Question

Unemployed people in the U.S. receive $5,000 per month in government benefits without having to apply

Answer 1

There are a few different avenues one could take when addressing this claim as its content is broad, non-specific, and entirely uncited.

But I'm going to focus in on the base technical concept of US unemployment benefits

• Unemployment benefits offer temporary financial help in the form of replacing part of your wages
• Being out of the workforce to a substantial degree and for a sizable chunk of time (let alone someone's entire lifetime) does not make one eligible for unemployment benefits
  • Unemployment benefits are reserved for workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own
• To be eligible you need:
  • To have lost your job for reasons beyond your control
  • Have earned enough wages in the qualifying base period 
  • and be ready and able to work again 
• The federal government offers a set of general guidelines for individual state governance to follow, however states may have additional eligibility requirements and state-specific conditions, making the blanket argument of all US citizens receiving this flat rate of 5,000 dollars in unemployment benefits difficult to follow.
• Unemployment benefits are not given freely and easily
  • Unemployment law attorneys are essential in many cases of workers seeking unemployment benefits due to the commonality of disputes between workers and their state's unemployment agency.
• Voluntarily quitting your job or being fired due to misconduct will generally disqualify you for UI benefits
• Most often, you will qualify for unemployment insurance benefits if you:
  • lost your job without any wrongdoing on your part
  • meet the salary and work requirements
  • can legally work in the united states
  • you are available for reemployment.

Comments

https://www.findlaw.com/employment/losing-a-job/eligibility-for-unemployment-compensation-benefits.html#:~:text=To%20be%20eligible%2C%20you%20need%20to%20have,take%20advantage%20of%20unemployment%20insurance%20(UI)%20benefits.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/economy/how-many-weeks-of-unemployment-compensation-are-available

---

This factcheck is incredibly thorough, especially in the way that you break down each aspect of the claim into easily understandable bullet points that clearly list what makes a person eligable for government provided unemployment benefits, and disproves the original claim of unemployed people being freely given government money without having to apply for aid

Answer 2

This statement is very broad as unemployment benefits depend on many factors. It is usually based on a percentage of the amount one had earned at a previous job. This also varies state by state with most states setting a maximum amount you can earn. For example, in Oregon the maximum benefit one could receive is $813 a week. Meaning that if you have the maximum amount of benefits, you still would not make $5000. It is also not easy to apply for unemployment. First, you must be eligible for unemployment in which you became unemployed by no fault of your own. Then you have to file a claim in which it is determined whether or not you are eligible. Finally, you must stay eligible throughout the period you claim unemployment. Many people claiming unemployment may be directed to the State Employment Service to register for work. This means that the claim of having benefits without having to apply is untrue. Most states have a maximum coverage of only 26 weeks. Over all the claim originally made is very untrue and missing a lot of information.

sources:

https://www.bench.co/blog/operations/unemployment-benefits-by-state

https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/uifactsheet.asp