this way.
Emergency assistance
• Finding help: About 75 percent of the state's population can receive information by dialing 211. In Franklin County, the Firstlink Food Line at 614-341-2282 also refers people to nearby food pantries. The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks has food information and can help with tax credits and other supports through the Ohio Benefit Bank. Call 614-221-4336, or go to www.oashf.org.
• Food stamps: Find out whether your income is low enough to qualify. If it is, apply. Savings accounts and retirement funds won't count against you. Call 1-877-852-0010, or go to http://jfs.ohio.gov/ofam/foodstamps.stm.
Other questions?
Much of this information and more is listed in the state's online guide for laid-off workers. Go to http://jfs.ohio.gov/ocomm_root/unempresources.stm.
Source: Dispatch research
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