Unemployment benefits for 1.3 million expire Saturday

NEW YORK -- Michelle Marshall is one of the 1.3 million long-term unemployed Americans who will lose jobless benefits Saturday.

Marshall, 56, has been out of work for a year, since she lost an administrative assistant job that paid her $44,000 per year.

She started collecting $624 each week in New Jersey unemployment benefits, but the state benefits ran out after 26 weeks. When federal benefits kicked in, she collected $521.

But Marshall will stop getting these checks next week.

That's because Congress failed to extend the recession-era program when it passed a budget deal last week.

Federal benefits kick in after state benefits run out, and range between 14 to 47 weeks, depending on the state where a person lives.

According to government figures, the average weekly benefit check is $300.

Even the cut from the larger state check to the federal benefits was hard for Marshall. She had to consolidate her $12,000 worth of credit card debt and enroll in a mortgage assistance program.

When the benefits stop entirely, she doesn't know what she'll do.

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