Why Does Unemployment Take So Long

Certify For Benefits Every Two Weeks

You must provide the EDD with eligibility information every two weeks. This process is known as certifying for benefits. You can certify with UI Online, EDD Tele-Cert, or .

Report work and wages correctly while receiving UI benefit payments. Report any work you performed and wages you earned every two weeks when you certify for UI benefits.

Note: You must serve a one-week unpaid waiting period on your claim before you are paid UI benefits. The waiting period can only be served if you certify for benefits and meet all eligibility requirements for that week. Your first certification will usually include the one-week unpaid waiting period and one week of payment if you meet eligibility requirements for both weeks. Certify for benefits every two weeks to continue receiving benefit payments.

You Might Not Have Provided The Right Payment Profile

Perhaps your delay is as simple as not providing a preferred payment method for your weekly benefit. When you first apply for benefits, youre also asked to provide information about your bank, including your routing and account numbers for direct deposit.

Labor Department officials have said that having a bank account on file can speed the process, but thats not possible for the near 25 percent of U.S. households who are either unbanked or underbanked. In those instances, your state department might be preparing a debit card or prepaid card that you can specifically use to access your benefits, but thats only going to take time.

What Is Considered A Valid Work Search

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said people are required to give good faith in their search for new work, although they are not bound to strictly apply for jobs that they think theyâre qualified for.

However, the longer a person is out of work, the more pressure theyâll face in accepting a new job.

âDuring the first 60 days a claimant collects Reemployment Assistance benefits, work will not be considered suitable if: it pays less than 90% of the claimants average weekly wage during the base period; or it would require a material change in occupation for the claimant,â a spokesperson for Florida DEO told Spectrum News.

Those standards, however, change over time.

âAs the length of unemployment increases, offered work that may not have been suitable within the first few weeks of the claim may be considered suitable as prospects for desired work diminish,â DEO said. âAfter an individual has received 25 weeks or more of Reemployment Assistance benefits in a single year, suitable work is a job that pays the minimum wage and is 120% or more of the weekly benefit amount the individual is drawing. The Department will take into consideration any circumstances that compromise a claimantâs health and safety.â

Turning down a job offer could put a claimant at risk of losing benefits.

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is making it easier for employers to report to the state people who have turned down job offers.

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Next Steps For Apply For Unemployment Benefits

Is There Anything I Can Do If My Claim For Unemployment Benefits Is Denied

Yes. You have a right to appeal the denial decision. You may be asked to submit your side of the story by phone or in writing, and you will likely have the opportunity to appear at a hearing and argue your case. Contact your state unemployment agency or labor department to find out how to appeal a denial of unemployment benefits. For more information, see Nolo’s article Denied Unemployment Benefits: The Appeal Process.

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Delays In Unemployment Benefits Expected

With the passage of the American Rescue Plan last week, depending on your state, you may have to wait longer for benefits from the federal pandemic unemployment programs. In a memo, reported in CNBC, to state unemployment agencies an official at the US Department of Labor recognized that some states may need until mid-April to implement the new provisions and begin notifying individuals.

This is not a new problem, with the previous covid-19 relief bill passed in December several states had difficulties reworking their computer systems. As well benefits had run out for some individuals and they needed to reapply causing them further delays in receiving benefits. According to Andrew Stettner from The Century Foundation speaking to CNBC about 2 million people may be affected by a lag in payments after their benefits expired 14 March.

This will not be the case in all states nor for all workers collecting jobless compensation.

Join An Unemployment Facebook Group For Your State

Stettner recommends connecting with other people who have already received unemployment benefits, and are familiar with the process.;

The group Harris and Pagan turned to was started by Erica Chan as an online community resource for people navigating Californias unemployment system. Chan, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, says she had experience filing for unemployment benefits, and figured a Facebook group might help to connect others with similarly valuable experience with those filing in need of help. The group has become a platform for finding answers to common issues like identity verification, and how to contact the EDD.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the country are turning to such Facebook groups for help navigating state unemployment systems. While a Facebook group can be a good starting point, be sure to verify the advice you find in these groups, as personal experiences arent always a good substitute for expert guidance.

The experts we spoke with agreed that getting someone from your states unemployment office on the phone is your best option for getting a direct response, but even that can be hit or miss. While people have occasionally been able to reach someone at the unemployment office who is helpful, that usually isnt the case, Kalish says.;

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How Long Is Unemployment Available For

Whether you are going to the office in Rochester for unemployment, youre working with the NYS Department of Labor in Buffalo, NY or youre somewhere else in the state, you will have up to 26 weeks that you can receive unemployment in a one year period.

This one year period starts right after you file for unemployment with the state, and that period determines how long you have to get unemployment. The New York State unemployment insurance program keeps a close watch on how long youve been receiving the benefits.

Each time the program for NYS unemployment claim weekly benefits that information is marked down and kept on file.

Even when you dont have to wonder about things like how to file for unemployment in NY you will still have to worry about remaining eligible for the program. You need to claim your benefits each week and prove that youre working to find a job.

If you can do those two things you could receive your benefits for up to 26 weeks. There are additional rules and requirements that go with the program though. For instance, NYS residents are allowed to exclusively try for jobs within their industry for the first 10 weeks after leaving the position while collecting unemployment benefits.

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Advice For Unemployment Benefit Applications:

• As soon as possible after you become unemployed, you should contact your state’s unemployment insurance programme.
• The claim should usually be made with the state where you last 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.
• To file the claim you will need addresses and dates of your former employment, so be sure to give the correct information to avoid delays.

