This article provides advice and tips for residents of Massachusetts who are unemployed. It is the most popular post on my blog. Please read the related posts in the category “Navigating Unemployment” and the comments below.
Please consult the Mass.Gov website for improved information regarding unemployment benefits.
No legal advice. This blog post relates my experience only and the information I researched in January 2009. I have attempted to keep it current, but no one should rely on this blog post as legal advice.
Text of original post follows…
Rachel Levy and I have both been blogging about our searches for work. If you know anyone looking for a marketing professional, please go visit her site and hire her. My blog is not only about looking for work–check out the archive to see the breadth of things I’ve covered in the past two years…but today, I want to talk unemployment.
The Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance website has a great deal of information, but there is very little to answer the specific questions real job seekers have and no way to actually do anything of value there. Once you have filed your initial claim, you will be able to go online to file your weekly claim. But in the beginning, there are so many simple, basic things they do not tell you. So I’m going to list what I’ve learned here and invite people to comment and fill in the details…
Top 7 Tips for the Unemployed in Massachusetts
My purpose here is not to tell you how to find a job. It’s just about the hoops you need to jump through to get the insurance benefits you are entitled to receive while you are looking for work. I recommend you just do these things and don’t get hung up on lots of questions or debates about why the system is the way it is. We have a pretty good deal in Massachusetts compared to other states, so check your attitude at the door and don’t let the bureaucracy and cesspool of negativity you may encounter distract you from finding a job.
1. Go stand in line. Or, more accurately, sit in your car holding a number. Do not bother with the phone; it is busy. There is no way to register online and no forms to print out. So rather than call and wait on hold for hours, what you should do it go down to your local “walk in center” in the middle of the day and ask them when the line forms, then come back the next day at 7am or so to get a number. Then go get a coffee from Dunkin Donuts and come back at the right time. Make sure you bring all the information you will need to fill out the form. When I filed my claim, the center was experimenting with a group filing approach; we all filled out our forms together and I was out of the building within half an hour. Then, later that day, I received a call from the intake person to confirm he had registered me in the system. Easy. Painless. No frustration.
It would be nice if the form were online so I could fill it out in advance, submit it online, or even just mail it in. It seems ridiculous to have to stand in line to get a form that you fill out and hand to a person, then leave.
2. File your Medical Security Program application ASAP. If you are receiving unemployment benefits, you may be eligible to participate in the Medical Security Program. Download the application form, fill it out, and send it in before you file your initial claim. If you are eligible, MSP will reimburse you 80% of your COBRA premium up to a monthly maximum of $1080 for a family plan or $440 for an individual plan. My COBRA plan would cost me $1312.92 per month for Blue Cross HMO Blue Enhanced Value.
Are you eligible? Probably, especially if you have kids. But the determination of eligibility is complicated so rather than try to figure it out, just get the application completed and filed ASAP along with any required supporting materials…like the letter you need your wife to write saying she is a stay at home mom.
Download the brochure and application form and read them carefully. The website itself does not give the details you need. But get the application in so have it ready if you need it. If you fail to submit the application right away and find you need health care, the state will not pay retroactively; a friend I know is already in for $2600+ with the state refusing to reimburse the COBRA payments he made before his application was processed. You can file an appeal–another great use of your time when you could be looking for a job.
3. Wait for your first unemployment check to arrive before you try to call MSP. I burned through 45 minutes of cell phone time (I do not have a land line) before I got to a person who said she could not help me until I had received my first check. It will probably be a month before you get a check and maybe 6 weeks before you learn anything about MSP. In the meantime, you will be hoping you don’t get sick, avoiding going to the doctor, and not electing to use your COBRA “benefits.” You have 2 months from the date you are laid off to elect COBRA and it can be retroactive. So, if you have an emergency, you go to the doctor then pay COBRA.
If you do qualify for MSP, you will have to front the money for COBRA premiums and get reimbursed. And I do not know how part time work affects your eligibility for participation in MSP, but I suspect it is not good.
