If I Am Eligible For Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Do I Need To First Apply For Unemployment Insurance
States must have a process for determining that Pandemic Unemployment Assistance applicants are ineligible for regular unemployment benefits, which may not include filing a regular claim as a first step. States are not required to take and adjudicate a full claim for regular unemployment insurance benefits to meet this requirement. While states are not prohibited from taking a full claim, to facilitate expedited claims processing the U.S. Department of Labor has discouraged states from doing so. Individuals should apply using the states PUA application process and, in states that have not yet established that process, must wait until it is established.
Do You Need To Look For Work
If youve filed your claim, gotten it approved and start receiving unemployment benefits, there are additional rules you need to be aware of to make sure you dont lose your benefits before you get a new job.
Most states require people who are receiving unemployment benefits be not only willing to work but actively looking for work. That requirement was waived by essentially every state at the start of the pandemic, but a number of them have now reimposed it.
However, as weve noted many times, every state is different, and also the definitions of actively looking for work vary from state to state. So if you arent sure if your state requires you to be currently looking for work, or what you need to do to prove that youre looking for work, double-check its unemployment website to find out.
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 Premium Subsidy. The page links to information about COBRA including:
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Heres Whats Going On With Marylands Unemployment System After A Change Left Many Unable To Submit Weekly Claims
When hundreds of unemployed Marylanders logged on to the states online benefits portal early Sunday morning, many were met with a confusing sight.
The option to send in their weekly claim certification a requirement for receiving benefits was missing.
Throughout the morning, anxious comments started to fill Facebook and Reddit groups populated by the states unemployed. Could this mean delayed aid, which families were relying on for phone bills, utilities and rent?
Heres what we know about the situation so far.
Information Youll Need To Submit Your Unemployment Claim
To successfully complete your unemployment benefits application, youll need to have several documents that act as proof for your claim.
- Social Security number.
- Names and addresses of all previous employers during the last 18 months.
- Pay stubs that show your quarterly earnings.
- The last date you were employed.
- The reason you have become unemployed be sure this reason matches your employers reason, as processors will verify your claim with your previous employer.
- Personal identification number from any previous Michigan unemployment claims.
- If you are not a US citizen, youll need your Alien Registration Number and expiration date for work authorization.
Be sure to gather this information first before beginning the application process. You can also read our guide on the unemployment application process for more tips.
After filing for unemployment benefits, the UIA will contact you by mail regarding your benefits. They will explain if your claim has been accepted or denied . If accepted, the information packet will show how large your weekly benefit check will be and how often you can receive unemployment payments. This information will also include information on what you must do to continue receiving benefits.
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I Was Furloughed By My Employer But They Have Now Reopened And Asked Me To Return To My Job Can I Remain On Unemployment
No. As a general matter, individuals receiving regular unemployment compensation must act upon any referral to suitable employment and must accept any offer of suitable employment. Barring unusual circumstances, a request that a furloughed employee return to his or her job very likely constitutes an offer of suitable employment that the employee must accept.
While eligibility for PUA does not turn on whether an individual is actively seeking work, it does require that the individual be unemployed, partially employed, or unable or unavailable to work due to certain circumstances that are a direct result of COVID-19 or the COVID-19 public health emergency. In the situation outlined here, an employee who had been furloughed because his or her employer has closed the place of employment would potentially be eligible for PUA while the employer remained closed, assuming the closure was a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency and other qualifying conditions are satisfied. However, as soon as the business reopens and the employee is recalled for work, as in the example above, eligibility for PUA would cease unless the individual could identify some other qualifying circumstance outlined in the CARES Act.
How Do I Apply For Unemployment Benefits In Michigan
Michigan residents who have recently lost their job can apply for unemployment benefits online or through the Michigan unemployment phone number. It is important to file for benefits within the first week of losing your job.
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If you are having difficulty with either system, you can also visit one of several Michigan unemployment office locations. For any questions or concerns about your Michigan unemployment, contact an unemployment insurance representative as soon as possible so that your weekly claims are not delayed or terminated.
