How To Apply For Unemployment In Virginia

How Much Money Can I Receive

Click;; to receive an estimate of your weekly benefit amount based on West Virginia wages reported to the Unemployment Division. Please be aware that this figure is only an estimate and may not be exact.; It does not include out-of-state wages, military wages, or federal wages

How To Apply For West Virginia Unemployment Online

“How do I file a West Virginia Unemployment Claim?” is a common question most recently terminated workers ask. West Virginia residents can file an unemployment claim online at . Many claimants who prefer to sign up in person can visit a West Virginia unemployment office and use the computers provided and get help if needed.

All applicants should learn how the West Virginia unemployment system works as many of the requirements for continuing to receive benefits must be done online. Most applicants prefer to file for West Virginia unemployment online as it can be done at their own pace, they can also pause the application in order to find the correct documentation.

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How Does Virginia Determine If There Are Extended Benefits

The Extension of unemployment benefits is in effect if three weeks has passed since the federal on indicator for Virginia. The federal indicator is activated for Virginia if: 1) the VEC and Department of Labor agree that the current unemployment rate is higher than the proceeding 13 week period during the last two years, or 2) the unemployment rate exceeded 5% with seasonal adjustment, or 6.5% without seasonal adjustment.

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Vec To Reinstate Weekly Job Search Requirement For Unemployment Benefits

RICHMOND, Va. The Virginia Employment Commission is set to bring back a requirement that was temporarily discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

VEC officials will start touching base with people who file for unemployment benefits to let them know they’re required to apply for at least two jobs a week if they want to continue qualifying for payments.

That includes those who have filed claims under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

This requirement is state and federal law, but was suspended for a time due to the pandemic.

Customers are normally required to actively look for work while collecting unemployment benefits, said Commissioner Ellen Marie Hess, Virginia Employment Commission. With increased vaccination access, first in the nation workplace safety regulations, and a robust demand for workers from businesses, Virginia will resume collecting and reviewing work search activity of customers in the near future.”

Here are the requirements:

• Individuals receiving unemployment benefits will be required to actively apply for at least 2 jobs each week in order to receive their benefits.
• Individuals will be required to report details of their job search activity each week to the VEC for review.
• Individuals will not be eligible for benefits for any week they fail to make the required job search.
• VEC plans to begin notifying customers in May with additional details regarding these changes.

Before Submitting A Virginia Weekly Claim

The deadline to submit a Virginia unemployment claim form may vary depending on whether you are completing the form online or by phone. Submitting a claim by phone may require an earlier submission date in order for the claim to be processed in Virginia. In Virginia, Saturday night is the deadline to submit a claim.

If you are waiting to receive a decision on your Virginia unemployment eligibility or are in the process of appealing a benefit denial, you should still file Virginia unemployment claim for each benefit period to protect your right for unemployment benefits and stay current on your account. You must repay benefits received during this time if your eligibility for benefits is denied or an appeal is not approved. If you are approved for benefits or an appeal, you may keep any payment received in this period.

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How To Apply For Unemployment In Virginia

You can file an unemployment insurance claim by telephone, but the best and fastest option in Virginia is to file online using the Virginia Employment Commission website. You can securely enter all of your personal and work information there to get a claim processed quickly. The link for the site is below, along with some other helpful resources.

• Are Your Eligible for Unemployment Benefits?

You are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits in Virginia if your last job was for an out-of-state employer or if you were a federal employee working out of state. Youll need to provide accurate employment history with contact information when you file. If you must or if you would prefer to file your unemployment insurance claim by phone, call 832-2363.

Verifying Your Identification and Work History

New claimants will need to provide documentation to prove their identity and validate Virginia work history. Unemployment insurance fraud is punishable by fines, suspension of benefits, wage garnishment, or in extreme cases, prison. Heres what youll need to file:

• Valid Social Security Number
• Valid State ID or Drivers License
• W2 and/or 1099 from Last Year
• Most Recent Paystub with YTD Info
• Employer Contact Information

Once approved, you can receive your weekly unemployment benefits payment via direct deposit or on a VA debit card provided by the Virginia Employment Commission. If you choose direct deposit, have your routing number and account number handy when you file.

How To Claim Weekly Benefits

To file your weekly claims by telephone, you must:

• Enter your Social Security Number and your profile PIN using a touch tone phone
• Answer if you were seeking work during the week
• Enter the number of contacts you made
• Say the names of the employers you contacted
• Indicate if you refused work offers
• Note if you failed to get a job due to a positive drug test
• Let them know if you just stopped work or training
• Answer if you received pension, holiday, vacation, or Workman’s Compensation that week
• Enter if you did any work, including self-employment
• Input the money you made. If the answer is yes, also include the date you started working.

