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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← Previous Comments
Well, turns out the web cert account was decreased b/c they were directly depositing the money into my account. So hopefully Greg, that’s the same reason your account was down $2,000
Four weeks of lifesaving unemployment was deposited to my checking account this morning.
Thanks Dave, Maureen and everyone else who posts for your information & support.
The system seems to be swamped but does work, My last date of employment was June 30, 2009 I applied the next week.
Four weeks of lifesaving unemployment was deposited to my checking account this morning.
Thanks Dave, Maureen and everyone else who posts for your information & support.
The system seems to be swamped but does work, My last date of employment was June 30, 2009 I applied the next week.
My issue is that I have a part time weekend job. I got laid off from my full time job in June. Filed in June. But because I had a part time job also really messed everything up. Over 8 weeks no call. I called the person handling my claim is on vacation. (great) All they need to do is to verify that I am working my weekend job. Yeah I don’t get it. So I guess by being a hard worker and trying to balance 2 jobs three kids I get penalized?? This is not fair. If I had only one job I would of got paid by now.?? So if anybody is filing ya might be better off quitting any part time work before filing for your full time job. Not worth, plus they are going to deduct some of what I make anyway from my unemployement from my full time job. Does not make sense because I held this part time job before I got laid off.
Hi, Got a call today from supervisor. She was very nice and apologetic. They only had to contact my part-time employer to make sure I was working still. After waiting 7 weeks 1 hour after I spoke to the an adjuster the amount in my online bank was lowered for about 4 wks payment. She said I would have funds by the end of the week. It is a shame that such a small issue could take so long to rectify. So anybody still waiting there is hope. Do not just wait for a call. Call them atleast once a week. Paperwork gets misplaced. Adjuster go on vacation. Just do not get lost in the system. The are swamped but the squeaky wheel gets heard sometimes, usually in a professional and courtesy way. If anyone needs the adjusters office phone number let me know and I will send to you via e-mail. I did stress out which is normal but do not let it take over your life. Somehow it will work out. I know it is hard to be patient when funds are low. Been ther especially having kids and you have to say no I have no money.. Good Luck to everybody and Dave this was therapy for me I would go on the site just to be around folks who felt the despair that I was feeling. Never thought I would be collecting. Happens to the best of people. So hang in there and know you are not alone!!! Nobody can understand the feeling of be “laid off” until it happens to them. Not a good feeling.
Hey Everyone, I also wanted to update you to let you know the system does work, just very very slowly.
I finally received after 9 weeks a check for 8 weeks of unemployment. Yesterday I began receiving my weekly unemployment amount.
I had to make several phone calls and leave messages etc, but you have to stay on top of them. If it seems like you have been waiting a long time, go to the office or start calling.
Good luck to everyone. It stinks having to collect, but now I have the opportunity to find a great job and so do you!!
PLEASE HELP!!!!
i have a couple f questions i am hoping to get answered. I live in VA now but used to live in MA, i file through MA, i am currently working as a waitress part time in VA until i can fid steady work. When the telecenter asks you how much earned income you made
1. do they deduct that amount from your weekly benefits?
2. do i file the hourly rate plus tips weekly?
3. Can they take me off unemployment bc i am working?
4. Is there a max amount of hours i can work or money i can make?
Sorry i am almost wondering if it is better for me to have a part time job and just buckle down for a full time, i do not want to loose my benefits, they are what is allowing me to survive, I am just nervous i may be going over the limitations, if there are any. Any advice would me great.
so if i am freelancer, and I have expenses that dont correlate with the week I made money, meaning, I bought a laptop for my new business, and I bought business cards, etc. I bought this stuff within the past 3 months in order to make my first check now…so do I take my earnings, and minus those expenses from the equation? (Which essentially means I havent earned a penny yet…)and therefore I would claim “0″? or is cash made for a certain week supposed to be calculated minus the expenses for that week only?
Sorry if I am confusing! AND THANKS IN ADVANCE
Hello,
I have a random question that I have yet to find the answer to. I was “let go” from my full time job recently and was denied unemployment. I got a part time job for 3 weeks and was laid off from there due to lack of work. Can I collect now?? What will my base pay be??