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How To Submit An Unemployment Edd Application In Maryland
State employees who qualify for UI benefits can file for unemployment in Maryland in several ways. For example, the divisions online application for unemployment allows UI petitioners to apply for unemployment benefits in MD at any time from the comfort of their homes. If you are submitting your unemployment EDD application by phone, on the other hand, you can only contact the divisions Claim Centers during their specific hours of operation, which do not apply to weekends or state holidays. Note that, however, regardless of your preferred method of application, you must file for an unemployment claim as soon as you lose your job, as benefits will only be due for claimed weeks.
After submitting their UI claim, applicants will receive the Determination of Monetary Eligibility, which informs them of whether or not they qualify for UI payments based on their base period wages. State workers who believe the financial determination to be incorrect have the right to protest it within 15 days. If the division concludes your ineligibility for UI benefits based on the standard base period, you can request to be considered eligible based on an alternate base period.
Note: Throughout the determination process, state employees must file for unemployment in MD on a weekly basis in order to receive all due UI payments throughout the period of unemployment.
I Am An Independent Contractor Am I Eligible For Unemployment Benefits Under The Cares Act
You may be eligible for unemployment benefits, depending on your personal circumstances and how your state chooses to implement the CARES Act. States are permitted to provide Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to individuals who are self-employed, seeking part-time employment, or who otherwise would not qualify for regular unemployment compensation. To qualify for PUA benefits, you must not be eligible for regular unemployment benefits and be unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work because of certain health or economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PUA program provides up to 39 weeks of benefits, which are available retroactively starting with weeks of unemployment beginning on or after January 27, 2020, and ending on or before December 31, 2020. The amount of benefits paid out will vary by state and are calculated based on the weekly benefit amounts provided under a states unemployment insurance laws. Under the CARES Act, the WBA may be supplemented by the additional unemployment assistance provided under the Act.
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Avoid Unemployment Filing Scams
Unemployment benefit scams typically involve websites offering to file for unemployment benefits for you. The sites provide a form for unemployed workers to fill out to supposedly collect unemployment compensation. In other cases, phone calls or email may be used to solicit personal information from unemployed workers.
However, a third party cannot file for unemployment for you. Youre the only person who can apply for unemployment and your claim has to be filed directly with your state unemployment office. Make sure you’re applying directly on your state’s unemployment website before entering any personal information.
American Rescue Plan Act Unemployment Insurance Programs
Overview of Programs
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
- Provides benefits for claimants who are ineligible for regular UI and unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason. This includes gig workers, independent contractors, the self-employed, and those with insufficient work history.
- Per new USDOL guidelines, eligibility for PUA has been expanded to include:
- Individuals who were denied unemployment benefits because they refused to return to work or refused an offer of work at a worksite that, in either rinstance, is not in compliance with local, state, or national health and safety standards directly related to COVID-19
- Individuals who provide services to an educational institution or educational service agency and are unemployed or partially unemployed because of volatility in the work schedule that is directly caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency and
- Individuals experiencing a reduction of hours or a temporary or permanent layoff as a direct result of the Covid-19 public health emergency.
- Claimants are required to provide proof of their employment in order to be eligible for PUA.
- All PUA claimants will receive an action item in their BEACON portals. Learn more about the proof of employment requirement.
- The PUA program will end in Maryland on Saturday, September 4, 2021.
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation Program
No Gap in Benefit Eligibility or Delay in Payment
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How Long Will I Qualify For Mi Unemployment Benefits
Michigan allows residents to collect unemployment benefits for a maximum of 20 weeks per benefit year, regardless of wheter you find a job, stop benefits, and need to reapply later on in the year. This means there must be at least 52 weeks between Michigan unemployment claim filings to receive full benefits. For example:
- If you lose your job in March 2020 and receive unemployment benefits, you qualify for 20 weeks of payments. If you receive 15 weeks of benefits and find a new job, youll have five remaining weeks of benefits to access. If you are laid off again in January of 2021, you can utilize these five weeks, and are not entitled to any further payments because a full calendar year has not passed since you first filed.
