benefits

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When Contract Firefighters Die, Uncle Sam Turns Away

'A horrible inequity,' says one mom

(Newser) - When Caleb Renno died fighting a fire in 2008, his parents naturally sought federal death benefits for first responders. But Renno was a contract firefighter working for a private company, and the government said no way. It's a fine line that is the difference between a lifetime of financial...

Tsarnaevs Got $100K in State Benefits: Report

Between 2002 and 2012

(Newser) - The Boston Herald may have had its request for records denied, but that hasn't stopped the paper from managing to learn the extent of the public assistance received by the Tsarnaevs: more than $100,000 between 2002 and 2012, including cash, food stamps, and housing, the paper reports. "...

Pentagon Extends Benefits to Same-Sex Couples

But DOMA prevents it from going all the way, Leon Panetta says

(Newser) - The Pentagon has decided to begin extending to same-sex partners many of the same benefits it offers married couples, Leon Panetta announced today. "It is a matter of fundamental equity that we provide similar benefits to all of those men and women in uniform who serve their country,"...

Paid Sick Days Should Be a Right, Not a &#39;Benefit&#39;
Paid Sick Days Should Be a Right, Not a 'Benefit'
OPINION
Jan 22, 2013 12:58 PM CST

Paid Sick Days Should Be a Right, Not a 'Benefit'

We're all sicker when ill people have to work

(Newser) - Shamus Khan at Time offers this cheery little reminder amid the flu season: If you go out to eat or to grab a cup of coffee, most of the employees serving you don't get paid sick days. Which means they're probably going to show up even if they'...

Google Offers ... Really Generous Death Benefits

Googlers get one final perk

(Newser) - Google is famous for its generosity to employees, but Forbes has found a perk that Googlers get after they depart the company—and this life. If any of Google's 34,000 or so workers die while employed by the company, their surviving partner will receive half their salary every...

5 Other Things Employers Should Have to Provide
5 Other Things Employers Should Have to Provide
OPINION
Mar 12, 2012 1:01 PM CDT

5 Other Things Employers Should Have to Provide

Birth control is great, but why not a salad bar?: Allysia Finley

(Newser) - For too long, employers have insisted on determining for themselves which employee benefits to offer, but President Obama's "2,000-page health law" cuts that conceit off at the pass, writes Allysia Finley in the Wall Street Journal . Now the government decides, and the government wants employees to get...

NJ Passes Sweeping Worker Benefit Overhaul

Bill's passage marks big win for Christie, defeat for unions

(Newser) - Amid Wisconsin-style drama, New Jersey's Democrat-controlled legislature passed a plan to force public workers to pay more for benefits. The measure, bitterly opposed by the state's powerful unions, has already passed the state senate and Chris Christie is expected to sign it into law as soon as Friday,...

Just What Is a &lsquo;Good Job&rsquo;?
 Just What Is 
 a ‘Good Job’? 
analysis
May 1, 2011 7:36 PM CDT

Just What Is a ‘Good Job’?

This essential question needs to be answered, but it's complex

(Newser) - We toss around the phrase all the time, but how do we define what makes a “good job” good? It’s a key question—and a complex one—as we look to the future of our economy, writes Michael Lind in Salon . Among the factors:
  • Unions: We often call
...

Social Security to Be Drained by 2037

System will be permanently in the red unless Congress acts

(Newser) - Sick and getting sicker, Social Security will run at a deficit this year and keep on running in the red until its trust funds are drained by about 2037, according to bleaker-than-previous estimates from congressional budget experts. The massive retirement program has been suffering from the effects of the struggling...

Anger Mounts as Millions Lose Jobless Benefits

2M to lose benefits by Christmas as parties hit impasse

(Newser) - As Democrats and Republicans wrangled over tax cuts for the richest Americans, time ran out for millions of people who have been unemployed for up to 99 weeks. Congress has failed to agree on how to extend benefits for the long-term unemployed and some 2 million people who have been...

Transgendered Widow Battles for Benefits

Angry parents say son was upset he was 'tricked'

(Newser) - Nikki Araguz lost her firefighter husband, Thomas, in the line of duty two weeks ago, and now she could lose his benefits—because she was born male. The Texas widow faces a lawsuit from her husband's parents, who charge that her transgender status makes her ineligible to receive benefits, and...

Social Security to Take In Less Than It Pays Out in 2010

Payouts exceeding revenue 6 years ahead of predictions

(Newser) - The recession has battered Social Security, too: The program will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes this year, says the Congressional Budget Office. The system hadn't been expected to reach its "tipping point" until 2016. The change will have no effect on benefits, but...

Unemployment Programs Going Bust in 40 States

States face raising taxes or slashing benefits

(Newser) - The combination of high unemployment and bad planning means that the jobless compensation programs of all but 10 states are on course to go broke by 2011. Some 25 states are already borrowing federal money to issue benefit checks. State lawmakers are coming under intense pressure to either shrink payments...

'Everything But Marriage' Law for Gays Passes in Wash.

Referendum 71 expands benefits for same-sex couples

(Newser) - A measure expanding benefits for same-sex couples, dubbed the “everything but marriage” law, has passed in Washington state, the first time such an equality measure has been approved at the state level by voters. Referendum 71 currently has about 52% of the votes, and a margin of 60,000,...

Health-Care Reform Holds 'Bonanza' for Insurers

(Newser) - Regardless of how health-care reform eventually shakes out, one industry will likely reap a windfall: health insurance companies, reports the Los Angeles Times. All the leading overhaul proposals would require all citizens to have health insurance, which would guarantee tens of millions of new customers. "It's a bonanza,"...

Strapped States Fall Behind on Unemployment Checks

(Newser) - Years of tax and budget cuts have left the nation's unemployment system badly weakened just as it's most needed, the New York Times reports. At least a million applications are still stuck in the system and many applicants have to wait months for their first check. Sixteen states have...

Get a Checkup or Lose Your Insurance

One company tries forcing employees to get preventative care

(Newser) - How far can a firm go to improve the health of its employees? AmeriGas Propane's insurance costs were rising, its work force was aging, and its employees weren't getting preventative care. The company began voluntary programs to encourage healthy behavior that didn't work. So AmeriGas gave its workers a simple...

New GI Bill Pays Out Big in Some States, Zilch in Others

(Newser) - The new GI bill going into effect Aug. 1 is the biggest expansion of the program since World War II, but the benefits are far from uniform, the AP reports. The new system determines the money a vet gets for college on a state-by-state basis. Full tuition is guaranteed at...

Obama Offers Gays Too Little, Too Late
Obama Offers Gays Too Little, Too Late
Analysis
Jun 17, 2009 11:42 AM CDT

Obama Offers Gays Too Little, Too Late

Toothless federal-benefits gesture falls flat in LGBT community

(Newser) - President Obama’s memorandum giving gay federal workers some of the benefits straight ones enjoy has gone over like a lead balloon in the gay community, Politico reports. Advocates say it’s a weak gesture because the Defense of Marriage Act—which the administration recently defended—prevents it from including...

Biden: 'Real Doubts' About Iran Poll Results


 Biden: 'Real 
 Doubts' About 
 Iran Poll Results 

TALK SHOW ROUNDUP
Jun 14, 2009 11:11 AM CDT

Biden: 'Real Doubts' About Iran Poll Results

Elsewhere, officials spar over pending health care proposals

(Newser) - Vice President Joe Biden this morning expressed “some real doubt” that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad legitimately won re-election in Iran, Politico reports. “There’s an awful lot of questions about how this election was run,” he told Meet the Press. On health care, Biden reiterated President Obama’s reluctance...

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