The pandemic left them unemployed. Their benefits are running out. Now what?

The pandemic left them unemployed. Their benefits are running out. Now what?

In two days, federal pandemic unemployment assistance - or PUA - payments end.

For people out of work, that's $600 a week gone unless Congress extends the program.

IN TWO DAYS --PEOPLE OUTOF WORK - áAND GETTING HELPFROM UNCLE SAM WILL áLOSETHEIR EXTRA BENEFITS.600-DOLLARS-A-WEEK STOPS --UNLESS CONGRESS STEPS IN.THOSEWAITING ARE IN A CLASH TOO.THEY'RE FIGHTING FEAR.HERE'SREPORTER LARRY SEWARD.(sot/ tc 4:34/ ebony cobbins/ )"extending it is verynecessary..."(track)ebonycobbins is a married mom offour in hartwell thinkingabout gambling... not withcards or money... she'sdealing with something farmore emotional.(sot/ tc 5:08/ebony cobbins/ )"i don't liketo jeopardizing my life.

Ineed to be here for my kids.and i don't want to have tochoose between whether i feedthem or i get my medication."i shouldn't have to do thatbecause before when i wasworking i didn't have togamble like that."(track)cobbins managed an office...an executive's assistant...until coronavirus surged anddiabetes forced her home.(sot/tc :54/ ebony cobbins/ )"that's when my doctor told menot to go back to work becausehad i caught it, he said therewas a good chance i would beone of the ones that died fromit."(track)she's on insulin...three prescriptions costing700-dollars each.so during hertwo-and-a-half month wait forunemployment... cobbinsplanned to ration medicine andsave money for bills.(sot/ tc3:26-40/ ebony cobbins/ )"i'lldo my insulin on one day andthe next day i won't do it.but i'll make sure i payattention to my signs of mybody so that if it's not whereit's supposed to be i can callmy doctor and let my doctorknow." (track)checks from thestate..

Her husband'sincome... and the extra600-dollars-a-week from thefederal CARES act broughtrelief and new anxiety.sincefebruary... the federalgovernment's poured more thanfour-billion dollars inpandemic unemploymentassistance or PUA into ohiowhere job and family serviceshave more claims in the lastfour months than the previousthree years combined.worse...tens of thousands still needhelp and PUA is about toexpire.(sot/ tc 11:32:15/johnny stewart/ unemployed)"i'm already in panic mode..."(track)when coronavirus forcedamazon to cut homeinstallation services...contractor johnny stewart losttwo jobs.

He applied forunemployment but fears CARESact benefits will vanishbefore he's approved.(sot/ tc11:33:08/18-25/ johnnystewart/ unemployed)"right nowi got mechanic work i needdone on my car, bills, justfood and everything.

I don'tget any food stamp assistanceor anything right now so.

It'slike i'll go wash a car, makea couple dollars, do somethingelse to keep my day going.it's been rough, but yeah."(nats tc 11:25:00)"i lookedforward to going to work,okay?"(track)michelle horsleywanted part-time work by july.but a surge of coronaviruscases in hamilton county makethis grandmother wonder whenand where to go.(sot/ tc11:26:53 michelle horsley/unemployed)"...you can't loseit.

You know, you got to hangon in there and i just keep ai just keep a song in my heartto get me over."(track)theremay be no live music or stageshows in cincinnati's biggestvenues until there's aCOVID-19 vaccine.until then,hundreds of stagehands surviveon PUA.(sot/ tc 4:20/christopher walters/unemployed)"it's kind ofstarting to get scary becausethe unemployment andeverything is supposed to endon july 25th and then..."(sot/tc 4:38/ christopher walters/unemployed)"...if venues can'topen back up and performancescan't happen things like thatthen we're going to be don'tknow what to do."(sot/ tc11:32:38/ tom guidugli/ iatselocal 5, business agent)"thisaffects almost all thehospitality industry, thetravel industry.

A lot ofthose places got significantbailouts rightfully so and wegotta get to the other side ofthis thing and have acivilization."(larry looklive)"congressman steve chabotagrees and while optimistic,he stopped short ofguaranteeing a benefitsextension."(sot/ tc 5:51/steve chabot/ (r) u.s.congress ohio dist.

1)"thoseare things that congress iscontinuing to work on to thinkabout and ultimately i thinkact on.

Much of it depends onhow long this pandemic lasts.and we don't know how longthat's going to last."(track)cobbins remains too vulnerableto work and hopes help comesbefore she feels forced togamble.larry seward... wcpo...nine news.