Please see my more recent posts on health care
4. The Commonwealth Care program is irrelevant to you. If you are eligible for MSP + COBRA, you are not eligible for Commonwealth Care. You can use the Commonwealth Connector web site to shop for private insurance, but you will not get the low-cost or free health care that is available for people who did not just lose their jobs. It is interesting to note that this site shows me many options cheaper than COBRA, but none as good as the NASE plan.
5. If you find part-time or consulting work…manage your time strategically. It is a crime to fail to report that you worked and earned money while unemployed, and you are allowed a pittance of earning (1/3 of your benefit amount, e.g. a couple hundred bucks), but what typically happens is if you make any significant money, you lose your benefit for that week. So if you do manage to find some freelance work, make sure you do it all in one week. Don’t do something foolish like work 10 hours a week for 4 weeks. Schedule your work so that if you have a 40-hour project, you can do it all in one week.
6. Stay positive. It is easy to get upset when you are on hold forever and then the phone hangs up on you or the person who answers refuses to help you. It is frustrating to click on website links that claim to give you information on how to apply…but then don’t link to the forms. And it is terribly frustrating to listen to repeated hold messages telling you to go to the website…when the website is telling you that you have to call the phone number. But just do what you need to do and get back on track looking for a job!
7. Don’t feel like a scumbag. I try to laugh at the movie Office Space and recall the line from one worker who is afraid of being laid off:
I’m going to be the first one they’re gonna lay off. Just the thought of having to go to the State Unemployment Office and having to stand in line with those scumbags!!!
There is no shame in collecting unemployment. We’ve been paying into the system for years–or at least our employers have been paying for us. It is social insurance, designed to cover just this situation. It’s not a government handout.
In the 1930s, perhaps our grandparents gave up their dreams to provide for their families during the Great Depression…they put their college degrees away and found jobs doing laundry or whatever it took to keep their families fed. There was no safety net and dreams were deferred out of necessity. But that generation enacted social protections to help prevent that kind of thing from happening again. For a few minutes, the lucky among us who had good jobs, stand in line with the laborers and attorneys, ironworkers and accountants, in these challenging times, and focus on building a better future with a least a few months protection from losing our homes and freezing in the cold because we were only a paycheck away from disaster. If there are some hoops we must navigate, we do it, and we move on.
If you have specific, useful tips on what people should do to make their experience with the Unemployment Insurance go more smoothly or constructive suggestions for how to improve the way these services are delivered, please comment here. Don’t post links to business opportunities. Even if they are well-intentioned, I will delete anything that is not directly relevant to the topic of navigating the unemployment bureaucracy.
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I was laid off in November of 2009. I had no problem with the system, I started receiving my checks direct deposit right after the waiting period.
I have been working a few hours as a freelance consultant but the work is usually done on Thursdays and Fridays. The client company had Christmas Eve/Day and New Year’s Eve/Day off and a lot of people took vacation so it was decided that we would just regroup on January 4th since so many people were going to be out. I filed those weeks as zero partial income earned and received my full UI benefits. This last week I got a note saying that “there was a break in my partial earnings” and I had to call to reopen my claim.
Called on Monday and told to call back on Thur/Fri/Sat because of the days assigned for social security numbers. Called first thing Thursday and got the high volume of calls call back message.
I am assuming they just want to make sure that I did not quit or get fired from a part time job and want to know what the break in partial earnings was?
I’m still working as freelancer for that client and we hit the ground running this week.
Any thoughts?
UPDATE on above:
Sharing what I found out for others.
In Mass, if you show two weeks of partial earnings followed by two weeks of no earnings, your account is automatically suspended and you have to call.
At first she was going to make me wait while she confirmed with the company that I was still working.
When I explained the dates and that I have a 1099 contract, all of a sudden she said “You have a 1099 IC contract? I am re-opening your claim.”
So I just refile on Sunday as normal.
I found that she was very suspicious at first and then as we talked, she got nicer and was very nice at the end. I guess they must get a lot of people who try to get away with stuff so they have to start out that way. A friend who is also on UI had the same impression.
Hopefully when I go in on Sunday, everything will work fine.
The arbitrary nature of this process continues to amaze me. “They” just don’t appreciate the fear factor–how one wrong word can end up meaning the difference between whether you kid goes to the doctor or not because some anonymous person on the phone decides you don’t deserve to get benefits…
I have gone off and on with partial earnings throughout the past year and I’ve never had a problem. When I reported income that caused me to get $0 benefits and “stop earning,” I simply called back the next week and told them I was still unemployed and they re-opened my claim.