- On the other hand, if 52 weeks has passed, you may be eligible to receive the full benefits period of 20 weeks. If you became unemployed in June 2019 and collected all 20 weeks of benefits, you are no longer eligible to receive any further payments for the year. Say you find a new job after that time and are employed. If you face another layoff after June 2020, youll be able to file a new claim and will qualify for the full 20 weeks because one whole calendar year has passed since your first claim.
In most cases, it is not possible to receive a Michigan unemployment extension. Previously, the state has only allowed extensions in times where economic downturn has created high Michigan unemployment rates.
Filing A Weekly Claim
To maintain Unemployment Insurance benefits, you are required to file weekly claims confirming that you continue to meet the requirements to receive Unemployment Insurance.
You must file a claim every week you are unemployed, or underemployed.
The benefit week starts on a Sunday and ends on Saturday.
Learn about Arizonas work search requirements on the work search web page.
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Questions You May Be Asked
- You may be asked whether you want taxes withheld from your unemployment check.
- You may also be asked if youre owed any vacation or holiday pay.
- The unemployment office will want to know the reason you left the job. Primary criteria for unemployment eligibility features being out of work because of no fault of your own.
If you quit or if there are questions about your termination, the application process may be more complicated. However, if your claim is denied, there is an appeals process.
Colleen Tighe / The Balance
How Do I Apply
To receive unemployment insurance benefits, you need to file a claim with the unemployment insurance program in the state where you worked. Depending on the state, claims may be filed in person, by telephone, or online.
- You should contact your state’s unemployment insurance program as soon as possible after becoming unemployed.
- Generally, you should file your claim with the state where you worked. If you worked in a state other than the one where you now live or if you worked in multiple states, the state unemployment insurance agency where you now live can provide information about how to file your claim with other states.
- When you file a claim, you will be asked for certain information, such as addresses and dates of your former employment. To make sure your claim is not delayed, be sure to give complete and correct information.
- It generally takes two to three weeks after you file your claim to receive your first benefit check.
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Your Guide To Unemployment Benefits In Michigan
Michigan residents who have lost their job through no fault of their own can qualify for unemployment benefits. The State of Michigan provides this safety net in situations where workers have become unemployed due to a layoff, a labor dispute, or being placed on mandatory leave of absence.
Michigan unemployment benefits and unemployment compensation are meant to provide a temporary source of income until you are able to find another job. This service is provided by the states Unemployment Insurance Agency . All employers in the state pay unemployment taxes, which are then paid out weekly to workers who lose their jobs.
What To Say & What Not To Say
When finalizing your unemployment application, one of the fundamental questions you see will be something like the following: Explain in your own words why you left your last job. The question does not leave much room for long-winded explanations. Take any evidence that you have and keep your responses non-committal and straightforward.
Unless you were dismissed from your job because you clearly violated the companys policy, applicants must remember to avoid using the word fired while filling out any forms or answering any interview questions at the unemployment office. While many individuals use the words fired and laid off interchangeably, in the legal unemployment field fired is usually taken to mean that you did something wrong and were dismissed because of your inappropriate conduct.
If you lost your position because business was quite slow, that is actually considered a lay-off. Laid off is a somewhat vague term, but it is less prone to raise questions about the legality of your application when processing your unemployment claim.
Furthermore, if your employer discharged you, you should note whether you were: Discharged without any misbehavior or Quit for valid cause personal reason. You should leave out any qualifying details, such as, I was the only woman in my department, and my supervisor hated me, so naturally I was the first to be laid off.
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Where To File For Unemployment Benefits
You should file your claim for unemployment benefits in the state where you live and worked. .
If you become unemployed in one state and then move to another, you can file your claim in your new state. However, your benefits will be determined by the rules of your former state. Although your new state administers your claim, the cost of your benefits is charged back to the state in which you became unemployed. A move will also add time to processing your claim, usually increasing the delay by several weeks.
Keep in mind that, even when you relocate, you still must meet all the requirements of the unemployment insurance program to qualify for benefits. Your new location must be one to which you were required to move by family circumstances or in which it is logical for you to expect to find a new job. For example, you cannot decide to move to a small seacoast town with virtually no business activity because you like the countryside there, quit your old job for no other reason, then expect to be eligible for unemployment insurance when you get to your new home and cannot find work.