Unemployment benefits

Have you ever received unemployment compensation? If so, how much of an ordeal was it to obtain and how long did it last?

I only received one payment before I got a job. That was in the mid '70s so direct care jobs were plentiful. I had actually quit the job I made a claim on but after describing the working conditions they allowed me the claim. That place, after two 60 Minutes features has since gone out of business.

No not yet, hope I never have to.

The longest I've ever been on was about 3 months. It sucks. In NJ you can file/collect on-line without going to an office and waiting on line but it still sucks.

Last time I was unemployed, I came very close to filing, but went back to work before it happened. I've never collected unemployment, I always just found another job soon enough.

Yes I did, lasted a few months, wasn't a pain to file.

Sucks though after months of receiving checks, my employer decided to contest it, went to court and they won...So I had to pay state back a few thousand dollars.

Yes, I did....and I didn't know that I could get them. Had I known, I would've filed for them earlier. I had no problems getting them. Last about 4 months.

One hell of an ordeal. Because of the nature of my employment I can't just file online--I have to physically go to the building, sit in the hot ass loading dock that has been turned into a waiting room for hours, just to sign ONE paper.

Even worse, once I got locked out the system, nobody answered the phones all day everyday, and I couldn't take the 30 minute trip to the building for about a week or so. When I finally got there, they wouldn't let me file for the weeks I missed. Yes, I went OFF, I missed about $1000.

I feel for them, because they're overworked and understaffed and that's what I'm dealing with at my own job. But at the same time, an inefficient system from the jump is now being exposed when tested to the limit.