The magic words, as you discovered, are “1099″ or “independent contractor.” I don’t know how it works if you get a part time W-2 job where you are essentially “under-employed.” But if you are freelancing…make sure you say you did some freelance work as an independent contractor last week, but you are still unemployed and looking for work now…
I am no longer claiming unemployment. I started a business and while I was honestly looking for work and freelancing last year, I think it is just too gray now to justify opening another claim for the next year. Wish me well! I won’t miss the bureacracy.
Hi all,
I was recently separated from my job for the first time in late 2009.
I filed on December 23rd and have not heard anything in response from DUA at this point.
Does anyone have a sense of average turn around time lately? This week will mark 3 weeks since my filing, and just want to get a sense of when I might expect to hear. I am filing my weekly claims and have verified that my former employer returned the necessary paperwork.
Thanks all!
If you filed on 12/23 (Wed), does that mean you worked for that employer on Monday and Tuesday of that week?
I was laid off on a Wednesday. I filed the next day and completed my online claim that first Sunday, but didn’t qualify for benefits that week because A. I had made too much money in those three last days and B. there is a one week waiting period.
I filed my weekly claim the following Sunday and got no money because that was the official one week waiting period. The week before did not count as the waiting period because I did not qualify for benefits due to the three days of earnings.
I filed again on the third Sunday since I was laid off and received my first check two days later.
I would think you would start receiving a check for filing today. If not, call them back.
Thanks, Kenny! To be clear, my last day of work was December 18th.
The first week I was eligible to file an initial claim was the week of December 20th. I did so on Wednesday the 23rd, which was my assigned day to call based on my social security number.
I’ve filed weekly claims online for the week of the 27th, January 3rd, and January 10th.
I received my initial information packet, but have not heard anything since. My claim is still listed as processing.
I appreciate the advice. If I don’t hear anything by tomorrow, or Wednesday-I will give them a call back.
This blog is a godsend…so many questions are answered that aren’t clear on the UI site. Sounds like I don’t have to fear taking a little consulting work, as long as I mention 1099 if I go over the 1/3 amount. Thanks, Dave!
Hi:
Can anyone advise. I was laid off in June 09. I am on my 3 week extension which is approved for 20 more weeks. I am very worried as I have applied for several jobs but have no leads. Does anyone know what happens after this extension run out? Is there any other way to file for more UE benefits?
Please help!
let see.
unemployed on December 3rd, filed an unemployment claim on December 7th, haven’t received any money as of today. this is my 6th week of being unemployed.
My work is seasonal and every winter i get laid off. Also, every year it takes longer and longer to receive any money from the state.
I was separated from my employer Nov 17…waited until Nov 27 to call…Last Monday, I caled and they gave me the name & number of an adjuster…called Mon, Tue, & Wed and they called Thursday saying my adjuster was someone else. Called new adjuster immediately, and had my interview that afternoon. Called today to check status, a few hours later my alloted funds were reduced by the appropriate amount…hopefully eft or check soon.
Does anybody know what the limit is that a person can earn working a part-time job is before your weekly UI benefit amount is reduced?
Thx for the feedback — This is a good site……
I just certified my weekly UI with the DUA today, and I saw on the results page that my claim, which was reopened in 11/09, is set to expire on 2/20/10. It also said that I may need to file anew. I am quite concerned that my weekly UI check will completely stop. Is there anything that I can do now to prevent another waiting period from happening? I really cannot afford any interruptions.
Hi guys-
Just a quick update for others who are waiting.
I JUST got my monetary benefit determination letter at the end of last week, which was 3 weeks from the date I filed my initial claim. I was eligible to begin filing, and did so the week of 12/20.
I suspect they may be backed up in processing due to the New Year. I’m heading into my fifth week of claiming benefits without any money as of yet. I’m going to call this week to see if I can get an update.
Will keep you all posted.