You can also answer these questions via your VEC online account. The questions will be the same, so make sure to have the same level of information available that you would when using the telephone.

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What Happens After I File My West Virginia Unemployment Application

The claimant can check on the status of their West Virginia unemployment application but should wait at least a week before doing so, as it takes at least a week or two for the office to verify information and to upload it into the database. Once West Virginia approves the application for unemployment in, they will notify the beneficiary by email and by regular mail with a case number or PIN. To receive benefit payment, the West Virginia unemployment registration process requires approved enrollees to submit a claim biweekly to claim their benefits. Applicants denied unemployment insurance by their employer will also receive a notification indicating the reason and the next steps they should take.

During the time that the claimant is receiving funds from the West Virginia unemployment, he or she will be required to adhere to the rules and regulations. Failure to do so could result in a denial of benefits for the duration of the claim weeks.

What Is Federal Unemployment Extension In Virginia

An unemployment extension is administered by the federal government in partnership with Virginia. There are two parts to the program: Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits . EUCs federal unemployment extension was temporarily enacted during the 2008 recession to prevent harm to unemployed individuals. The Extended Benefits program was the permanent program created for times when Virginias unemployment rate rises above a certain rate.

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Unemployment Application And Initial Claim

File Your Unemployment Application and Initial Claim Process

Need to file for unemployment in Virginia? You need to follow these steps in order to properly fill out your form and begin the claim reception process:

• Add your personal information
• Input information about your employers, including the reason you were let go
• State that you are currently available for employment and actively searching
• Follow the on-screen instructions regarding your unemployment
• Add your preferred method of payment

Documents and Information Needed During Filing

• Social Security Number
• Employer information
• Name of local union hall, if applicable
• Alien Registration Number, if applicable
• Mailing address, phone number, and dates of employment for non-Virginia employers
• Payment method

With this information, it should take you no more than 45 minutes to an hour to complete your application. Fill it out at an unemployment office or at home, whichever you prefer.

Resource Room Offers Logs To Track Your Search

Tim Harfmann, Lynchburg Bureau Reporter

LYNCHBURG, Va. If youre receiving unemployment benefits — theres something new to keep in mind. Youre now required to submit your job search to the Virginia Employment Commission.

Without applying and reporting your job search, youll no longer be eligible to receive benefits.

If you need help, the Virginia Career Works Lynchburg Center at 3125 Odd Fellows Road, offers a resource room, where you can search for open positions.

They can also give you a log to track your search.

need to provide the name and address of the employer, as well as the name of the person they contacted and the type of work theyre applying for, said Mariah Todd of the Virginia Career Works Lynchburg Center

The room is free to use and is open Monday through Friday during business hours. If you need to contact them, you can call 434-455-5940.

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How Will The Hearing Take Place

The Appeals Examiners hearing will take place by telephone conference call. However, an applicant may request the Virginia unemployment denial appeal hearing to be conducted in-person if he or she you notifies the VEC before the date of the hearing. Otherwise, the hearing will take place over the telephone. It is a good idea to notify any witnesses you have requested to be available during the hearing for a phone call.

How To File Weekly Claims In West Virginia

West Virginia unemployment claim forms must be completed and approved to receive unemployment benefits each payment period. You should submit claims until you no longer need unemployment assistance. Generally, West Virginia benefit claim forms can be completed online or by phone. Submitting West Virginia unemployment claim forms online is the fastest and easiest way to continue collecting payments. You will be able to submit forms, receive updates and get payments more quickly online. In West Virginia, you will receive a state-issued personal identification number to login to your account. If you prefer to file by phone, call the number provided by West Virginia to submit a weekly or biweekly claim. Completing claim forms by phone generally takes longer than doing so online.

To be eligible for continued benefits, workers must meet certain requirements determined by the state. Claim forms ask specific questions and obtain unemployment information to ensure these requirements are met in order to verify a worker’s eligibility to continue collecting unemployment payments. Examples of these requirements include being able to work, searching for employment and applying for jobs while receiving benefits. You can expect to be asked questions about your ability to work and your unemployment status while completing a claim form.

