Talk To Your Employer If Youre Called Back To Work
Finally, what if your company has remained closed but finally reopens and calls you back to work? That means you have a current offer of employment and are no longer eligible to receive unemployment benefits.
Exceptions are available if youve been told by a health provider to quarantine, or if youre caring for children while schools are closed. But remote schooling generally doesnt count as a school being closed for unemployment purposes, though some child caregivers might be eligible for PUA or family leave benefits.
Being called back to work may be a difficult situation if you arent comfortable returning to work right now. Your best bet may be to discuss the situation with your boss to see if there are any accommodations that can be made, but dont count on continuing to collect unemployment if your work returns.
File An Initial Or Weekly / Continued Claim
Welcome to the Virginia Employment Commission Workforce Services Unemployment Insurance claim filing system. In order to file for Unemployment Insurance you must have been separated from your employer or have had your hours reduced.
You should not attempt to file a Virginia claim if:
- Your last employer was a federal civilian employer in a state other than Virginia .;;;The only exception is if you worked as a federal civilian overseas.
- Your employment within the last 18 months was performed in;a state or states;other than Virginia.
You will need the following information to file your claim:
- Your Social Security Number
- The accurate employer names, addresses, telephone numbers and dates of employment within the last 18 months.
- The name and local number of your local union hall, if you obtain work through a union.
- Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a US citizen.
- If you have any Non-Virginia employers you must have an accurate mailing address, phone number, and dates of employment for them.
- You will be asked to select a method of payment:;VA Debit Card;or;Direct Deposit. If you select Direct Deposit, you will need to have your Routing Number and your Account Number .
If you do not have this information available, please gather it before you begin to file your claim. This site is available seven days a week. The filing process takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. Please allow enough time to complete this process.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED!
How Do I Figure Out By Base Period
Your base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the effective date of your initial unemployment insurance claim.
The TWC does not use the quarter in which you file or the quarter before that.
Instead, they use the one-year period before those two quarters. The effective date is the Sunday of the week in which you apply.
The chart below can help you determine your base period.
If you determine that you do not have enough wages from employment in the base period, then you are not eligible for unemployment benefits and TWC cannot pay you benefits.
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Forgot Benefit Services User Id
If you forgot your Benefit Services User ID information, you can recover that information here.
You will be asked to provide the following to retrieve your User ID:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Email Address
Once you have entered the requested information, check the Im not a robot box and click on the Next link to continue.
How To Apply For Unemployment Benefits
The best and fastest way to apply is online. You can apply by phone, but wait times are very long because of COVID-19. At this time, you cannot apply in person. The steps below will guide you through the process.
Get ready to apply
Before applying, gather information youll need. See Page 1 of the Unemployed Worker Handbook or visit the;Have this information ready page.
Reasonable accommodation.;Information on reasonable accommodation;is available for unemployment-benefits customers with disabilities.
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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.
How To File For Disaster Unemployment
Federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits are available for those who lost their jobs or businesses as a result of the wildfires beginning on August 14, 2020.
An provides disaster unemployment to those who do not qualify for the current state Unemployment Insurance.
A press release from the EDD encourages individuals to apply through the EDD and the deadline for filing a claim related to the fires is September 28, 2020.
Benefits are available to those in the following counties:
- Lake
- Yolo
These unemployment benefits are available to those who meet any of the following criteria:
- Worked or were a business owner or self-employed, or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment, in the disaster area.
- Cannot reach work because of the disaster or can no longer work because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster.
- Can establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster.
- Became the head of their households because of a death caused by the disaster.
- Have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits from any state, or do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits and remain unemployed as a direct result of the disaster.
To receive benefits, documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the day the DUA application is filed. Documentation includes:
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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:
1. Follow these instructions to reset your UI Online password.
You can also apply for unemployment benefits or get help with your application by calling the TeleClaim Center. The number you call depends on your area code:
- 626-6800 from area codes 351, 413, 508, 774, and 978
- 626-6800 from any other area code
- 711 for Voice Relay
The TeleClaim Center hours are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.;
If You’re Denied Appeal
After you file your claim, your state agency will typically review the information you provide, talk to your past employer, and may even call to interview you about your situation. Most states also require employees to have worked a certain amount of time and/or earned a minimum amount to be eligible for benefits.
If the agency believes you don’t meet any of its requirements, it can deny your claim for benefits. But don’t give up, Evermore says.;
“Most people don’t realize that if you’re denied benefits on the first try, you can always try to appeal,” Evermore says. That process can be a bit time-consuming, but it’s worth it. And with the COVID-19 situation continuing to evolve, your eligibility may change.;
“If you get rejected, appeal,” she says.
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Unemployment Benefits For Claimants
Federal Unemployment programs ended September 4, 2021, UI week 36/21.This includes Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation , Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation , Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation .Individuals with claims pending for weeks prior to September 5, 2021 will be paid for each week they are found eligible.
Visit to find resources to help you with your job search.
