Taking a public benefit is not a question of merit or comparable need. You shouldn’t have to earn it by suffering more than most, and you shouldn’t have to justify it by trying your damndest to not need it anymore. It’s not only for you. That’s what makes it public.
Thinking about public benefits as given by government to needy individuals ignores two important realities. “Government,” when it comes to spending, is everyone; you’ve been contributing to public benefits by paying taxes. Second, the “public” is the beneficiary of things like unemployment insurance as much as it is the benefactor. Preventing people from going hungry saves governments money over time.
Some people may need the benefit more than you, and they’re going to get it. For all of our benefit, you should still take it too.
YoRocko! 
Thanks. I needed this — the public needed this.