Fasco: Unemployment benefits

Unemployment benefits

Unemployment pay comes from the Missouri Unemployment Trust Fund administered by the Missouri Division of Employment Security, said Joann Lindemann, public information coordinator for DES. Unemployment taxes paid by employer contributions fund the source. The maximum benefit period is 26 weeks with pay amounts running from $40 to $250.

Individual worker benefits are derived from complex formulas for previous wages, length of time worked and whether the employer was required to pay unemployment taxes. There are no extensions unless "the federal government does an extended program," she said.