

The Basic 411 On Unemployment Benefits
In the last two weeks of March 2020, nearly 10 million Americans have submitted new unemployment claims all because of Rona. That's triple the initial 3.3 million that was reported just last week.
And if you're one who has suddenly lost your job, you're not only worried about your future and bills but also overwhelmed with the process of having to figure out the rules, loopholes and exceptions of unemployment plus get the $600 we've been hearing about in the news.
We got you.
I've put together the who, what and how of unemployment benefits as a result of the coronavirus. Keep in mind specifics vary across states but here's the basic information you'll need to know before you apply.
What are unemployment benefits?
Unemployment insurance is a joint federal-state program that provides temporary payments to an employee who loses their job through no fault of their own. It's funded by your employer (and by you, too, in a handful of states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania.)
The percentage that the employer has to pay into the fund is based on a combination of factors including how much unemployment they've had to pay out in the past. The more claims an employer has to pay out, the higher its unemployment insurance tax, which explains why some jobs will quickly contest your claim when you file.
Who’s eligible to receive unemployment?
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Generally, unemployment benefits are paid to employees who are laid off. Also, you have to have worked for that company for a certain amount of time before you were laid off and that timeframe is set by your state. However, I found out a few years ago that even if you didn't work for a company that long, you can still get unemployment. But your state will file the claim under your previous employer, or at least that's how it works in Virginia. It doesn't hurt to check because you could end up missing out on money like I almost did.
At that time, I worked in a college writing center and when the school closed for Christmas break, I learned that I could still apply for unemployment for those few weeks. I had only worked for the college for maybe three months or practically a semester.
My claim rep didn't tell me this upfront, though. What she did was schedule a phone conference with me, her and an HR rep from the company where I worked before going to the college. The claim rep basically wanted to know how much I made, my duties and why I left. Let me tell you, the HR rep wasn't exactly thrilled.
Now here's where I could've been easily denied because I voluntarily left that position. If you're ever fired for misconduct or you simply quit your job for no valid reason, you aren't eligible for unemployment benefits. But I resigned to enroll in school and pursue a brand new career and I left my old employer on good terms. In this case, I was still approved for unemployment but under my corporate employer even though I was working at the college.
Do you know what else that meant? It meant my unemployment payment was higher. In fact, it was the max and I didn't make nearly as much as I did in my previous position. So it helps to know these things in case you get a less helpful rep.
Under normal circumstances, only traditional employees are eligible while freelancers and independent contractors are ineligible to receive unemployment benefits. But thanks to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, established under the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, unemployment benefits are currently extended to the self-employed, too.
However, if you're able to telecommute and still earn your regular paycheck, you're not eligible.
And of course, if you're denied and you believe you do meet the qualifications, you can always appeal.
How much can I expect to receive and for how long?
While unemployment benefits are intended to fill in a gap, they don't quite replace your usual paycheck. In fact, those benefits are often much less than your biweekly direct deposit. Exactly how much you'll receive is determined by your state and it's some formula based on your prior earnings. That amount is also capped and taxed so you'll have to report it at the end of the year just like you would your regular paycheck. You'll get a document similar to a W2.
Depending on your state, maximum unemployment usually ranges from $190 to $1,234 per week and you can get it for 12 to 26 weeks. (A huge gap, right?) But under the federal CARES Act, recipients can get an extra $600 per week on top of that until July 31, 2020 – retroactive to March 29th in most states – and their usual unemployment for an additional 13 weeks. Self-employed workers and freelancers who lost their income to the Rona are eligible for the $600, too.
In Virginia, the weekly payment is applied to a debit card that the employment office mails to you when you initially apply and get approved. It should be the same nationwide.
How do I apply for unemployment and what do I need to do to keep getting my benefits?
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You can file online or by phone and if you live in one state but work in another, you'd apply in the state where you worked. Apply as soon as you become unemployed because normally state benefits aren't retroactive (not to be confused with the $600 that is retroactive) if you wait, say, weeks or months later. But that stipulation, along with the usual one-week waiting period, may be waived to accommodate the changes under the CARES Act. Nevertheless, work on getting what's due to you sooner rather than later.
Be sure to answer all the questions accurately and in their entirety. Note that you must be able and available for work and actively seeking work so when/if you're asked that question, respond 'yes' even if you intend to return to your old job.
In some states, you'll have to formally register for work. You'll want to check with your state on those requirements. But each week you'll also need to report where you've been looking for employment. There may be a minimum number of companies that you need to list every week.
Follow the instructions or you could end up with a lapse in benefits. You probably want to be mindful of where you apply, though. Try to stick with positions you're truly interested in instead of just aiming to meet the weekly quota because, technically, if you're offered a position, you're supposed to accept it. And you don't really want to be stuck with a job that puts you in a financial bind especially now with a pandemic relief program in place. No need to throw the $600 away.
