Unemployment 101

I recently became unemployed on Jan. 5th 2009. I was out on a three week medical leave, I had surgery
and my boss hired a temporary person to cover for me. When I was ready to return to work he replaced me
with the temporary help. Am I eligible for unemployment?

I'm recently unemployed and collect payments. I am interviewing for a position that starts in June. Will I still be able to collect my unemployment if I have already found a job (won't be searching for or accepting other positions) but it doesn't start until June?

I have worked steady in NJ for the last year. Lately some weeks I only work 4 to 16 hours a week because business is slow. Can I collect partial unemployment in NJ?? If so could the employer hold this against you??

Good day,
I saw the one previously posted question about the disabled child. I am in the same position, of sorts, and am hoping for some insight.
I live in a very rural area. I was working, part time, 32 hours per week. About a month prior to school letting out, I began a search for day care for my children. My middle son is 12 years old, developmentally delayed, Autistic, and very challenging to deal with. The average stay at home mother with other children would not be able to handle him, and we had been turned down for all day care by the local babysitters. I was not able to locate appropriate day care for my son, hence, having to leave my job. I explored all options, including camps and other interventions/services for special needs children, but came up with nothing in my area.
I did look on the PA Labor and Industry website and couldn't manage through all the mumbo jumbo. I'm just trying to find out if I'd be eligible or if there's a possibility of eligibility.
When I spoke with them directly, they said it's all in the Pennsylvania laws and they don't take sides, but again, I cannot find their laws to see if parents of disabled children are eligible because of lack of care.
Any insight is appreciated.
Thank you!

I got my hrs reduced from full time to part time am i eligible for partial unemployment if there is a such thing. asking from ohio

I lost my job back in October and cant find one right now cause its hard tryin to find one when you and school and this your last year

I am filing for unemployment because i have lost my job

The salon that I worked at was going through a lawsuit that the employees didn't know about and all the sudden one day all the employees recieved a call from the manager/ salon owner that we were being shut down and had to be out by 7 am the next morning.

Hi my name is oscar suarez and I am writing you because I have a big problem in my job. The Boss that I have really is not understanding and likes to scream at the employers in front of people and does not respect you as a worker and as an adult. As soon as i get back from my days off from work I always have a complaint from my boss of him saying something about a work that happened weeks ago.Right now he is trying to say that i don't do my job right , that I always forget things and what kind of person I am.

I am recently unemployed in Florida and was receiving unemployment, however, without warning the payments have stopped. I cannot contact the agency over the phone, all calls say lines are busy and try later, or get a busy signal. I have emailed the agency (fluidnow.com) where I go to claim my weeks and still have not received any response. I have checked my unemployment records and I am eligible through Oct of 2009. My problem is I have not received any payments in over 1 month and I cannot get any help or assistance with my situation. Every day my situation gets worse and I am in desperate need of some help. If you have any resources or contacts that I could use to get through to the agency it would be much appreciated!

DC in Ft Lauderdale

Hey cathyraiders,
I think that you are only eligible for unemployment if you are fired from your job; however, there are resources available for people caring for disabled children. There is a great website called the M.O.R.G.A.N. Project. It was created by parents of disabled children for parents of disabled children. You can visit it at www.themorganproject.org. They have info. on grants, free equipment and other resources. Hope that helps.

Beehive Jobs Producer

Hey Klharvey--
Since your son is unemployed, he should be able to keep his unemployment benefits, but to be sure, you should take a look at the Wisconsin Unemployment website at www.dwd.state.wi.us/ui/.

Beehive Jobs Producer

can i recieve benefits if i left my job to care for a disabled child?

My son lost his job in South Florida and is receiving unemployment benefits. He will be moving to Wisconsin to live with us until he finds employment. Can he still receive unemployment until he is able to find work?

I live in Missouri and have been out of work since the second week of Dec., 2008. My question is this, my employer gave myself and the other workers 1099's and told us we were self-employed contractors. However, I have just learned that this is illeagal since the employer paid us by the hour not by the job. Can I and the other employee claim unemployment benefits? I assume we have been laid off since we were told that 1. he has no work for us and 2. he cannot pay wages that are still owed from Nov. 2008 work.

I live in Oregon and have found our employment website to be difficult to find information. My hours have been reduced from 40 to 32 hours a week. Would I be eligible for partial unemployement at this point or do my hours have to be reduced more than that? Thanks for any information you can provide.