Best,
H
Hey i have not worked in about 3 yrs. (on the books), i have been in and out of drug rehabs, and i need money to get my car on the road to look for work….i live in the lowell area…now i have been on umemploument 1 time before back in 06 now i was wondering if anyone knows if i am eligible for assistance again…even though i have not worked in years.
please help me.
Husband’s co. lost their contract (security co.) – new company did not pick him up. Old co. couldn’t guarantee 40.0 week and same rate of pay (worked for them 15 months) and he asked for a new schedule from them, they laughed in his face. He quit and then filed for unemployment on 12/1 approx. Received his packet of benefits, initial determination letter; shows $ in his account on the website – finally got a call from the adjunctitator yesterday-she told him that she had waited 3 weeks for the company to get back to her and had to call them again to hear their side. Called my husband for his side and now told him she will contact company and then make a determination within 10 days. He’s been waiting for 7 weeks – does this sound right? Never been on unemployment. thanks for your time.
Hey everyone. I exhausted my initial claim back in June. Managed to find temporary employ and was laid off again. In filing for Tier 1 extended benefits I had a much faster waiting period go by. About a week or so till I got my first check on Tier 1 EB. I encourage you all who are in limbo waiting for your first check to be patient and in the meantime try the UI check status line listed in your unemployment insurance guide that was sent to you. 617-626-6563 this also gives you a seemingly better chance at talking to someone if you have questions. You will still be put on hold after your automated check inquiry but I found the waiting time to be less. Good luck!
ok I guess I sort of know the answer to this but let me ask it just in case. I am a ft employee at a company and I am a pt realtor. I may be getting laid off by my full time employer.. if I do and I get unemployment benefits, I can still be a realtor (independent contractor). When and if I ever have a closing, then I have to report the commission for that week? Then I would become ineligible for benefits for that week and will need to reopen my claim the next week? Is that right?
That is a tough question (part time Realtor job). I believe that as long as your realtor business is not “interfering” with your job search, you can continue to claim unemployment benefits. See this FAQ on the DUA website about starting a business while unemployed.
I have no idea how you’d report the income for a house sale. I would think your approach the only practical one since you cannot assign an “hourly” rate to the things you do with a home seller.
I lost my job in July. By my calculation the initial 26 weeks ended last Saturday. However, I still have money in my account. Do I continue to receive benefits until that money is exhausted or should I be calling about an extension now.
Thank you
Dave,
Great idea, great site! I have received more info here in minutes than all the hours on hold with MA. Work Force Developement. I am a construction supervisor receiving the full $628 weekly benefit. I was laid off in Feb. 09. I have gone through my intial 26 weeks and my 20 week EB. I am now just starting to receive the 13 additional weeks that will put me into mid april. If I apply for career training before my one year aniversary in Feb. I will be intitled to 24 additional weeks of benifits. My question is, what will happen to the 10 weeks of the 13 that I did not use? I understand that if you qualify, there is up to 79 weeks of benifits. Is the 24 weeks for retraining part of that 79 weeks?
Thanks in advance for any insite.
Does anybody know if the income you received from a part time job will affect your benefit amount if your initial claim expired and you have to refile? One DETMA employee told me if you make more than $3,800 they’ll redetermine your benefit amount. I was told by multiple people when I first filed last January that you can make up to a third of your benefit without it affecting your benefit. I am SCREWED if they base this refiled claim on just my part time job earnings. However, I don’t know if this is actually correct, and I get a different answer from every person I try to get clarification from. Thanks in advance.
Dave – this is a great site and I’ve also learned a lot. My former employer shut down the company as of December 31, 2009. I receive the full benefit and am getting my amounts regularly now. The issue is my former employer did not give normal severance package upon the date I and others were let go. He is giving myself and others a severance check which will arrive this week as a live check and paid through a 1099. We all filled out a form last month. This will of course not be reported to the Feds until the end of the year. The third question “Durinig the wek claimed, did you work or earn holiday pay?” is still literally speaking a NO. How should we go about reporting this? Wait until the end of year taxes or somehow report it. Will unemployment see it as just a week of pay (it is equal to one month of pay in actuality). Nobody seems to have a definite answer. Normally is severance looked at as in this case 4 weeks pay and your unemployment is held off by that amount. Any help or answers would be appreciated. Remember, this is not a payroll check and has no taxes taken out. Again great job.
