Unemployment Insurance Information
Claims Information (continued)
Establishing a UI Claim
Eligibility Requirements
Potentially eligible claimants must have become unemployed through
no fault of their own. All claimants, except those who are still
attached to an employer's payroll, must (a) register for work with the
Employment Security Commission; (b) file a claim for each calendar
week of benefits they request, and (c) actively seek work during any
week for which unemployment benefits are claimed. Actively seeking
work means doing those things that an unemployed person who
wants to work would normally do. Unless otherwise instructed, a
claimant must seek work in person on two different days with at
least two different employers and must keep a written record of all
work search contacts for periodic review by Commission staff.
Claimants who are enrolled in Approved Commission Training may be
exempted from these work search requirements.
Reporting Earnings
A claimant must report gross earnings (even though not yet
received) made during each week that benefits are claimed. The
claimant must also report any other income received, except Social
Security benefits.
Employers who file attached claims for their employees who are
working less than three customarily scheduled workdays (or less than
60% of the customarily scheduled work hours) must question those
employees and report all income received by the employees during
the payroll week (including earnings from other sources).
Claimants are encouraged to accept "pick-up" or part-time work while
looking for permanent, full-time employment.
Earnings Allowance
The earnings allowance is the maximum amount a claimant may earn
in a compensable week before the weekly benefit amount is reduced.
It is computed by dividing the claimant's high quarter wages by 13,
multiplying this result by ten percent (0.10), and rounding any
amount which is not a whole dollar down to the next lower whole
dollar.
For example, the earnings allowance for a claimant with high quarter
wages of $3,639.38 is computed below:
EA = $3,639.38 (Hi Qtr Wages) divided by 13 x 0.10 (10%)
EA = $279.95 x 0.10 or $27.99
EA = $27.00 (rounded down to $27.00)
Earnings over this amount are deducted dollar for dollar from weekly
benefits.
Ineligible Amount
Ineligible amount is determined by adding the claimant's earning
allowance to the claimant's weekly benefit amount. If, in a given
week, the earnings reported by the claimant equal or exceed the
ineligible amount, then the claimant cannot receive any
unemployment benefits for that week.
Reporting Job Offers
A claimant must notify the Employment Security Commission of any
job offer received during each week of unemployment for which
benefits are claimed. Employers should notify the local Employment
Security Commission office whenever an individual referred by that
office refuses an offer of employment.
Denial of Benefits
Any individual who quits a job, is fired from a job, refuses a referral
to a job, refuses a job, refuses to enter Approved Commission
Training, or fails to complete Approved Commission Training may be
denied unemployment benefits.
Benefits are denied to any claimant who fails to meet the weekly
eligibility conditions. This denial may be time certain (applied only to
the week or weeks in which the condition/restriction existed) or
indefinite (applied to each week until the condition/restriction is
removed).
UI Claims Information continues on next page.
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