NY Unemployment Questions (or, get the breadline ready)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

Can’t speak for NY but the times I’ve been on unemployment in WI the issue of denial for cause is usually something like the employee stole from the company or destroyed company property or was fired for gross misconduct. “The boss wasn’t happy with my work” probably isn’t going to be a bar to collecting. The magazine may not even contest the filing. That’s certainly a question I’d ask as part of the exit interview if you have one.

It’s based on a percentage of your highest quarterly income over the previous (IIRC) 5 quarters. As for taxation, like any other income you can request that nothing be withheld (which if you tend to get tax refunds every year is probably not a bad idea).

As for why no one is lobbying against taxing unemployment benefits…the poor and unemployed generally don’t have the money to hire lobbyists. IIRC it was the supposedly anti-tax Reagan administration that pushed for taxing unemployment benefits.

If it comes to it, look into other programs like food stamps. Might as well take advantage of any programs you can. You do after all help pay for them.

Good luck. I’ve been out of work for extended periods myself and it’s no fun. I’m hoping all of this advice is premature and this will all turn out to be something completely different, like it’s the set-up for a promotion and a surprise party.

22

You didn’t want to bob your hair and wear the flapper dress?

23

Actually, it was the “bleaching my hair and chewing gum” that put me off.

Hmmm, I have a second job interview at another magazine next week. Longer hours and more work, and still in this damn business. But since my job here at “Fire magazine” is obviously doomed, I better grab this offer at “Frying Pan Weekly” if they’ll have me.

24

Eve, I think you may want to handle this one yourself…

25

What, the concept or doing them both at the same time, which sounds kind of risky?

re: pre-existing conditions: I once considered applying for medical benefits not during open enrollment (I was employed, my wife switched jobs and applied for benefits for herself; later, I switched jobs and thought of signing up with her company’s benefits). I got to the point on the application where it said “List every time you have ever seen a doctor for any reason.”

They provided four lines.

26

Ok, I didn’t explain this out well enough and Cliffy did help some, but let me give you examples (for Eve’s sake, I picked one of my 49 year old employees):

Employee selected Health Net Elect Open Access 25 for $233.63 a month and
also selected SmileSaver 1000 for $17.69 a month for a total premium of $251.32.

As the employer, I agreed to pay half of a different plan, (the more expensive Blue Shield 10) plan which at her age is $337.00 per month…half of that is $168.50. I also pay half of the SmileSaver 1000 also which is $8.85.

By subtracting the employer contributions, Employee is paying:
($233.63 - $168.50) + ($17.69 - $8.85) = $73.97 per month during her employment, which is $36.99 per paycheck…very reasonable for a small company.

If Employee quits, gets fired or laid off, then Employee is eligible for COBRA to continue the IDENTICAL coverage at the price that the employer was being billed for…$251.32 for both medical and dental or $233.63 for just medical or $17.69 for just dental. I can apply upto a 2% administrative on these premiums which only amount to no more than $5.03 extra, for a worse case scenario of $256.35.

Now some employees really don’t understand the actual cost of premiums and just assume that their premium would just remain $73.97, not a 247% increase to $256.35. But the reality is, the employer was footing a good portion of the bill that the employee didn’t realize, or wrongly assumed that the employer was still gonna cover their portion of the cost, or has no idea what medical coverage actually costs…nonetheless, the COBRA coverage is usually cheaper than going out on the street to get individual coverage for the same exact type of coverage. If I would hazard a guess, the same coverage is probably 15%-30% above the $233.63 for a range of $268.67 to $303.72. Hell, it could even be more.

The rip-off is not the COBRA…COBRA gives you the right to continue coverage at group rates and carry over pre-existing conditions (although HIPAA will do it anyways when you go to another carrier), instead of going out on the street to get duplicate coverage. Nothing more, nothing less. The real rip-off is the actual erosion of coverage from year to year. Last year, this would have been close to the same price for the Health Net Elect Open Access 10 plan…not the 25 plan.

27

It’s too huge a gamble at my age not to have insurance, or to have a gap in it. If I’d been uninsured two years ago when I broke my arm, I’d have had to chew it off like a fox.

