Weighing in on Healthcare Reform Bill

Well despite the excitement of some and the dismay of others, the long awaited answer is clear: our elected officials have passed the Healthcare Reform Bill being so blatantly pushed by our esteemed 44th President Barack Obama. Take that last phrase as you may, I am not really sure how I feel about writing it.

Well of course everyone has their opinions and they are usually directly influenced by how the bill will affect them and those they love. Well the same holds true for me and I think I can safely speak for the recently and not so recently unemployed community.

The best summary I have found and I am going to reference to base my breakdown on is from CBSNews.com .

Right now the current U.S. Deficit is at 12 TRILLION dollars, and this bill is only going to reduce it by 130 billion dollars over a 10 year span of time. Now wishing I had even 1% of that, and cannot actually even fathom that amount of money, it logically seems in normal persons money that is the equivalent of having 12 million dollars of debt and throwing 130,000 dollars at it - over a period of 10 years. I don't even think Suze Orman would call that effective. And seeing as that it is increasing by 4 billion dollars a day, I think its safe to say the U.S. might need to take stronger measures - like cutting spending - like regular people do to save money... and no more daily trips to Starbucks.

Ok to get to the meat and potatoes of the bill -

This bill was designed to expand coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured. 
Well actually that sounds alot nicer than it actually is - while it sounds like 32 million Americans will automatically receive coverage - that is not the case. I am pretty sure that is the general assumption with those Americans that thought this bill was the answer to their prayers and Obama is their savior. However this bill just actually ALLOWS Americans who are not able to obtain health insurance through traditional means such as employers to have the availability to purchase health care and it be more accessible. Historically, health insurance without assistance from employers (meaning employers cover a portion of the fees) was so expensive it was not obtainable for ordinary families. This portion of the bill was designed to help those families make it more affordable.

Vets Needed to Fill Public Sector’s Mission-Critical Jobs

I don't tend to repost articles by others but this one is too good to pass up!

With all the bad news about the U.S employment situation in the press, you'd think it's impossible to find a job in today's labor market. However, while the private sector is toiling with high unemployment, the public sector is hiring and looking to veterans to fill many of its mission-critical jobs.

 

According to a Partnership of Public Service (PPS) study titled, "Where the Jobs Are 2009: Mission-Critical Opportunities for America," the public sector will need to fill 273,000 jobs in various federal agencies over then next three years.

The greatest hiring need is in the health care field. At least 54,114 medical and public health jobs need to be filled including 31, 455 nurses, 10,626 doctors, and thousands of nursing assistants, pharmacists, and other wellness professionals, reports the PPS.

Jobs in security and protection are also in high demand - with 52,077 positions available. And, over the next three years, the federal government wants to hire 3,669 police officers and 34,500 transportation officers.

Other fields looking to hire new employees are compliance and enforcement with 31,276 projected open positions, legal with 23,596, and administration and program management with 17,287.

Two of the main reasons for the hiring push are the need to bolster veteran employment, and to stop the brain drain that will occur when thousands of federal workers retire in the coming years. The PPS projects that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will help plug these gaps by attempting to fill 48,159 jobs in the next three years. The Department of Homeland Security will also have a record 65,730 and the Department of Defense will have 43,514 open positions that veterans can fill.

 

"For job-seekers motivated by a desire to make a difference and improve the lives of Americans, there are no better possibilities than those provided by our federal government," said Max Stier, president and CEO of the PPS, in a press release.

"This report confirms that the job opportunities are there. People need to seize them," Stier added.
Other mission-critical jobs that will be need to be filled include the following:

• • Attorneys, paralegals and other legal experts to fill more than 23,000 jobs at 21 federal agencies including the EPA, FDA and the Department of Justice.
• • About 5,696 human resource professionals at 14 agencies that have identified HR as a mission-critical occupation.
• • Biological science experts to fill 4,886 jobs at the Departments of Agriculture ,Commerce, Homeland Security, EPA and other agencies.
• Border patrol agents, customs officers, food inspectors and other compliance and enforcement positions to fill more than 30,000 positions at the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and other agencies.
• • Accountants, tax examiners, auditors and budget and financial analysts to fill 16,644 jobs at the IRS, Department of Treasury and 15 other agencies.
• • IT experts for 11,549 positions.
• • Engineers to fill more than 10,642 jobs at the Departments of Defense and Transportation, NASA and more.

 Veterans interested in working for the federal government should visit USAJobs.gov to apply for any of these open positions. And don't forget: veterans have an edge when it comes to appling for jobs in the public sector through veterans preference. Veterans preference is for disabled former servicemembers or veterans who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during certain specified time periods or in military campaigns, are entitled to preference over civilians in hiring process.