But if you do earn any money while you're on unemployment, you have to report that, too, because you're not allowed to simultaneously receive a paycheck plus full benefits. More than likely, what you earn from that job or gig will be deducted from your weekly benefit.
Many states' systems aren't built to process the $600 increase yet so you may not see it right away but, again, that portion is retroactive. However, if you're in New York and already receiving your regular unemployment benefits, you might see your $600 this week! But those who are self-employed will have to wait a bit longer because systems need to be modified to accommodate freelancers and contractors.
The coronavirus has forced us into a world of uncertainty. We're not sure how many of us it'll affect or when any of this will really come to an end. But what we can be sure of is that we must be diligent in not only protecting our lives and those we love but also maintaining our livelihoods so that we can survive.
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- How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance? | U.S. Department of ... ›
- Unemployment Benefits - ESDWAGOV ›
- DES: Apply for Unemployment ›
- How to Apply for Unemployment Benefits Online ›
- Unemployment Help | USAGov ›
- Apply for unemployment benefits | Mass.gov ›
- File an Unemployment Insurance Claim ›
- Applying for Unemployment Benefits | Texas Workforce Commission ›
- Unemployment Insurance (UI) Online File a Claim ›
- Get Unemployment Assistance | The State of New York ›
I write about lifestyle and women's health and wellness. When I'm not in front of a computer screen crafting stories, I'm in a kitchen crafting cocktails. Follow me on the 'gram @teronda.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
An author by the name of Alexandra Katehakis once said this about orgasms: “Great spiritual teachers throughout the ages have stated that orgasm is the closest some people come to a spiritual experience because of the momentary loss of self. Why is this true? Because with spiritual sex, you move beyond orgasm into a connection with yourself, your partner, and the divine — recognizing them all as one.”
If it’s counterintuitive to what you’ve ever thought about orgasms, believe it or not, there are even pastors who have said that climaxing is the closest comprehension of heaven on this side of it: it is an extreme kind of bliss that is indescribable and is best experienced between two people who share a sacrificial kind of love for one another.
Although this might seem like a heavy way to intro this particular topic, because the O Method is an orgasm-achieving technique that centers around housing energy, embracing the mental practice of manifestation, and the attempt to achieve the best climaxes ever — it all works together pretty well if you ask me. If you want to take your orgasms to the next level, it’s important that you get out of yourself (to a certain extent), that you see the spiritual role that manifestation plays, and that you are open to trying new things. No doubt about it.
So, let’s learn more about what the O Method is all about and how it very well could be just what you’ve been looking for…even if you didn’t know it.
What Is the “O Method” All About?
Question: When’s the last time you’ve had an orgasm? Not just any orgasm — I mean a really mind-blowing one (I’ll give you a second to think about it). Now, what if you could manifest that experience to the point where it wasn’t a rare occurrence but something that happened almost every time that you and your partner had sex with each other? How absolutely awesome would that be?
That is pretty much what the O Method is all about — helping you achieve the kind of orgasms (and sexual pleasure, in general) that you desire through the practice of manifestation. And since your biggest sex organ is your brain, it would make perfect sense that even with all of the tips and techniques that you might learn to do as far as your body is concerned, honing in on what you think about is super imperative to sexual fulfillment, too. And that’s just where manifestation comes in.
What If You’ve Never “Manifested” Anything Before?
Before we get into a quick lesson on manifestation, I think it’s important to mention two things. One, for the cynics, there is a lot of truth in the fact that it’s got some solid spiritual basis to it because even the Good Book says that as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). At the same time, that same Good Book tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). So, while it is always a good idea to focus on good, positive, and productive thoughts, just thinking about them isn’t enough — at some point, you’ve also gotta get out here and DO something (bookmark that).
Okay, with that mini-sermon out of the way, whether it’s in the bedroom or not, manifestation is basically about focusing on something tangible that you desire, harnessing your energy in such a way that your words and actions are directed towards that longing until what you want, well, manifests. For the record, aside from this having a spiritual backing to it, in many ways, science cosigns on manifesting, too. There is actually a scientific process known as neuroplasticity that consists of reframing your mind so that your actions ultimately end up aligning with your goals — and that is another way to look at manifestation.
So, what if you’re someone who has never set out to do a manifestation practice before? No worries. Something that’s awesome about it is there are several different approaches that you can take.
Some people manifest what they want in their lives via:
- Journaling
- Visualization/Creating vision boards
- Writing down their desires before going to bed (so that they can “download” them into their dream state)
- Creating mantras and affirmations
- Applying the 369 Manifestation Method (you can learn more about that here)
- Meditating
- Learning more about what you want to manifest (which brings forth clarity)
This is important to keep in mind because, when it comes to manifesting the types of orgasms that you want to have, as you can see, you can try different manifestation methods until you find one (or ones) that you are truly comfortable with. One that can ease you into the entire process rather smoothly is something known as sex journaling.
