Florida law thwarts jobless benefits, advocates tell feds
Advocates for the unemployed called Thursday for a federal investigation of a Florida law they say systematically tries to prevent laid-off workers from receiving jobless benefits.
State regulations approved last year have made Florida the toughest state in the nation in which to get jobless benefits, detractors say, lowering significantly the percentage of the unemployed who now qualify for benefits.
The National Employment Law Project and Florida Legal Services want the U.S. Labor Department to investigate and overturn the regulations that tightened the state's unemployment-eligibility rules.
"The state is blocking workers from accessing help they are qualified for and twisting the knife in the state's ailing economy," said Valory Greenfield, a senior attorney with Florida Legal Services. "Nowhere in the country is it this hard to get help when you lose a job."
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-24/business/os-complaint-florida-unemployment-20120524_1_jobless-benefits-nelp-valory-greenfield
