Collecting Unemployment Just Became Harder

Millions of jobless Americans now have another hurdle to pass before collecting federal unemployment benefits. New rules passed by Congress this year require that the jobless go to their local One-Stop Career Center for an in-person assessment if they want to receive federal unemployment checks.

This means the unemployed now have to trek to these centers, which has left some states scrambling to find space and personnel to handle all these one-on-one meetings. Some 9 million people are expected to go through these assessments by year's end. Plus, in order to comply with the new federal rules, some states are ramping up their requirements on documentation of the jobless' attempts to return to the workforce.

Previously some states, like Ohio for instance, did spot-checks, but are now requiring regular submission of job search efforts. Other states, such as New Hampshire, collected the information electronically but must now tell claimants to bring paper records to their assessment meeting. Read more >>