COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - State officials say they are bracing for anger and confusion from tens of thousands of jobless Ohioans if extended unemployment benefits are cut off at the end of the month.
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Douglas Lumpkin said Wednesday he is once again urging Congress to grant an extension of weekly benefits for those without work. Ohio's unemployment rate is 10.9 percent and Lumpkin said more than 430,000 are receiving benefits.
The department estimates that without the extension between 25,000 and 30,000 Ohioans will begin losing benefits weekly beginning Feb. 27. The state added two call centers since December, for a total of seven, and has increased employees at those sites from 275 to 350.