Older workers (55+) who have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own face age discrimination in a way that no other group does. Employers in general tend to avoid hiring older people and it is impossible to document or otherwise prove this form of age discrimination. After all, no employer can be forced to hire older workers.
This group of people is probably a majority of the "long-term unemployed" and faces the least probability of finding jobs that are comparable to the ones they lost. This takes a terrible toll on the human spirit.
These people have in some cases accumulated savings in their 401Ks and IRAs but they cannot have access to it until they reach the age of 59.5 without tax penalties. PLEASE REDUCE THE AGE EILGIBILITY FOR THE "LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED".