[Soundslikejosh]

As of February 2007, they issued debit cards. Each week (possibly every 2 weeks) they would deposit your next payment into the debit account. You could even have it set up so that a robot called your phone and told you of the deposit. I believe I was able to draw for approximately 14-15 weeks. If my memory serves me correctly, it is based on how much money you get each week and how much you would get total. So, I was informed that the total amount of benefit I could receive was "X" and that each week I would get "Y". Using that info you can determine how many weeks you will be receiving payments. For me, it wasn't a round number like 4 months. It was the number of weeks necessary to eat up all the money they would pay.

Also, when I had it, there was a time limit on the debit card. I stopped receiving payments but left roughly $80 on the debit card for a rainy day. When you are unemployed there is a lot of rain so its a smart idea to plan for more bad stuff to happen. Well, I left that $80 in the debit account and some time later, roughly 4-6 months, I went to use it. The card was declined, and when I called the automated number it said the card was empty. I know thats not true because some time prior to that I had called the automated number, retrieved the exact balance, and wrote it on the back of the card with a sharpie so I would know. I am certain I never used the remainder of the money.

Best of luck to you. Don't forget- you can have the state withhold taxes before you are paid, and then you are clear. Otherwise, don't forget to pay the taxes later in the year. Its bad to be unemployed, its bad to have back taxes, but its even worse to have both at the same time.