How Sex Journaling Can Actually Help You to Have an Orgasm
As a writer, I’m a big fan of journaling. Mostly because it’s a way to get out some of your deepest thoughts and feelings so that you’re able to really process what is happening inside of you in a private setting. And when it comes to sex journaling, specifically, it’s all about centering yourself on the things sexually that you want to “unpack,” get clarity on or come to some revelations about. For instance, if there’s only been one partner from your past who’s been able to help you achieve the type of orgasms that you wish to manifest, journaling about what makes him different from the other guys can provide you with some solid ah-ha moments.
Or if you need help getting as specific as possible about the sexual experiences that you’re after, journaling can help to make that happen for you — because one thing that manifesting reminds us all to do is be as specific as possible.
Yeah, simply saying, “I want to have better sex” isn’t detailed enough when you want to get your energy to match with your desires — instead, describe how all of your senses should feel in the experience, along with why, that can get you so much closer to achieving your goal. Once those things are documented, you can segue into creating mantras and/or meditation that are based on them. Yeah, sex journaling really is an underrated superpower on a lot of levels (check out “The Art Of Sex Journaling (And Why You Should Do It)”).
5 Tips for Making the O Method Work for You
Now that you know more about what the O Method is and how manifestation plays a direct role in its process, let’s talk about five ways to make the O Method truly effective in your own (sex) life.
1. Focus, FULLY, on your feminine energy. What do rose quartz, amethyst, moonstone (which is a Gemini birthstone as well; yes, I’m a Gemini), selenite, and rhodonite all have in common? They’re crystals that help you to go deeper into your divine feminine energy. Traits that are associated with this include compassion, creativity, kindness, gentleness, and sensuality (feminine energy is also accepting and forgiving). If you were to study energy from a biological standpoint, it’s about producing change, responding to stimuli, and having the ability to do what needs to be done (work). So, when it comes to manifesting the kind of orgasms or sexual experiences that you want, using things like your creativity and gentleness in your thoughts and actions can play a role in bringing balance to your partner’s masculinity, which can create a profound sense of pleasure — after all, opposites do attract.
2. Don’t hold back on what it is that you desire. Whenever I interview sex therapists, something that they all say is, a huge mistake that people make as far as sexual satisfaction is concerned is, they have walls up — not just with their partners but even within themselves. Sometimes, there is intimidation, fear, or even shame around what they really want to happen during sex to the point where they aren’t able to channel their energy fully in those directions in order to manifest what they want. For the O Method to work, you can’t let those types of negative emotions hinder you; the more you are able to articulate what you want and how you want it, the better chance you have of making it happen. So yes, get graphic. As graphic as possible.
3. Make manifestation a daily practice. Repetition is important when it comes to manifestation. That’s because the more you declare what you desire (a mantra), get still and think on it (meditation), or look at the “art” that you’ve created surrounding it (visualization), the quicker it becomes a part of you. So yes, make manifestation a daily practice. For instance, if one of your mantras is, “I am going to have intensely passionate orgasms, one right after the other,” don’t just state that 15 minutes before sex is going to happen. Wake up and declare it. Then say it on your lunch break. And again before turning in. The more your thoughts are “streamlined” in this way, the easier it will be for your body to follow suit.
4. Share this practice with your partner. If you were to do even more research on the O Method, one thing that most of the articles will mention is it’s a practice that you can do alone or with your partner. Indeed. However, I just want to make sure that you get into your psyche that great sex is, in part, about good communication. And so, the more comfortable you are sharing with your partner what you are doing as far as the O Method is concerned and what you ultimately want to happen as a result of the practice, the easier it will be for him to “match your energy” — both in and out of the bedroom. And when your partner is on the same page as you? That definitely increases the chances of attaining your sexual desires — exponentially so.
5. Stay in the moment. While I was reading one article on manifestation, I really appreciated something that the author said: manifestation isn’t some supernatural power. In other words, while it can be beneficial, it’s not like you can just think of something, and it instantly appears out of nowhere. Manifesting is a discipline, and it must be accompanied by action, consistency, and patience — this means that you must also practice mindfulness. Meaning, now that you know better what you’re looking to achieve as far as sex is concerned, every time that it transpires, maintain a level of positive energy, remember what your end goal is, and then determine in your mind to enjoy the moments as they come. Remember, manifestation isn’t to add stress…it’s to cultivate clarity.
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At the end of the day, the O Method is simply a way of reminding you that your mind plays a huge role in your sexual pleasure, and when you channel it and your energy exactly where you want them both to go, you’ll be amazed what your body is capable of doing…and accomplishing.
So, what kind of orgasm are you wanting to achieve? You’ve got a tool to get you there. USE IT.
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