Faq: General Information About Unemployment Insurance
Looking for more information about Unemployment Insurance? Here are answers to frequently asked questions.
I was furloughed by my employer and now they are asking me to return but with fewer hours and less pay. Do I have to take this work or can I remain on unemployment?
It depends. The Department will consider work to be suitable where it pays at least 80% of the claimants average weekly wage . The Department will also consider a reduction in hours for example, if a job is changed from full-time to part-time.
Please note that if you refuse to return to work and your employer reports your refusal to work, your benefits may be put on hold while it is adjudicated. Adjudication currently takes four to six weeks due to unprecedented volume.
I was furloughed by my employer, and I applied for unemployment benefits but I havenât yet received them. My employer has now reopened and asked me to return to my job. What will happen to my benefits?
If NJDOL approves your application for unemployment you will be able to certify and claim benefits for any weeks that you were eligible for, even if the payments actually arrive after you have returned to work.
What should I do if I move?
Can I claim back weeks if I did not immediately apply for benefits when I became unemployed?
How does the timing of my filing work?
I am going to be laid off next week. Can I apply for benefits now so I get them quicker?
I collect a pension and/or Social Security benefits. Will these affect my claim?
Can My Employer Fire Me Because Of My Age
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act forbid employers from discriminating based on an employees age. If you are at least 40 years old, you are protected by these laws.
During a time of layoffs, your employer cannot intentionally single you out for unequal treatment because you 40 years of age or older. However, even a supposedly neutral layoff policy can still be illegal if it disproportionately affects persons over 40. See our Fact Sheet Employment Discrimination for additional information on age discrimination, including how to file a claim of age discrimination against your employer.
Programs And Resources Available Anytime
We encourage you to use our resources at any time throughout your job search. You can:
- Meet with career counselors and peers to get tips on how to navigate the job search process
- Attend workshops on job search techniques including interviewing, networking, and writing resumes and cover letters
- Get career planning help and information on in-demand jobs, occupations, and skills
- Access local, statewide, and national job listings
- Access resources including computers, copiers and printers, fax machines, newspapers, professional journals, business directories, and publications on job searching and careers
- Find opportunities to meet potential employers and network with other job seekers
Also Check: Can I Get An Auto Loan While On Unemployment
How To Apply Apply For Unemployment Benefits
Online+
To file a claim online, you must create an account on the UI Online portal. Please follow the steps below to create your UI Online account. For additional tutorials, please
If you have previously filed for unemployment benefits and forgot your password:
Before You Apply For Unemployment Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to file a new claim for unemployment insurance is through our improved online filing system. This is only for new claims.
If you already have a claim, please go to labor.ny.gov/signin to make weekly certifications or to view your claim information.
Following the expiration of New York States COVID-19 State of Emergency, the Unemployment Insurance unpaid waiting period rule is once again in effect. New Unemployment Insurance claims filed on and after June 28, 2021 will include an unpaid waiting week.
Read Also: How Do I Sign Up For Unemployment In Nc
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
What is Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation ?
PEUC is a federal Continued Assistance Act program that extends benefits to those who have exhausted state unemployment benefits. This benefit ended September 4, 2021.
What does it mean to exhaust state unemployment benefits?
A person exhausts state unemployment benefits when he or she either draws all available benefits that could be paid, or reaches the end of the benefit year and is not monetarily eligible for a new benefit year. Also, the individual cannot be eligible to file a claim in any other state.
How long does PEUC run?
Under the March 2020 CARES Act, the PEUC extension program allowed an additional 13 weeks of benefits and the program expired on December 26, 2020. The Continued Assistance Act extended this program to expire the week ending March 13, 2021. Under the new American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 , the PEUC program expired the week ending September 4, 2021.
How do I apply for PEUC?
Once your state unemployment claim has a zero balance, you can apply for PEUC on our website at www.GetKansasBenefits.gov.
PEUC applications can only be filed online at this time.
Do I have to apply for the extension provided under the new ARP Act?
No. If you were previously filing for PEUC benefits, you do not have to file a new application for the additional weeks. You just need to continue filing weekly claims each week you are unemployed.
How much does PEUC pay each week?
PEUC is available for the following periods:
What Information Do You Need To Apply For Snap Benefits
There are a few important things to know about the application for SNAP benefits. The application will ask you to define your household side. For this program, your household is as all the people who live with you and prepare food with you. If you have a roommate, but you shop and cook separately, you are a single-person household.