By the way I am in Pennsylvania I know certain policies vary state to state

I will be getting laid off in February. I am also a part time student. I would like to take on more classes but due to the time of layoff I will not be able to add more classes. I am planning on collecting unemployment so that I can concentrate on classes and study for my praxis exams and do required community service for my degree. I have never been out of work before, and I have been working since I was 12, and I am nervous that I will not be able to support myself and pay for school necessities. Does unemployment pay money towards obtaining a degree ? Since I am unable to go full time now because of when we will be getting laid off I want to start going full time in September of 2009 would I still be able to collect while I am in school? I am in the state of Pennsylvania

I'm also wondering if I would be eligible for unemployment benefits. I was another victim of the mortgage industry when the lender that I worked for 5 years closed their doors on 12/07/07. I did collect benefits until I received a new job on 1/5/08. Because I was in sales, and commission only, I quit after 2 months since I wasn't making any money. My intention was to start my own business which became costly and unproductive. I have continued to search for employment, but have found nothing as of yet. Would I qualify?

my work please is close temporally for that reason I hope I can qualify for this benefits
Please, This is my first time asking for help Thank you.
Sorry if I did something wrong.
Connie.

Janice0 -

It really depends on the state rules. Actually your question is echoed in a number of other comments on the page. Here is what the Federal Department of Labor says about it:

1. You must meet the State requirements for wages earned or time worked during an established period of time referred to as a "base period". (In most States, this is usually the first four out of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.)

2. You must be determined to be unemployed through no fault of your own (determined under State law), and meet other eligibility requirements of State law.

Your question probably hangs on how a state determines your situation compared to #2. We just randomly looked at Georgia (since you did not give the state where you are now living...but while the state sets up the specifics, most state's are about the same) to see what they say. Here is from their website:

There are several qualification requirements for unemployment insurance, but these three are critical:
* You must have earned enough money in the base period (basically last 4 out of 5 quarters) to set up a claim.
* You must be unemployed through no fault of your own.
* You must be able to work, be available for work, and be actively seeking work each week you claim benefits.

The intention is that you were separated from work, not that you are not finding work. We suggest first calling your state's unemployment insurance office. You can find it here: America's Service Locator. If that does not provide you with what you need then look for the local Workforce Development center to get help searching for a job.

However, one last question - have you or your husband determined if he is eligible for disability insurance in your new state? That would be something else to look into.

Good Luck!
The Beehive Team

Michigan -

That depends on the state unemployment law...and actually we could not find the requirement on their "fast sheet" on the unemployment assistance office site (http://www.michigan.gov/uia/0,1607,7-118-26831---,00.html), but that does not mean it is not true. We suggest that you give them a call.

Good Luck
The Beehive Team

Marcorel -

Make sure to find out if you can file for unemployment, and then contact your local workforce development center. They can be a big help!

Good Luck!
The Beehive Team

bayvetpines -

You are going to have to speak with an employment attorney about your particular situation. However, as these are tough economic times for everybody - individuals, small businesses, everybody - we would ask you to do a bit of homework for your employee in terms of filing a disability claim if they were incapacitated, or at least talking with them about unemployment and the local workforce center to help them find a job with a better fit. Sorry we could not be of more help.

Good Luck!
The Beehive Team

Gypsycurse -

We believe it depends on your very individual circumstances and the state where you live, so we are not going to be that helpful with a specific answer. However, we can be helpful on giving you some strategies in getting an actual answer. The first, and perhaps most obvious question is have you called your state's unemployment office, or even better yet gone down there...wait in line...wait some more...and actually talk to someone face to face? If you have not, make sure that you bring along whatever paperwork you have from your disability claim and because it might be confusing make sure that you talk about your case in as straightforward a manner as well. (Those unemployment people are feeling the strain too!)

Next strategy is to find the nearest Workforce Center to you and get down there and get an appointment to meet with a job developer...or someone who can help you find a new job, and enroll in programs that could help you get a better job. Every county in America has at least one Workforce Center near them, so do a little exploring by searching on Google or other search engine "workforce center"+the name of your community. Give a call and they can help you with some ideas on next steps.

Good Luck!
Beehive Team

mhooks81 -

From my personal experience of working in Pennsylvania for two quarters and then moving to Oregon for one quarter before being laid off (the factory burned down!) I found that since I worked the majority of the time in Pennsylvania, that even though I filed through Oregon, they figured my unemployment from Pennsylvania pay. So, go ahead and contact the Michigan Unemployment Office. Their website is http://www.michigan.gov/uia.

