Few so-called life events prove as disorienting and as disheartening as a layoff. A pink slip delivers a body blow. For many dismissed employees, severance packages and assistance from human resources departments ease the pain. Others are not so fortunate. Government programs try to help. A Friday RT-D First story reported frustrations regarding jobless benefits. According to staff writer Emily Dooley: “A program for thousands of unemployed workers eligible for additional federal benefits has been hampered by complicated regulations, low staffing levels, and processing backlogs at the Virginia Employment Commission and locally operated work-force centers.“

A program for thousands of unemployed workers eligible for additional federal benefits has been hampered by complicated regulations, low staffing levels, and processing backlogs at the Virginia Employment Commission and locally operated work-force centers. Many of the unemployed worked for memory-chip maker Qimonda, which in February announced it was closing its eastern Henrico County plant. The company did not provide severance, failed to issue many final paychecks, and cut health benefits.