 

Original Article Here

 

Of course I will believe it when I see it. I do like the part about the jobs being out there and people needing to seize them.. last time I checked that's what we are FIGHTING to do!

A Place in this World

Two seconds. Four seconds.

How long does it take you to sign your name?

One form. Five characters. DD214. And that's it. It's all changed.

For some its a sigh of relief, a breath of fresh air. For some its a necessary step forward. And some it's because they have nowhere else to go. I find myself in the latter.
But now its gone.

For eight years we served. Served our country, served our communities. No matter where the journey took us, there was always someone there who understood, stood by you, gave you the sense of belonging. Because you, like them, were far from home, maybe hadn't been home in a while, or maybe you never wanted to go back. And all of it was hard. Hard on us, hard on our families. But we answered the call, and did what was asked.

Almost a decade has past, since I raised my hand and swore an oath to the United States of America. When I left that airport, I knew my life was going to change but I didn't know how much. Youthful dreams hoped my service would impact the world, little did I know the world would go on, and the impact would be on me. My life happened in the US Navy. I got married. Saw the world. Moved to Spain. Had a baby. Looking back it all feels so fast. Life happened before my eyes and went right by. But time didn't fly by. Eight years - almost a decade. Time marched on as slow as it ever had, the whirlwind of life caught me up in it and it seems to have crash landed me here, with that one signature.

He signed that DD214 at the Navy's request. Reduction in force meant our planned 20 year career was ending at the drop of a hat - all gone. The community we had spent our life in was just gone. Now I find my self in a world I left almost a decade ago with a completely different life than the one I left. I guess in my head things were going to be as I left them, but those are just foolish dreams. Time has gone on, people have gone on and the world continues to turn. All relationships change, evolve even those that are left. The bonds remain, but the evolution takes its toll. Friendships fade, people grow up - move on.

When I left, my sister had babies - now they are working on becoming teenagers - and those moments I missed cannot be reclaimed. My parents have the house to themselves and get the chance to rekindle their own lives post children. My brother who was in high school has now graduated college and leads a life of his own. But in my head I am still the girl that left almost 10 years ago.

But here I am at a loss. Still not sure where I belong. I feel as if I am floating and have no sure place I need to be. Although somedays I am not really certain that it matters where I am at all. Whether I am here or in Africa the world still turns, as long as I have my husband and my child (and of course my dogs) I guess I can't complain. But sometimes I would give anything to just feel like I belong somewhere - anywhere - with a purpose or reason to be there.

Two seconds - four seconds. The time it takes to sign your name. That's all it took to make everything I knew disappear. Now I stand here on the edge - waiting - hoping - thinking someday I will find that reason or purpose again.

Apologies

I want to apologize for my absence.. It has taken me longer than expected, but I am working on a rather lengthy piece on Salary Negotiations and Budgeting in a Recession. Please stay tuned!

Federal Stimulus Packages - Not Very Stimulating to Unemployed

Unemployment Insurance Benefits or more commonly referred to as simply Unemployment is designed to assist people that have been laid off or have lost employment due to circumstances that are beyond their control.

Unemployment Insurance Benefits can range anywhere between $200-$400 dollars a week depending on factors such as length of previous employment and salary received during employment. If you were only receiving $500 a week, you will probably not receive the maximum weekly benefit for unemployment. I am not currently aware of the exact factors used when calculating the determination of benefit amount, however I do know that if you are a separated veteran, you will get the maximum allowed amount for your state.

Seriously, even a married couple with no children living on $400 dollars a week ($1600 a month based on a four week month) is a little bit of a stretch, but when you add children into the equation, its almost impossible. Of course unemployment is not designed to support a family for a long period of time, it is only meant to bridge the gap so that you can exist until the next job comes. But what does that mean for a country that is in a deep recession where jobs are almost non-existant and unemployment rates are climbing like monkeys after bananas?

More and more people are being forced to live on a meager allowance of unemployment benefits for so long, one of the major components of the 2009 Federal Stimulus Package for Unemployment was to extend the already 26 week benefit to an extra 13 weeks.

Let's put this into practical application:

A family of four = Dad, Mom, Son 4, Daughter 2
Mom has been a stay at home mom for a number of years due to the rising costs of daycare, it was uneconomical for her to put her children into daycare to seek employment because her paycheck would go to daycare costs.
Dad was recently laid off from his position where he made 50,000 a year. Let's say for discussion sake that Dad has applied for unemployment and receives the State of Texas maximum allowed benefit of $406.00 a month.

