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Unemployment Compensation
Unemployment Compensation (UC)
Eligibility
The unemployment compensation system is designed to ease the transition period from one job to another when a worker loses a job through "no fault of his/her own." Workers and their employers pay taxes into the unemployment compensation system to support unemployment benefits.
A person who has recently
been separated from his or her employment due to layoff will be
eligible for unemployment compensation benefits if they have sufficient
earnings. Workers who are fired or who quit may be eligible as
well.
- Fired - A person
who has been fired should be eligible for UC unless they were
fired for "willful misconduct." This means that the employee
knowingly did something against the company's best interests
or violated a rule or policy. Incompetence, personality conflicts,
and sickness are NOT considered willful misconduct and should
not disqualify a person from UC. Generally a worker must have
been warned about violations and continued to commit them for
an offense to be ruled willful misconduct.
Quit - To receive UC after quitting a job a worker must prove
that s/he had no other choice but to quit their job. S/he must
have a "necessitous and compelling reason" for quitting. Health
reasons are the best reasons to quit and still be able to collect.
A claimant must also show that s/he made all reasonable efforts
to maintain the employment. These efforts include speaking with
a supervisor or human resources personnel in an attempt to rectify
whatever situation forced the resignation. Proving eligibility
for UC after quitting is fairly rigorous. You must show that
it was necessary for you to quit and you acted as a reasonable
person in trying to maintain your employment.
- Able and Available
- Remember, however, that a person must be able and available
for work full time at the time that s/he collects UC. For instance,
if you become ill and cannot work at any job at all, you are
not eligible to collect UC for the weeks you are ill. However,
you can be limited to light duty and still be eligible. You
do not have to be able to do the job that you stopped working-
just be able to do some kind of work.
- Earnings - A person's
financial eligibility depends upon his/her earnings during the
first four of the last five completed quarters. This is your
"base year". It does not include the current quarter in which
you are applying or the previous quarter. The chart on page
8 will give the months included in your base year, depending
on the month in which you apply. This base year system does
not count your most recent earnings, so if you are found financially
ineligible you should re-apply in the next quarter, when additional
earnings would be counted. The minimum earnings requirements
are as follows:
- at least $800 in
the highest quarter of your base year
- at least $1320 in
total wages for your base year
- a minimum of 16
weeks of earnings over $50 in your base year (this doesn't include
the current or previous quarter)
- sufficient wages
in your total year relative to your wages in your highest quarter,
know as qualifying wages.
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Unemployment links
New! Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Benefits FAQs
New! Emergency Unemployment Compensation Benefits Fact Sheet
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