So—simply to keep my insurance—I may wind up leaving one job I hate in an industry I’m burned out on for another job I hate in an industry I’m burned out on. If I’m “lucky” enough to be offered this other job.

28

Eve:

Check out NYState’s list of health insurance companies/premiums.

http://www.ins.state.ny.us/hgintro.htm
Let’s assume for the sake of argument that you actually live in Manhattan (the rates are county-by-county):

http://www.ins.state.ny.us/newyork.htm

You can get solo coverage for as little as $408.90 per month, which could be a lot better than your COBRA cost. I know it was when I left my magazine job to go solo–I chose a $575 monthly premium (me and the wife) vs. the $1300 COBRA premium I would have had paid (our original premium at the co. was $300 a month … sigh, such bliss …).
Just out of curiosity, which publishing company do you work for? (No need to name the magazine title itself.)

29

Rather not say. I’m in enough trouble here as it is.

And I have a helluva time getting private insurance (I live in NJ, not NY), as I have a pre-existing condition to end all pre-existing conditions!

30

Eve if you did any work in any other state besides New York, you can file though New Jersey what is known as a combined wage claim. New Jersey has a higher benefit amount. If you have any questions just E-mail me I work for NJ Unemployment so I can answer them.

31

Nope, all my work’s been in NYC; thanks, though.

32

Ever take any work home with you? That would count, right?

:::grasps at straws:::

So Eve, if things don’t work out, you can always sell apples. If it was good enough for Mae Robson, Bette Davis, Dorothea Wolbert, et. al. it’s certainly good enough for you!

33

As long as you don’t go over 62 days without insurance, your new insurance company can’t deny anything that was covered by your previous insurance. Your current insurance company should provide you with a letter once you are no longer covered. You will need to get this to your new company as soon as get coverage.

34

Temporary brain freeze:

It’s called a “letter of credible coverage”.

35

Eve, if it’s something you really want, please don’t dismiss the idea of library science school. Borrow the dough. You can consolidate your loan payments after and pay 200 a month for a while til you are earning good money again. It is within your reach if you want to do it.

36

Eve, if you do lose your job and end up getting unemployment, check into the availability of a state grant for job re-training. I don’t know if they still exist or if they’re still given in the same amount as I was able to get a couple of years ago.

I was originally given $4,000 but because the agency that administered the grant (not unemployment, but they gave them out too) mis-managed the fund and ended up cutting me down to $2,500.

If it’s still available, at least it’ll get you started. I had to pay up front (60% at my chosen school) and wasn’t re-imbursed until the end of the semester, but after the first semester you just use what you get to pay for the next semester, etc.

I don’t know how much libary school costs, but once you get started, you’ll become motivated and will probably find a way to pay for whatever the grant doesn’t cover – if it sill exists.

37

Is there any possibility of a severence package that includes something like a week or two of salary for each year with the company and medical benefits for 90 days?

If they sit you down to do the deed I’d play hardball…maybe suggest that the firing is related to you being a 48 year old employee. Are younger copy editors being let go as well?

Maybe your attorney would like to take a look at their track record as it relates to firing employes over the age of 40.

Bottom line…do not go gently…negotiate on your severence.

38

Eve, my office is searching for editors all the time. We probably have a few writing jobs open, too. The downside is that none of these positions are in New York.

If you’d consider relocating, I’ll be more than happy to give you additional information. My e-mail addy’s in my profile.

39

Thanks—but I have to stay in this area to take care of my mother.

I have 2nd and 3rd interviews set up at one magazine, which I am not happy about (the first interview raised more red flags than Moscow on May Day—for one thing, I’d be the 4th copy chief there in a year!), and a friend’s husband might have an opening at his magazine.

That’s the problem—when you have 20-some years of “magazine publishing” on your resume, it’s darned hard to get out of it.

40

Yeah, don’t I know it. I’m moving from magazines to newsletter through the E-Z exigency of having to start my own firm. Nothing like a huge gamble to focus the mind.

Freelancing can’t treat you pretty well if you’re quick and competent. I seem to recall you have some experience writing so maybe that’ll be a way to cover the gap for you? And you won’t have a better resource than mediabistro.com.