Dave in Milton – r. you severance check. All you can get here is hearsay and random opinions. So for total comfort you’ll want to call and ask. That said, I’d say it’s obvious that you didn’t work and the check is compensation for work you did in the past.
Pam – That all sounds typical to me. But note, “quit” is not a good word to use in unemployment office.
Dear Dave
I am collecting unemployment benefits. And right now i am during my extension of benefits. I have a chance to get 1 week contract on 1099 form.
How it is affects my extended benefits( which is during the process. Will i be get paid for the following week after contract ends?
I’m getting laid off tomorrow. Exactly how much am I owed. All back pay? I got 10 pto days a year – do I get all those?
Dear Dave: I’m reaching my one year unemployment anniversary, is there anything I can do to not interrupt my unemployment benefits? I just recently received Tier 2 a week ago and can’t afford to have my benefits stopped,does anybody know what happens during this period?
Dana –
I am in the same boat that you are in. Unfortunately, there is not much one can do when the benefit year expires other than file anew, and wait the 3-5 weeks that I was told by the UI office in Quincy. I suggest working with your creditors like I am doing and really tell them what is happening and the DUA’s time period for making a decision and sending you your checks are completely out of your control. Sorry to suggest IOUs, but the state truly does not care about your bills unless they are elected officials who want your vote on Election Day. Also, visit your local UI office every other week for status updates and offer to do anything that you can to help expedite the process. Good Luck.
I have a question about returning to work for a short time. Company A laid me off in November and gave me a 1099 contract a week later for 1-4 hours week. While I look for full time work, I just landed another 1099 opportunity today with Company B. Right after that my old boss from company A called me and said he needs me back for 3-4 months, as a 32 hour a week employee with full benefits and I can still work my freelance jobs and he wouldn’t hold that against me even if it ate into a few of his 32 hours.
My question is, if he lays me off again in 3-4 months and I file for a new unemployment claim, will unemployment hold the other 1099 contract with Company B against me and not let me collect again?
I’ve left a message with my accountant to ask the same question but it is tax season so it may be a few days before I hear back. I guess if unemployment will hold Company B 1099 against me if I get laid off again in 3 months, then I will just have to stay 1099 with Company A and suspend my current claim for three months. (The one problem is that I have to travel for company A and they will pay me mileage but not for my time on the road which would be 3-4 hours a day.)
I still intend to keep looking for a new job in the middle of all of this!
2 weeks ago I received direct deposit of my UI check for the 14th week of a 20 week extension. This was the extension voted on by Congress last November.
Though I have been certifying weekly, I have not received any more checks.When I certify, the message comes up that I have exhausted my benefits, but this has been coming up ever since I started my new extension.
Has anyone else had such an interruption or cessation of payment without notification?
As you know, it is impossible to speak to a human on the phone regarding UI.
Thank you, Dave, and anyone else who can help.
Excellent list! I’ve learned more from this forum in about 2 days than I have at any other forum community.
Just wanted to give everyone an update on my temporary full time work along with 1099 work.
My claim will be closed and then re-opened when I am laid off again in 3 months. The 1099 work will not cause any problems because 1099 employers do not pay into unemployment. I can work 1099 simultaneously and even after I finish my temp full time stint.
I do believe that the amount I earn as a full time employee will be taken into consideration as they re-calculate my weekly benefit but the pay will be high enough so as not to hurt that.
Of course I’m still going to look for full time work this whole time.
Hi Everyone,
I filed for UI March 9th of this year. Ive been doing my weekly claim, waiting to see If ive been approved. This is the first week that I have a balance in my account.Does that mean that I have been approved? Will I start getting checks regularly?
Tanya, If you have signed up for direct deposit your first N weeks of $ should appear at some point in your account tomorrow.
I did not sign up for direct deposit… does having it mailed back it up a couple weeks? Or just a couple days? Im just a bit confused since I never got any letters or calls from the UI office telling me i was approved for benefits. I just noticed this week I actually had a balance in my account.
