Where does New York state stand on the new unemployment extension?
— Lloyd S., New Windsor, N.Y. The legislation signed by Obama on Friday will extend unemployment benefits for the roughly 50,000 people a week whose claims were expiring — along with some 3.4 million more who are still collecting on their insurance. The plan adds 14 weeks of benefits; workers living in states where the unemployment rate is above 8.5 percent get an additional six weeks of benefits for a total of 20 extra weeks of benefits. (The most recent figures put New York’s jobless rate at 8.7 percent, putting the state into the 20-week category.) Before the recession began in December 2007, benefits typically ran out after 26 weeks. But because so many workers have been unable to find new jobs, Congress has extended eligibility four times, giving some people up to 79 weeks of benefits. The length varies from state to state, because some states have passed their own additional extensions. The surge in claims has severely stretched state trust funds that cover these benefits. So far