In most states, youll need to follow up your SNAP application by providing supporting documentation of your:
Also Check: How Do I File For Unemployment If I Am Self-employed
Unemployment Benefits During A Pandemic
There is no special unemployment benefit provision that applies during a pandemic. The federal and state governments may, however, enact their own rules and guidance as they see fit. For instance, the federal government has allowed states to expand the eligibility of people to get unemployment benefits amid the COVID 19 pandemic.
Accordingly, employees who are laid off because their employer temporarily shut down the business can file for benefits. The same holds true for people who are under quarantine but expect to go back to work later.
What Are My Rights If My Employer Declares Bankruptcy
If your employer has filed for bankruptcy, it means the company has asked the court to help it either plan a repayment schedule or sell off all its property and use the money to pay off the creditors . Each individual employee of a bankrupt business is given a priority as a creditor of up to $11,725 . However, secured creditors, such as banks for commercial lenders who are entitled to repossess property if payments are missed, have higher priority. To protect your rights as a creditor of your bankrupt employer, you should find out the county where the company field the bankruptcy petition and call the clerk of the United States Bankruptcy Court for that county. Ask the clerk how to submit a Proof of Claim form, which is the form that the court uses to determine how much money to give you. For more information on your rights in company bankruptcy or sale information, see our Fact Sheet Employer Bankruptcy, Sale, or Abandonment.
Also Check: Injured Outside Of Work Unemployment
How Do I Know If I Was Wrongfully Terminated
In California, employees are usually employed at will, meaning that they may be fired at any time by their employers, for any reason or for no reason at all. Layoffs due to lack of work are legal, although in some circumstances the employer must follow certain procedures in giving employees notice On the other hand, it is illegal to terminate a worker, including an at will worker, if the termination was in violation of a specific law or policy. For example, your employer cant fire you based on your race, age, gender, sexual orientation or some other discriminatory reason.
Filing An Initial Claim
What information do I need to file a new application?
When filing a new application, you will need the following information:
- Your Social Security number
- Full mailing address, including apartment or lot number, Zip Code and PO Box if you use one
- A phone number where you can be reached during the day
- The name and mailing address of your last employer, no matter how long you worked there
- Note: Your paycheck stub or W-2 form usually contains this information
- The date you began and stopped working for each employer and the reason you left each job for the last 18 months
- The county in which you live
- Your driver’s license number
- If you are not a citizen or national of the United States, your employment authorization number and expiration date
- If you were active duty military within the past 18 months, your DD-214, Member #4 form
- If you were a federal employee, your Standard Form SF-50 or pay stub
- Any separation, vacation, or holiday pay you have received or will receive in the future.
A record of your application will not be established unless you are told your claim has been accepted. If you are unable to complete your application, the information you have entered will be saved for 7 days from the date you began filing the claim so that you can complete it later and within 7 days.
What if I have wages earned in another state, the military, or the federal government?
Go to GetKansasBenefits.gov and click to file an online application for unemployment insurance if:
Recommended Reading: Where To Apply For Unemployment Online
Benefit Year End Date
A regular unemployment insurance benefit year ends 12 months after the claim started.
You cannot be paid for weeks of unemployment after your benefit year ends, even if you have a balance on your claim. Continue to certify for benefits if you have weeks available within your benefit year.
You can reapply for a new claim if you earned enough wages in the last 18 months and are still unemployed or working part time. Apply online, and we will notify you when your new claim is processed. This usually takes two to three weeks.
For more information, refer to the unemployment benefit calculator.
If you served in the military, worked for a federal government agency, or worked in a state outside of California within the last 18 months, you must reapply for a new claim by phone, mail, or fax.
You do not need to reapply if you did not earn enough wages in the last 18 months to establish a new claim.
To find your benefit year end date, log in to UI OnlineSM and view your Claim Summary. Your benefit year end date is 12 months after the start of your Benefit Year.
For more information, refer to your Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award for your claim ending date or review Benefit Year End.
Here’s What You Need To Know About Collecting Both Sets Of Benefits Simultaneously
The COVID-19 crisis has sparked an uptick in unemployment claims, with millions of Americans filing over the past two weeks and many more likely to file during April. If you’ve lost your job due to no fault of your own — meaning, you weren’t fired for cause — and you meet the earnings requirements in your state, you’ll generally be eligible to collect unemployment benefits. But what if you’re working and collecting Social Security simultaneously? Will you still qualify for unemployment, or will one set of benefits prevent you from collecting another?
