• Name: Christina Katcher, 46
• Place: San Marcos, Calif.

I worked for Raytheon as a remote pilot training air traffic controllers in a lab. When the federal government started cutting back, I lost my job after five years with the company.

Everyone always says 'what a cool job,' but here I am, 46 years old with no skills that are useful really to anybody else.

I've been receiving unemployment benefits since June 2012, and then I suddenly stopped getting them.

My husband works, so thankfully, we're able to make it -- but he can't pay for everything. My cell phone may have to go soon.

Two weeks ago, he came home early and we both sat there trying to get through on the phone to these people. I made 417 calls that day before I got through to a real person.

Usually the unemployment check comes in Monday night between 6 and 9 p.m. This week, I didn't get paid again, and that's when I started calling.

Yesterday, I called California EDD another 150 times.

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