Lets review the income changes:

Unemployment  vs Previous Employment

$406.00  (weekly)  $961.54

$1624.00 (monthly) $4167.00

$10556.00 (26 week)  $25000.00

Mom going back to work is almost impossible because the previous employment afforded them the availability for her to stay at home and save daycare costs. So for the numerous years she has been at home, she has lost the credibility and experience needed in the workforce to even compete with those currently searching for work, such as Dad.

But while the job market is locked up, Dad is out beating the pavement, searching for jobs, going to Job/Career Fairs, printing resumes, and generally doing what is needed to obtain employment. Bills that were once sufficient for a 50K annual paycheck are now piling up. Mom is shopping at thrift stores versus buying new clothes at department stores and cutbacks are being made across the board. Grocery bills are being slashed but the family of four still needs to eat and groceries can eat up a large portion of unemployment payments.

There are programs in place for families and people in these situations, such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). However there are strenuous guidelines that have to be met in order to receive any benefits from programs like SNAP (more commonly known as food stamps). Below are some eligibility requirements straight from the USDA website on SNAP:

RESOURCES:

Households may have $2,000 in countable resources, such as a bank account, or $3000 in countable resources if at least one person is age 60 or older, or is disabled.

INCOME:

Households have to meet income tests unless all members are receiving TANF, SSI, or in some places general assistance. Most households must meet both the gross and net income tests, but a household with an elderly person or a person who is receiving certain types of disability payments only has to meet the net income test. Households, except those noted, that have income over the amounts listed below cannot get SNAP benefits.

Household size    Gross monthly income        Net monthly income

                          (130 percent of poverty)     (100 percent of poverty)


1                                $1,174                               $ 903

2                                 1,579                                 1,215


3                                 1,984                                 1,526

4                                 2,389                                 1,838

5                                 2,794                                 2,150

6                                 3,200                                 2,461

7                                3,605                                  2,773

8                               4,010                                  3,085

Each additional member +406                               +312

Gross income means a household's total, nonexcluded income, before any deductions have been made. Net income means gross income minus allowable deductions.
 
In this case Mom and Dad might qualify via income (as long as they meet the other requirements) - but barely. However in a family of 3 in the same situation or a single parent in the same situation might not qualify.
 
The other portion of the stimulus package is to include a $25 dollar weekly payment to those receiving unemployment benefits. If you take $25 dollars and count the 26 weeks of benefits that comes out to $650 pretaxes. All of these calculations are assuming Dad does not opt for taxes to be withheld from payments. Let's assume for a second that Dad was not employed by a company that required him to wear a nice suit and tie to work everyday but a uniform of some sort, because let's face it, with all of the companies that are going out of business lately, most of them are blue collar and not white collar jobs. These are the people that wear company uniforms, such as factory employees, retail employees, and other various service industries that wear company apparel. This is not to say all of the unemployed are blue collar, but its safe to say with the media coverage of automotive plants closing and retailers going out of business, that a vast majority of them are. Unless Dad has a stash of suits in his closet that he wears to church or happens to make a habit out of attending funerals, most people have one suit, if that, in their closets.
 
Dad will need to purchase at least two suits for job hunting and getting hired. Once he gets hired he will be able to afford more suits if necessary, but all male job hunters should have at minimum two suits. Imagine getting something spilled on one at a job fair, if you don't have a backup you will have to take it to the drycleaners. You know that would be the day you get a call for an interview when your one suit is at the cleaners. HOW EMBARRASING!
 
At Men's Wearhouse the most inexpensive suits run approximately $199.99, which would take Dad a whole two months to be able to use the stimulus money to be able to buy even one suit, but he needs two so it would take FOUR months of stimulus money to get what he needs to properly conduct a job search. Because he has a wife and children, the unemployment payments are being used to pay bills and feed the family so he has to rely on things like this stimulus to help him with job hunting expenses.
 
At JC Penney's  Dad can find a suit for $130.00 on sale which would take him only approximately a month and a half to be able to purchase with the stimulus money. For two suits he would have to wait almost three months to be able to afford it, and that's if the sale is still going.
One thing I have found about JC Penney's mens department is they are normally running some really incredible sales on suits. As far as department stores go, they seem to have some really good deals. They do sell in separates so you can usually find what you need in the sizes you need.
 
Although I would never say I wouldn't take the $25 dollar assistance - when you actually break it down its almost laughable. Of course you would never be able to use if for things like this example because who in this economy can afford to save $25 dollars a week for three months to buy a suit they need to search for a job NOW. But I imagine it could be quite useful to put toward any current bills like power, water, or food. I just don't see it being used for its intended purpose - to stimulate the economy - someone who is unemployed and trying to make ends meet are not going to restaurants, movies, or shopping in a sense that would stimulate anything - not even their excitement level.
 