Will it be based on my full time job? Or the part time job? I also would not want to adversly affect the part time employer by filing. (Her business isn’t doing well, and having to pay into unemployment would be very bad financially for her)
For anyone who considers opening their own business after being laid off, reconsider!!!! I was laid off in 10/08. I worked in MA for the automotive industry. I was recently offered a job in detroit, but since i did not want to move there, we worked out a deal where i would do very limited consulting work. i established myself as an LLC and now learn that i am no longer eligible for benefits. Kicker is that I called DUI prior to starting my LLC to find out the impact on any benefits I would receive. At that time, they told me that if I had earnings to report one week, my benefit would be reduced or 0 FOR THAT WEEK. Now they claim that any self-employment equals no benefit.
Just a comment about the Job Search Log…anyone on EB (Extended Benefits) is required to submit a log of 3 searches for each week claimed. I submit this online on the webcert site. I must admit I am about 3 weeks behind in submitting my Logs and have been all along. I have never been contacted. Also, I did a feverish number of job searches when I first became unemployed and did not have to submit a Job Search Log. I am listing some of those now as I am exhausted and discouraged and don’t always have 3 searches to report per week. There I said it. I’m doing the best I can!
I have read this blog (thank you!) and many others regarding the “consulting” question. I.e., if you consult during your unemployment period, how will it impact your payments. I have NOT planned to become an LLC, but I would like to do consulting if possible, as it is also a “bridge” to getting back to a full time job.
So, the question is, if I consult for 6 weeks, and honestly answer the questions of the DUA, can I go back on unemployment after that time?
Is there a place anywhere on the DUA website where the “rules” are available to review?
If you earn more
than 1/3 of your base amount of benefits, they reduce the benefits
dollar for dollar until you reach the point where you have no
benefits…then you are ineligible for that week. You can call for the
next week to re-open.
Example: base benefit amount is $600.
You do a freelance project for 4 hours at $50/hr. No problem. Report
it and get the full $600 benefit for that week.
You work 8 hours. You bill client $400; report that to DUA; they
reduce your benefit for that week to $400.
You work 16 hours. Bill client $800. zero UI for that week AND you
have to call back to re-open your claim next week.
see FAQ on the DUA website:
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=elwdterminal&L=6&L0=Home&L1=Government&L2=General+Resources&L3=Questions+and+Answers&L4=Unemployment+Insurance+FAQs&L5=For+Claimants&sid=Elwd&b=terminalcontent&f=dua_q%26a_qa_eligibility&csid=Elwd#part-time
I do not know the precise circumstances of the previous commenter but I think actually forming an LLC might indicate you are not actively looking for a job which would disqualify you. There is no need to form an LLC or anything to do freelance 1099 jobs. Just keep records and report your earnings to DUA AND, of course, include it in your Federal income tax filing as self-employment income…
Does anyone know if you can collect if you are self employed and have not been able to pay yourself? My husband’s company is not doing well after a few clients went belly up last year. We have had no income for 11 months. We kept thinking it would get better, but it has only got worse. I would really appreciate any help! Thank you!
I have received my benefits determination letter, and have submitting my work search log for the past 3 weeks now. I was wondering how long it takes until I received a check?
First of all, thanks Dave for the very helpful info.
I didn’t see an answer to the question Veronica posed on 8/30 and I just got guidance from a live human at DUI so thought I’d post it here.
Unemployment claims depend on work (or lack of same)/earnings/expenses within an individual week. Freelancers only can deduct from earnings any expenses incurred for that project in that week.
So, for instance, I cannot deduct from last week’s freelance earnings the cost of the laptop I bought in May to enable me to do freelance work.
I can deduct the part of my monthly broadband and telephone expenses that covered last week, i.e. approx. one-fourth of the monthly bills.
I cannot deduct broadband, telephone and other home office expenses that I’ve accrued over the months to keep me set up to do this freelance work.
If I had to buy a software program to enable me to do this particular freelance job, I’d be able to count that as an expense against earnings.
I also confirmed, as has been stated already, that you must divulge any earnings in the week in which you did the work, not when you get paid for it.
Finally (I think this also may have been covered already) I was told that in any week where I get enough freelance income so that I’m ineligible to collect any unemployment benefit, I don’t need to check in with DUI (TeleCert etc). There will be no problem reopening a claim if they didn’t hear from me at all for one or more weeks. When any freelance income drops to the point that I’m eligible for unemployment benefits again, I reopen the claim (with a live human) at the end of that week and file for the benefit the start of the next (the Saturday-Sunday thing Dave described).
Hope that helps. You should verify this info yourself with DUI in case I’ve misconstrued anything. (DUI should post this info on their website, too.)
Warning about taking on a job to suppliment your unemployment check!
