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The sharp rise in joblessness is draining unemployment insurance trust funds in many hard-hit states, setting the stage for a federal bailout to keep the funds solvent. The unemployment rate reached a five-year high of 6.1% in August, putting the number of jobless people at 9.5 million, up 2.4 million from a year earlier. About one-third of the jobless collect unemployment insurance from state governments. TABLE: Covering the unemployed California, New York, Ohio and Michigan are among populous states projected to deplete their unemployment insurance funds this year or in 2009 to cover the cost of benefits. The financial struggles should not jeopardize weekly jobless payments, which average $299 per week. "People will get their benefits. It's just a matter of where the money will come from," Loree Levy of the California Employment Development Department said. The federal government is required to loan states money when their trust funds run short. In the short term, bailouts increase the federal deficit. In the long term, businesses pay higher unemployment insurance taxes to replenish the trust funds. "Ohio hasn't faced anything like this for many years. I doubt other states have either," Ohio Chamber of Commerce President Andrew Doehrel said. Thirty-two state trust funds are below the federally recommended level of having cash reserves equal to a year's worth of recession-level payments. A number of states will need federal assistance for jobless funds during this economic slowdown, said Andrew Stettner, deputy director of the National Employment Law Project. "We're going to see many more states facing insolvency than in the past," he said. State unemployment funds never fully recovered from the recession that started in 2001, Stettner said. Before the last downturn, trust funds had $54 billion in reserves. This time, reserves were $32 billion on March 30, the most recent figure available. States with big problems: • California doubled benefits in 2001 but did not raise its tax rate. The jobless fund went insolvent in 2004, then recovered. Now that unemployment is at 7.3%, it faces insolvency again in 2009. • New York has enough in its reserve for only two months. "That's not enough," said Nancy Dunphy, state deputy labor commissioner. • Michigan, which has the USA's highest unemployment rate at 8.5%, owes $255 million it borrowed from the federal government earlier this year. More borrowing is likely. Unemployment insurance is operated by states under federal guidelines. States set their own benefits and tax rates. Employers pay an average of 2.5% on the first $11,500 of wages. The federal government has its own unemployment insurance trust fund that will lend states money. If states don't repay the bailout loans promptly, businesses in those states generally are required to pay higher federal and state taxes to restore the funds' solvency. Covering the unemployed Unemployment trust funds are running low in many states, making afederal bailout likely to keep the funds solvent. Story, 1A. What statespay in unemployment insurance and how long the average jobless personcollects: Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more