If you have become unemployed or partially unemployed, you may apply for unemployment benefits online. File weekly claims to receive benefit payments after requirements are met.
Why Does My Application Status In The Twc Benefit Service System Say I Am Ineligible
There are many reasons you may be deemed ineligible for Texas Unemployment benefits
This includes incomplete or inaccurate information.
If you have incomplete or inaccurate information, the TWC will reach out to assist you in completing your application.
Here are the most common reasons you may be denied unemployment benefits by the Texas Workforce Commission.
- Work-related misconduct
- Refusal to Accept Suitable Work
- Not Meeting Earnings Requirements
- Failure to File Appeal on Time
- Receiving severance pay
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Payment Schedule For Unemployment Tax Refunds
With the latest batch of payments in July, the IRS has now issued more than 8.7 million unemployment compensation refunds totaling over $10 billion. The;IRS announced it was doing the recalculations in phases, starting with single filers with no dependents and then for those who are married and filing jointly. The first batch of these supplemental refunds went to those with the least complicated returns in early summer, and batches are supposed to continue for more complicated returns, which could take longer to process.;
According to an igotmyrefund.com forum and another discussion on;, some taxpayers who filed as head of household or as married with dependents started receiving their IRS money in July or getting updates on their transcript with dates in August and September. No other official news from the IRS has been issued regarding payment schedule for this month.;
Important Contact Information And Links
Online Applications
We strongly encourage you to utilize our online BEACON application to file your claim, which is available online 24/7.
Claimant Phone Number
- To contact a live agent to file a new claim or inquire about an existing claim, please call 667-207-6520, toll free.
- Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have more than doubled our Claims Center staffing and have further extended hours. Live claims agents are available from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, and on Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Claimants now have the option to call us seven days a week.
- If you call during business hours, you may provide a callback number. When an agent becomes available, the system will call the number and connect you with an agent. You may also be offered the opportunity to connect with a virtual agent to have questions answered by smartphone.;
Employer and Agent Phone Number
- The Employer Call Center will be available beginning September 21, 2020 and can be reached at 410-949-0033.
- If you need activating your employer or agent account in BEACON, please contact the Account Activation Hotline at 410-767-8997.;
Connect with IVR System to File Telecerts and More
Inquiry Form
Virtual Agent
Ombudsman Inquiry Form
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Can I Get Health Insurance If Im Unemployed
Yes. If youve been furloughed instead of laid off, you can continue to receive health coverage from your employer. Otherwise, you may be eligible for continuation of health coverage through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act or coverage from the health insurance marketplace. Some states and the District of Columbia have opened their health insurance marketplaces to allow people to buy coverage before open enrollment, which usually occurs in the fall.6
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
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation Program
No Gap in Benefit Eligibility or Delay in Payment
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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:
Are Unemployment Benefits Different For Furloughed Workers
No. The unemployment benefits available to furloughed workers are very similar to the benefits offered to people who have been laid off. Plus, most furloughed employees still receive health care and other benefits from their employers while on furlough, if they received those benefits while working.
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Have Your Information Ready To File
Even if you haven’t been laid off or had a dramatic reduction in your hours, now is the time to make sure you have copies of your most recent pay stubs, Evermore says. Make sure those are easily accessible because if the employer shuts down, it may be more difficult to get copies.;
When filling out your application for unemployment benefits in the state where you worked, the employment agency will need to verify your income. If the employer is no longer in business, you’re going to need your own records, Evermore says.;
It’s also important to document any communications from your manager or employer about your work situation. That can mean anything from emails from your boss about reducing your hours to taking photos of “closed” notices hung in store windows.
Many states have a;“waiting period,” usually about a week, that you have to undergo before you can receive your unemployment benefits. However, states like Kentucky,;New York,;Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin are waiving mandatory waiting periods so workers can get benefits faster. With that in mind, it’s best to file as soon as you have news that your job status has changed.;
In addition to documentation verifying your income and work status, you’ll also typically need to have the following details on hand:;
- Social Security number;
- Pension or severance package information
Continuing Your Unemployment Benefits
Once you have qualified for unemployment insurance benefits, you are not free to simply sit back and welcome the checks each week. You must continue to comply with the state program’s rules and rituals to keep them coming.
You must visit the unemployment insurance office or complete specific paperwork as frequently as your state requires it. Periodically, you must verify that you remain unemployed but available for work, that you remain physically able to work, and that you are actively looking for work. The documents you sign will typically ask you to certify that you continue to meet these requirements, and it is usually a criminal offense to lie about any of your answers.
In some states, you are also required to list a minimum number of potential employers to whom you have applied for work since the last time you signed for benefits. This requirement may vary according to economic conditions.
The unemployment insurance program cannot require you to take a job that varies much from your normal field of work and your normal wage level. But these ranges are subject to interpretation, so exercise care in deciding where to apply for a new job. Some unemployment insurance offices maintain and post listings of jobs that are available locally. Apply only for jobs that are similar to your normal type of work and wage levels so that you will not run the risk of having your unemployment insurance claim discontinued because you refused to accept substitute employment.
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