Released March 8, 2010
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — The headlines tell the story: lay-offs and furloughs, reorganizations, and closings. For those who recently lost jobs, your first thoughts may be "What do I do now? How will I pay my bills?"
The following are some actions to take:
- Contact your organization's personnel department. Find out how long you will have health insurance, if you're entitled to a severance package and what it covers, and when and how to apply for unemployment benefits.
- Contact your creditors. Try to work out a modified payment plan that reduces your payments to a more manageable level. Do not wait until your accounts are with a debt collector. At that point, your creditors may have given up on you.
--continued on Alabama Cooperative Extension news
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