Also Check: Can I Get Medicaid If Unemployed
Can I Continue The Health Insurance I Had While Employed
If you had health insurance through your job, you are probably able to continue that coverage under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, also known as COBRA or Cal-COBRA . Under COBRA and Cal-COBRA, if you lost your job or if your hours were reduced you likely can buy that same group health coverage for yourself and your family for a limited period of time if you pay your employers cost of providing the benefits. If you are entitled to COBRA or Cal-COBRA coverage, your employer must notify the health plan administrator, which will then notify you of your eligibility and provide instructions for signing up for continued coverage. Please see our Fact Sheet titled Health Insurance after Employment: COBRA, for more information on whether you and your family members, dependants, spouses, or domestic partners are covered under COBRA or Cal-COBRA.
For more information you can also call the Employee Benefits Security Administration : 866-444-3272.
I Thought I Can Get Unemployment Benefits If I Lose My Job How Do I Apply
If you are fired, are laid off, or quit a job, you can apply for temporary financial assistance. This used to be called unemployment compensation. It is now called reemployment assistance benefits. This may provide you with a weekly check while you look for new work.
In Florida, the maximum weekly benefit is $275, generally for up to 26 weeks. You can apply online by going to FloridaJobs.org, then under the Reemployment Assistance box click on CONNECT .
Don’t Miss: Can You Overdraft Unemployment Debit Card
Pay Attention To The News
Finally, its important to stay up to date on whats happening in government at the federal, state and local level. This can help you be more aware of new opportunities right when theyre available, Hamrick says.
One should keep tuned to developing news reports on the variety of new programs being devised aimed at helping Americans cope with the economic crisis, he says.
During times of economic distress, its not uncommon for scammers to try to take advantage of individuals facing financial hardship. Some methods could be as simple as circulating inaccurate financial advice, while others could be as severe as luring you into making an unsafe investment. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said in a March 20 statement that some scammers have posed as FDIC officials to access sensitive banking information. Some individuals have also found that theyve been targeted with fraud when it comes to their unemployment benefits.
Its important to remember that an FDIC-insured bank is always the safest place individuals can store their money.
Can My Employer Ask Me To Sign A Release In Exchange For A Severance Payment
Sometimes employers ask employees to sign a release giving up their claims, including discrimination claims, under federal or state laws in exchange for a severance payment. Such releases are normally enforceable, and it is up to you to decide whether its better for you to pursue a claim or accept the severance payment. If you are 40 years old or older and your employer asks you to release your age discrimination claim in exchange for a severance payment, you may have special protections under the Older Workers Benefit Protect Act that ensure that older workers are not unduly pressured into waiving their age discrimination rights. .
Read Also: Can I Get Unemployment If I Was Fired For Performance
Should You Claim Social Security If You’ve Been Laid Off
Though unemployment benefits will put some money back in your pocket, they won’t replace your entire paycheck — though if you file right now, you’ll be entitled to an extra $600 a week as part of the COVID-19 relief package that was recently approved. You may be tempted to claim Social Security to make up the difference. But before you do, remember that filing prior to full retirement age will result in an automatic reduction in your monthly benefits, and that’s a hit that could really hurt you on a long-term basis. This especially holds true if you don’t have much in the way of retirement savings.
Therefore, while it may be tempting to claim Social Security right after getting laid off, it also pays to wait until your unemployment benefits come through and see if they suffice in paying your bills. If so, you can at least delay your Social Security filing until your unemployment benefits run out.
The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
How To Get Cobra
Group health plans must give covered employees and their families a notice explaining their COBRA rights. Plans must have rules for how COBRA coverage is offered, how beneficiaries may choose to get it and when they can stop coverage. For more COBRA information, see COBRA Continuation Coverage. The page links to information about COBRA including:
Don’t Miss: How Do You File Taxes For Unemployment
Your Options Depend On Your Household Income
When you apply for Marketplace coverage youll estimate your income for the current calendar year.
- How to estimate your income if youre unemployed
-
Its hard to predict your annual income if youre unemployed. Still, its important to make your best estimate based on all current or expected sources of income for the year.
-
Types of income to include on your application:
- Unemployment compensation that you receive from your state. Visit CareerOneStop’s Unemployment Benefits Finder for more information about unemployment in your state.
- All household members income
- Additional types of income, including interest income, capital gains, and alimony
- Most withdrawals from traditional IRAs and 401ks. for information on non-deductible contributions, and IRS Publication 590-B for information on Roth accounts.)
-
Note: Its very important to immediatelyupdate your income information with the Marketplace if your income changes during the year. This will ensure you get the right amount of savings based on your new annual income estimate.
