Gulf War vet waits six months for unemployment
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ATLANTA (WGCL) — Alvin Miranda lost his job at Best Buy months ago. But he’s not the type to become a couch potato.
“I’ve been working almost 35 years,” the Gulf War vet told Better Call Harry, “since I was a little kid. I can’t sit and do the Netflix thing, watch 20,000 movies, that’s not me.”
So Miranda volunteers at the historic West Side Community Garden in Vine City. Sunflowers, green peppers, rosemary. This garden has it all. But not what Alvin needs. He been waiting nearly six months for his unemployment benefits.
“They said that Best Buy filed for me and I’d get up in the middle of the night thinking it’s payday in my bank account. Zero,” said Miranda.
His paperwork says he’s eligible for $4,500. Miranda has some income, but even with his wife working full time it’s not enough.
Miranda is one of thousands of Georgians lost in an overloaded system. Then his phone rang. It was a specialist from the Georgia Department of Labor telling Miranda his Social Security number did not match what was on file. Problem fixed.
“Oh my God. I can’t believe it.”
Miranda forgot about the $600 federal supplement. He thought he would be getting $4,500. Instead, his benefits are nearly $10,000.
After he pays off bills, Miranda says he wants to make a special purchase, available at Best Buy.
“I want to buy one of them air fryer stoves that does everything,” he told Harry, “so when my wife gets home, her vegetables are already cooked, her meal is set. When you work 12 hours a day, the last thing is for you to come home and there’s no food on the table.”
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