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How Do I File A Weekly Benefits Request In Virginia

To maintain unemployment insurance eligibility in VA, a weekly benefits request must be filed each week to maintain benefit payments. On the form, there will be fields for entering work contacts made, any changes in income and any hours worked. The most important part of the weekly request is that the information on prospective employers is accurate. Incorrectly entering a phone number for a work search contact, for example, could cause a claim to be immediately denied. A few exceptions exist, such as illness or injury, but in all other cases an applicant is expected to make at least three job contacts per week.

As More Cases Pile Up For Virginias Beleaguered Unemployment System So Do Frustrations

As the embattled Virginia Employment Commission has been scrambling to move through a massive backlog of unemployment claims, thousands more cases have been pouring in from jobless residents.

Staff who review disputed claims have been leaving the agency, and the General Assemblys watchdog has sounded alarms about measures being taken by the commission to hasten the process in response. Many unemployed Virginians say the commissions unresponsive call center has stopped picking up the phone to the point where a judge overseeing the agency is being swarmed with calls instead.

All of that has piled up to create a confusing, byzantine system, some critics say, making it inaccessible to those who need it most.

Theres very little clarity or predictability. They feel like they dont understand where theyre at in the process, said Del. Sally Hudson , a labor economist at the University of Virginia. Most of them are just waiting for a call that may someday come, but they dont know when itll come.

With a possible eviction crisis on the horizon, she and other lawmakers are now warning that the overwhelmed state agency must immediately enact overdue fixes to the system. If not, they say, they will be making it harder for the people who most need its help.

VEC Commissioner Ellen Marie Hess was not made available for an interview, and Joyce Fogg, a spokeswoman for the agency, declined to comment.

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What Type Of Claim Could I Be Eligible For

Regular/total unemploymentyou are totally unemployed when you are completely separated from employment, earning no wages and performing no services.

Low earnings/partial unemploymentyou are partially unemployed if you were hired as a full-time employee but your regular hours and earnings are reduced due to lack of work.; You are on the employers payroll, but that employer cannot give you full-time work.; Your employer may issue you a Low Earnings Report while your work hours are reduced.

Claim Denials Or Discrepancies

If your claim has been denied or if it is suffering from discrepancies, you can appeal to the VEC by sending a written appeal to the Clerk of The Commission or by filing at your local VEC office.

All forms must contain appropriate information, including your name, Social Security Number, why your claim was denied, why it shouldn’t have been, and any evidence backing up your claims.

It must be filed within 30 days of the date the letter was mailed or the date you received it online . It will require a hearing, which you can either use legal counsel at or defend yourself.

Appeals Process for Denied Claims

Unemployed? We want to help.

If you want to file for an appeal of a denied claim, you need to follow these steps:

• Fill out your appeal form and mail it to the address indicated below
• Wait to hear back on the date of your hearing
• Read the âNotice of Appealâ carefully
• Start gathering witnesses who can help your case, including ex-coworkers and managers
• Submit the name and fees of your attorney, should you choose one, to the appeal judge for approval
• Attend the hearing dressed in appropriate clothes, such as a suit and tie, though complete formality is not strictly required
• Present your case to the judge in a respectful way, presenting your evidence and your witnesses at the appointed time â you and your employer will both get your chances to do so
• Finish the appeal session and go home to wait for the decision â you’ll usually get this within a week or so

Fax: 786-8492

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How To Apply For Virginia Unemployment Benefits

Unemployed Virginians may submit their initial claims online or by phone at 1-866-832-2363. Applicants are encouraged to submit their UI benefits claims online since call center volume is quite busy. You may face an extremely long wait time if you attempt to make your claim by phone.;

When you file your initial claim, you will have the opportunity to register for work, which may help move along your job search more quickly. The Virginia Employment Commission requires that you actively seek work in order to remain eligible to receive your weekly UI benefits amount.

Eligibility Requirements For Virginia Unemployment Benefits

The Virginia Employment Commission handles unemployment compensation and decides whether claimants are eligible for benefits. You must meet the following three eligibility requirements to collect unemployment benefits in Virginia:

• You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, as defined by Virginia law.
• You must have earned at least a minimum amount in wages before you were unemployed.
• You must be able and available to work, and you must be actively seeking employment.

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How Is My Payment Amount Determined

Your weekly benefit amount is based on the total covered wages you were paid during your base period.; You must have been paid wages of at least $2,200 in covered employment during your base period and must have been paid wages in at least two quarters of your base period to be monetarily eligible to receive unemployment compensation benefits. The regular base period consists of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the starting date of your new claim. If you are not monetarily eligible during the regular base period, we would then explore the alternate base period to assist you in possibly becoming monetarily eligible.