You can find the contact information for your state’s unemployment office on the Department of Labor Online Portal.

Claiming Your Weekly Benefits Payment

Once youre approved to receive unemployment benefits from the Department of Labor in NY you arent finished working or your money. You still need to prove that you are looking for work and claim your benefits every other week.

To prove youre looking for work you need to show how youve taken at least three actions toward finding a new job each week. That could be submitting an application somewhere or calling a business to ask about work that they have to offer. No matter how you look for work, record it down on paper so that you have proof to show off.

You will need your proof to ensure that you can claim your unemployment benefits each week Thats because every week you need to use your unemployment login in NY to enter your claim information, or you need to call unemployment in NY and give them your claim information over the phone.

You have to go through one of the two processes in order to get your benefits for the week. If you cant prove that you were actively looking for full-time work you could lose your benefits for the week and hurt your chances of getting future benefits as well.

Keeping up with the requirements of the unemployment program isnt difficult to do, but it does take some time and effort. Make sure that youre going through the necessary steps to keep your benefits payments coming in after you file for unemployment in NYC.

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Costs To The Individual

The costs of unemployment to the individual are not hard to imagine. When a person loses their job, there is often an immediate impact on that persons standard of living. Prior to the Great Recession, the average savings rate in the U.S. had been drifting down toward zero , and there are anecdotal reports that the average person is only a few weeks away from serious financial trouble without a paying job.

Even for those eligible for unemployment benefits and other forms of government assistance, it is often the case that these benefits replace 50% or less of their regular income. That means these people are consuming far less than usual. However, the economic consequences can go beyond just less consumption. Many people will turn to retirement savings in a pinch, and draining these savings has long-term ramifications.

Prolonged unemployment can lead to an erosion of skills, basically robbing the economy of otherwise useful talents. At the same time the experience of unemployment can alter how workers plan for their futuresprolonged unemployment can lead to greater skepticism and pessimism about the value of education and training and lead to workers being less willing to invest in the long years of training some jobs require. On a similar note, the absence of income created by unemployment can force families to deny educational opportunities to their children and deprive the economy of those future skills.

A Profusion Of Pandemic Unemployment Programs

A big part of the reason states are having a hard time keeping up with unemployment claims is the breadth of programs available right now. If youre applying for unemployment, you may qualify for one or more of the following programs:

• Your states Unemployment Insurance benefits. Every state has its own unemployment program. The amount of benefits you receive, and how long you can receive them, depends on your state, your income and your past contributions to unemployment insurance.
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation . This federal program offered anyone claiming unemployment benefits in their state an additional $600 per week. It expired in July and was renewed as part of the second stimulus package. Now, it offers $300 per week on top of state benefits for which you qualify, between late December 2020 and March 14, 2021.
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance . This program offers up to 39 weeks of assistance to self-employed individuals, independent contractors, and gig workers . Expires March 13, 2021.
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation . The PEUC provides an additional 13 weeks of state benefits to someone who has exhausted their states maximum for claiming benefits. Expires March 14, 2021.

However, with these new programs come new requirements for qualification. For example, the CARES Act allows some claimants to turn down work due to health and safety concerns without losing their right to receive benefits.

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What You Need For Apply For Unemployment Benefits

To apply for Unemployment Insurance benefits, you need to provide personal information including your Social Security number, birth date, home address, email address , and phone number.

You also need information about your employment history from the last 15 months, including:

• Names of all employers, plus addresses and phone numbers
• Reasons for leaving those jobs
• Work start and end dates
• Recall date

You may need additional information in certain situations:

• If you are not a U.S. citizen your Alien Registration number
• If you have children their birth dates and Social Security numbers
• If youre in a union your union name and local number
• If you were in the military your DD-214 Member 4 form. If you dont have it, you can request your DD-214 online.
• If you worked for the federal government your SF8 form

To receive payments by direct deposit, youll also need your bank name, account number, and routing number. Otherwise, the Department of Unemployment Assistance will send you a debit card.

If youre a non-U.S. citizen applying for UI benefits, DUA must verify that you are legally authorized to work in the United States. Non-English speakers can apply for UI in their own languages on DUA’s foreign language application site.

If you’re not sure that UI is right for you, you can check your eligibility or review our overview of unemployment assistance benefit programs.

Is The First Payment A Paper Check Or Has That Been Waived

Because many banks have reduced hours or closed, we are aware that there may be difficulties going out to cash a check. For the current time, we have suspended sending paper checks and are making all payments electronically through the debit card or direct deposit option. Our concern is to make sure that your money is in hand and accessible to you regardless of your bank’s in-person hours of operation.

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Your State Might Have Run Out Of Funds For The New Boost Or Hasnt Paid Them Out At All

Trumps executive boost to UI benefits isnt lasting as long as he thought it would. When the president first took action, he insisted that those extra payments would be made until December 6, or until FEMAs pot of money ran out but thats already begun.

Most states have only been able to make about six weeks of payments on that boosted amount, Evermore says. Seven states have already depleted those extra benefits, according to a Lost Wages Assistance program tracker, which includes Arizona, Montana, North Carolina and Texas. Meanwhile, 15 states additional payments are still pending. South Dakota never took advantage of the program at all.

If you were approved for extra benefits but still havent received those payments, you should eventually receive them backdated, Evermore says. But if youve still been waiting on your application to be approved by the time the pot of money runs out, youll most likely not be able to receive those extra payments.

If the money runs out, the money is out, Evermore says.