However the stimulus package did offer one ray of hope: a $2400 tax break on unemployment benefits. Now that tax time is upon us, we can really see the fruits of the stimulus package. You are given a break on $2400 worth of benefits. So for example if you received the 26 weeks of $10556 you would be taxed only on $8156. This is especially helpful for those who do not elect to have taxes withdrawn through the year because they need every cent to make their lives work.
 
The final portion to this stimulus package is the availability of continued reduced cost health coverage from their current health plans. At the moment I am not going to research the whole topic on this because I am going to come back and post about it in a separate topic. But you can find more information on the health care coverage through COBRA Reduced Costs FAQ on the Department of Labor website.
 

How Much is Education Worth?

We all know education is expensive. Seem it s like over the last 10 years I have been attending college (yes, 10 years off and on) it has been getting more costly to attend an institution of higher learning. As I sat in yet another admissions office, rehashing every process - I began to wonder how much is your education really worth? There are days I plain out just want to quit even though I am so close, because quite simply - in this economy it doesn't feel like anyone is getting or keeping a job based on credentials.

So what is the proof that education is still worth something in America?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2008:

With Bachelor's degrees being the new high school diplomas, it is safe to say that education is definetly an important step to achieve and even be able to keep employment.

However, after speaking with different people in different hiring authorities I am finding that even the most entry level positions are being applied for by people holding Master's and Doctoral degrees because the job market is so closed at right now. Without some form of education and experience, you are not likely to be able to enter the job market shy of retail positions or food services where there is a high amount of turn over and a low retention rate.

If your current position is not in high demand, maybe now is the time to change career fields. There are several options depending on your ability to finance your education or flexibility needed to complete an education. Of course if you have any college education completed it will shorten the time and costs. There are 4 year private and state schools that cost anywhere between 20K-100K in the State of Texas. You can complete your education morning, evening, weekends or even in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home.

Education is waiting for you everywhere you turn so heed the words of generations past - School is cool - Stay in School - in this day and age it just might pay the bills too!














Citations:
Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Costs - College for Texans
http://www.collegefortexans.com/apps/collegecosts.cfm

Like A Bug Caught in "the Web"

Once upon a time, in a far away job market, people actually attended job/career fairs to find employment. They printed out tens of copies of resumés to give to prospective employers in hopes of winning employment. They dressed to the nines and went out in the search for the perfect job, or even simply a job that would pay the bills. They talked, they networked, they collected business cards from human resources representatives and then journeyed home again with dreams of employment or lessons learned from that day's experiences.

When did everything change?

Twice now I have armed my husband with 20-30 copies of his resumé, copies of DD214s, he has dressed professionally in suit and tie and gone out to tackle the big bad job fair. Twice he has come home with all the resumés I sent him out with (minus one or two) and one or two business cards. When I ask him "what happened" (basically meaning 'after all of those hours I spent typing and printing why are you coming home with all of your resumés') he calmly explains to me one company after another told him to go to their website to submit his application. They no longer advertise job openings, take resumés/applications, or hire from job fairs.

This now leads me to the question :

WHAT IS THE POINT?

If companies are no longer hiring or obtaining any information from prospective employees at job fairs, who does it benefit by attending them? Employers are now spending money on displays and sending their employee representative to the fair to stand there and direct people to their website.

Job searchers are driving distances, spending money printing out resumés - just to be redirected to a website they could have accessed from home. From my husband's experience they are not even really doing the networking thing, just simply saying a few words and redirecting you to the website.

However, if you are interested in a career in the military, there are recruiters standing by to answer your questions and sign on the dotted line.

In a world where social networking reigns supreme, and employment is done behind a computer screen versus actually meeting someone, its not all that strange that people are having a difficult time finding employment today. 

Words of advice for job/career fair attendees:

If you plan to attend a fair to become gainfully employed :

Step 1: DRESS THE PART - apparently people are showing up in tattered jeans and tee-shirts. No one is going to hire anyone that looks like that unless you are auditioning for a rock band.

Step 2: Continue spending your money printing out apparently worthless resumés - you know the one time you don't someone is going to want to take one. Preparation is key!

Step 3: Work on your 30 second interview - be able to present yourself professionally and briefly in 30 seconds or less. This might be all the time you have, but the first impression could land you the job.

Step 4: Be prepared to go home and sit all day submitting resumés online - but be gracious this will count for your required number of job contacts for your weekly unemployment.

Check out these helpful books from Amazon.com for job searching tips, hints, and information:

Good luck out there!