I do not get this anniversary business. I was in the middle of the first tier of my extended benefits when I was informed that my benefits were about to be exhausted. When they were completely exhausted, I called in and was told that I’d reached my anniversary and that’s why. Why does this override the extended benefits? It’s frustrating to me because I didn’t come close to exhausting the first tier, let alone the 2nd tier. Now they’re telling me to wait 3 weeks while they review my claim to determine if it should be new or extended. Can someone explain why the “anniversary” should override extended benefits? Thanks!
Great site & article Dave.
I’m still unclear about how severance works. If my company lays me off Friday and gives me 1 month of severance pay (paid as a lump sum), when am I eligible to start UI benefits? On Monday, becaus it’s the first week I’m not employed? Or after 4 weeks?
Thanks!
I was coming to the end of my benefits a week and a half ago. I called DUA to see about getting the Tier III (IV?) extension. I was told that I had to exhaust the money in my benefit account and then the next extension would kick in automatically when I went to do the online weekly filing. So, that’s what I did yesterday (Sunday). I filed for the week of 3/28 – 4/3/10. However the automated system did not do anything and my benefit banance remains at zero. The first day this week I can call DUA is Wednesday. Just wanted to check in and see if anyone else is experiencing this issue.
Thanks
I have a question that so far have found no answers to. I was laid odd about 9 weeks ago, and still in the midst of seeing if I am eligible for benefits. I have yet to receive a check. However, now I have found a temporary job (with the 2010 Census) Im not sure what Im supposed to do at all. Do I close my claim or just keep reporting how much Im making when I file my weekly unemployment? I will be making more than the part time amount I am allowed. But the job is only about 6 weeks. Do I need to open another claim after this job ends? Any information would be much appreciated.
Tanya – presuming your previous job was such that you are eligible for unemployement than once you have been approved you will be get the unemployment $ from when you applied going forward. (FYI – sign up for the online service, and if you have a bank account sign up for direct deposit) The drill is that once a week you report how your proceeding with your job search. If you get any work, i.e. income, during a week you report that. If it is over a threshold you don’t get any money and your claim is “closed.” If a bit later you fall back out of work you reopen the claim by calling up and talking to a (generally very nice) person. Reopening a claim get’s your money flowing again immediately, like the next day. I have no idea how long it takes before a closed claim can be easily reopened.
Note if you want answers from the unemployment folks you need to call, then call back on the day associated with your SS#, wait a long time – typically a half hour on hold – and then chat with the person about your question. So don’t do it from a cell phone
Thank you Dave for this great site. Hoping someone can help with some explanation. I’ve researched all over online, calling UI office, going to the Quincy UI office many times & still can’t find an answer to my questions. All the UI office says we have to reopen my claim & go through ‘the process’ Here’s my issue. I had a full time day job for 7 years & a very part time evening for about 3 years. I was laid off of day job April 16, 2009 & laid off from evening job about 5-6 weeks after the 1st lay off. In those 5-6 weeks still working p/t job I did log in my wages at Tele-cert every Sunday. P/T job was 2-3 nights per week, 3 hr shifts & my wages were about $59-$89 for each week when still working there. So now I have re-earnings & UI has to renew my claim to see if I’m eligible for a new claim with my p/t wages that will get me maybe $50 per week. If I don’t have enough for a new claim they’ll keep me on my original claim. I had just received 3 checks from 2 Tier before my BYE, Benefits Year Ends, on April 16th, 2010. With our Congress & their deadlines for our lifelines I just made it into Tier 2. It seems that the date you get laid off depends if you get into a new tier or not. Crazy!!