Good Luck
Beehive Team

HI my payday was on 1/6/09 but now the job were i worked said we have to wait untl 1/8/09 to get a pay check because they cant make payroll .I already have sent checks off because i try to pay my bills on time but that we have to wait my checks will bounce so i quit my job because i hared that if we get a check this time they wasn't going to payus the next time that there going to file chapter 13 so they wont have to and because i Quit will i still be able to get uneployment.

i lost my job do to not wontting to travel to another state thats not in my job detripion

I have an employee who has developed some physical limitations that are keeping her from doing her job. Can we lay her off and can she collect unemployment? Or if we just let her go, can she collect unemployment?

i just became unemployed and i really need to support my self at the momment and iam also currently looking for another job
Thank you

I have an employee with some physical limitations and she will be unable to do her job for at least 6 months. Since she cannot do the work required, can we lay her off?

I was forced to relocate to a southern state, for my Husband's health, and left my place of employment after having working through the recommended notice period. I have been trying to find employment since I have been here. Am I, or am I not eligible to file for unemployment benefits in the state I last worked?

Thank you.

My answer to all three of your questions is Yes.

Hello, my name is Steve Pulver and I have been released by my employer due to a lack of work. My field is construction management of commerical projects. My salary in 2008 was $112,000.

I had to move from IN to VA due to my husband's employment. I have not worked since the end of July. Am I eligible for unemployment?

Question: Was disabled in auto accident. Lost old job on account of it. When my disability has ended and I am no longer receiving disability payments, can I qualify for Unemployment benefits while I look for work ?
Thank for any info you can provide !

Happy I found you because the state's site is not real helpful when it comes to unusual circumstances.

I was laid off my job and applied for unemployment which I started to receive. There are very few job postings in my area for my skills and I noticed that there are more for bilingual people. I would like to go to Mexico to enroll in an intensive Spanish course for 3 months. Is there any way I can continue to collect or at least get unemployment again when I return?

i been unemployed since last 2 month i just wanna know could i be the qualify for unemployment benefits or not???

interested in job ,need it bad but wiling to take it on some condititons.worked on the floorcare environment with all required designatated regulations per shift. Need the same creditionals for ne4xt position to be filled that is ready for hire.maintaining all floor care care duties that are required per shift.

My business recently moved locations and I have been told that if it moved a certain amount of miles from either your home or the prior location of the business then you may eligible for unemployment if you quit. Is this true?

I lived in Nevada for 11 months and decided to move back to michigan and have been working here for the past 5 months. I was recently laid off and was curious if I will get unemployment through michigan even though I worked in another state for a period during the last 18 months?

I have been laid off twice, not once, twice. i have over ten years of clerical/admin experience and can type over 70wpm, but cannot find anything that's the "good fit" for employment. I have been on several interviews none of which offered me a job. I am at the point where after my benefits run dry, i'm about to save up money, go to the adult education school and register for classes to upgrade the skills I already have...is this a good idea? i even thought about picking up a slightly new trade like medical terminology and medical coding, as an extra skill to learn so i can get a job at a hospital in the meantime. i am trying to save up to finish my one last class at the university that i attend, one class left, people, one class left and i cannot afford to take it. what a catch-22. Any ideas? what should i be doing right now? any experts out there care to help a girl out?

I have been laid off effective 12/28/08. I had lived and worked in PA for the last 40 years and worked 11 straight years in PA with no lay off periods. I moved to DE in late August 2008. I understand I will need to go to the DE office to file for unemployment. Which state will I collect from and at which rate? DE weekly rate is $330, while PA is $539.

CM -
That is a difficult one...a contractor, living in another state than where the company employed you...our first suggestion is that you contact the company's HR department and ask for help navigating the issues. The second is first visit Pennsylvania's unemployment website to research the issue, or call them at (717) 783-3140.

Good Luck!

I live in Pennsylvania and was an independent contractor working solely for a company based in Dallas. In 2007 my compensation was $125,000. I haven't had a paycheck (due to poor business conditions) in calendar year 08. I never even considered that I might be eligible for unemployment compensation until now. (I really need the money now.) Am I in fact eligible? Thanks.

Louis -

I work at One Economy, the folks that build and run the Beehive. I am not sure of all of the laws in New Jersey and your specific case, but doing some quick research online, specifically New Jersey's Department of Labor and Workforce Development (http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/ui/fileui/file_index.html), I found the following criteria for getting unemployment:

1. You are a New Jersey resident;
2. All of your employment in the past 18 months was in New Jersey;
3. You did not work for the Federal Government in the past 18 months;
4. You were not in the military service in the past 18 months.

However, you should go to their website to learn more or call them at

Union City (Serves Northeast New Jersey) (201) 601-4100
Freehold (Serves Northwest and Central New Jersey) (732) 761-2020
Cumberland (Serves South Jersey) (856) 507-2340

If you're unemployed you should check out the CAREER COACH. it's in the work section. IT WILL HELP YOU GET BACK INTO THE WORKFORCE. this tool will also help you if you want to start a new career or advance your career!!!!