I think my evening job was a Mortgage Co & not in business anymore. Their web site is down, their phone doesn’t work but UI says it has to send them a form to make sure I was laid off & not a quitter. UI gives them 30 days to reply & verifying my wage report. I called the UI Problem Resolution number & a woman mentioned they don’t see too much info about Mortgage Co including the wages I reported. How can they get any answers if the compnay isn’t there any more? Like Emily had posted that this is stressful, anxious & scary for all of us. Have no idea how I will pay the rent, going to food pantries & will go for Food Stamps. When I was 1st laid of I made $12 too much to get Food Stamps. So the questions is how will UI calculate my monetary letter, how much money if any, I will receive? I think the checks will be retroactive. Will they calcilate my benfits from when I started getting checks, from all wages in 2009 or using any open quarters I still have? Don’t think I have enough wages from 2008 as I just started the Federal Tier 2. If anyone has gone through something like this or any knowledge of what to expect I thank you in advance. I do want to let you know that the Problems Resolution is very helpful but this time they said the same, have to wait for the Process. Problem Resolution said I should know in 2-3 weeks but the UI office says 4-5 weeks. That will make homeless. Spending 7-9 hrs, 7 days a week checking all the job searching engines &uploading 6-12 resumes per day. Not sitting on the couch & watching TV. Looking for a job IS a full time job. I finally got 3 interviews a couple months ago. I was qualified for those Customer Service positions. When I showed up for my interview there were 5 people in front of me & after interview there were 5 people waiting. All younger, many College Grads & this was all for one job. I’m 54 years old but thought my 28 years of experience would count for something. Like all of us we need a roof over my head, paying utilities, car insurance & something to eat. I did hear that Senator Kerry is trying to change the working part time without huring our benefits when our BYE comes. Enough babbling. I would appreciate any input anyone has about BYE & how MA would calculate a renew claim with rearnings. Good luck to all of us.
Dave, thank you so much for this site! It’s not my first visit, and as others have stated, I’ve learned more here than any other site! I also agree with others that the UE process is unnecessarily difficult and stressful.
As for why I am here–I have a complicated UE background, but essentially trying to figure out EB (and of course can’t get through on the phone ever). Oh, and by EB I mean after the Tier I-IV extensions when you would need to submit a work search log. If you are eligible for it, does DUA contact you?
For the tiered extensions it was automatic for me–and now that my balance has been at zero for 2 weeks, I am wondering if I will get something in the mail or if I am just done. The system (when I certify) says: “Our records indicate that you have no benefits remaining on this claim. If you are still unemployed after Saturday, May 01, 2010 and you worked in the past 15 months, you may file a new claim.”
Additional facts re: my claim: I was receiving the full amount of money, but for half the time (so a 6-wk extension only lasted 3 wks for me). AND, about 2 months ago I moved to California…
Thank you in advance for any info on EB!
I hope someone has gone through this and can answer my question. My initial 26 week claim has expired but I still have money left in my claim balance. When I filed my weekly claim it said my benefits have expired and I may be eligible for an extention. My question is what happens to the money left over? Will I get a check this week from the money left over?
I have a question about Disaster Assistance and was wondering if anyone was going through this now.I started a job 3/29 and the next day my basement flooded-Imissed two days of work bailing out and trying to get heat and hot water.The temp agency decided to end my contract because of my attendance.I didn’t qualify monetarily for regular unemployment and am stil waiting to hear if I will get disaster unemployment assistance.If anyone is goin gthrough this and has any idea ho wlong it takes to find out if you qualify please let me know!
Hello Dave,
I greatly appreciate your blog. Would you, or anyone else, be able to advise if the permanent reduction in unemployment benefits after one year will occur if the money earned is due to contract or freelance work — as opposed to wages. Is it based at all on the amount earned? Does the fact that you are not technically employed, i.e. you pay all your own taxes, you cannot deduct any business costs, and you are completely legally liable for your work — does that affect the definition of “work” as it pertains to calculating the unemployment benefit after one year? Thank you very much.
I’ve been waiting for 8 weeks now to see my first UI check. I got a statement about 2 weeks ago stating how much I will receive each week. Does that mean I was granted benefits for sure? I assume I would have heard otherwise by now but I don’t know who to ask. I’m dying here waiting for that money!!!
Just wanted to let everyone know who may be just filing for unemployment. If you are going to receive the full amount of benefits…do NOT take a part time job. After you have collected for a year, they will re-figure your benefits based on that part time income. I didn’t receive a check for 9 weeks so had to take a part time job (being a single mom) and now my year is coming up in 4 weeks and I was just told over the phone I will no collect $60 per week. Of course I was approved to attend school for 7 months and was told my benefits would continue until I finished school…no one ever said at $60 per week. I may have been able to find some type of job that paid more than that had I not gone to school. UGH I am so angry!!
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