I have been laid off since April 2009. I began waitressing part time to help suppliment my unemployment checks. My husband was offered a job out of state, so we moved to pursue his career opportunity. I had to quit my part time job to go with him. Now Mass is denying my unemployment because I voluntarily left my job. I wasn’t even making enough for it to affect my unemplyment benefits. I had to leave. How can they do this? My husband and I could not have stayed.
This is telling people not to be proactive and try to find work.
I was terminated on September 24th. After 5 years of service. I called unemployment and filled out a claim. It has been 8 weeks. That’s 2 months rent, bills, and insuance I did not have money for. I am sleeping at night. And NO ONE from unemployment has conatcted me back, return any phone or let me even know yes, no to my unemployement. I’ve lost weight and I’m sick with anxiety and worry. Anyone know what I could do for the the enxt step?
i was let go of my job of 5 years because i was near the property after hours on a sunday which i believe is being terminated for something that does not break any company rules noone ever said i couldnt be around there its a public street do you think i will be denied benefeits
I’ve been unemployed since Dec 19 08. I’ve Ive been fortunate to collect this entire time but it since ran out when my balance hit zero. I called last Monday they said to file on Sunday and if still unemployed then on Dec 21 I have to call in and open a new claim.
I filed my claim online Sunday but it still says they are processing my claim and if they need any info they’ll contact me. Any idea of I’ll see money tomorrow? I have a child, pregnant and have rent due soon.
I just want to say we drive a nice car and are trying to get food stamps. We drive this car as we are stuck in a lease!!! You simply can’t give it back or sell it. No one is buying cars. Up until I was laid off 6 months ago I earned $67k and my partner earned $75k both were laid off!!! Please have some compassion!!! We don’t want to be unemployed nor looking for foodstamos to feed our kids!!!!!
I have been told by Mass UI that the monies for the new extension have not shown up yet. Does anyone have any knowledge of when that might happen so there is funds in the extension account?
Hi and I am just seeking feedback from someone who had an experience reopening their unemployment claim. Here is a little background. Im a construction worker and I was laid off from my job in March 2009. I was able to open a new claim without any problems and I collected until June 2009 and closed my claim when my former employer re-hired me back. I got laid off again on Friday Novemeber 20th. I went o the local unemployment office on Wednesday (in person better than phone which is too busy) November 25th to reopen my claim. The representative told me that I am all set and that I may do my weekly claim beginning Sunday, Nov. 29th. Comes Sunday, Nov. 29 I log on and complete the 3-4 question claim form and get a memo message on the bottom saying that our records shows you recently reopen your claim and we are reviewing your eligibility and may take 10 days from the day you reopened your claim. My question is, regarding this message and the fact I began my weekly claim, once I am reviewed and in good standing will I be paid up for each week I claim that is due to me? Can anyone tell me what their experience was? It’s the first time I had to reopen my claim and Im a bit confused because I was told that I am all set. I dug up unemployment’s web site and found no information what shall be expected when one reopens their claim. And thank you in advance to those who response.
my experience was that yes, once my claim was reactivated, I was paid for the first week of eligibility.
This blog is very helpful I was downsized two weeks ago and just filed.
My question is- when you find out your benefit amount, do you also find out how many total weeks you are covered for?
I have a question about Emergency Compensation (EUC)…I have 2 weeks left on my first 20 weeks and was told by Mass UI that I don’t need to file for the next 13 weeks of benefits – that it will happen automatically. Has anyone had experience with how this happens? Thank you.
My initial period of unemployment is scheduled to end in mid january. Does anyone have any information about the available federal extensions and whether I will be qualified. I never thought I would be unemployed for this long.
Great Site!
I just started a “new” claim two weeks ago, as my 1 year anniversary of unemployment happened on Nov. 24th. I was told that since it is technically a “new” claim, I would have to wait one week before starting to receive benefits again. I think everyone should know that because it is not on the MA site anywhere. Yet it is Tuesday of my second week and STILL no money. It took 2 and half months to get money last year, so are we all going to go through this again?
I just got a response from DETMA on my claim and while it’s not great news, I think it will be helpful info for everyone else. So once you go over the one year mark of unemployment you have to re-file your claim. I did so over the phone and the lady told me that there would be a 1 week lapse in payment because they have to “process” it. I just heard from DETMA that is partially true. It is actually a 3 WEEK lapse in payment before it starts up again. So if anyone is getting to that 1 year point, please make some provisions because you WILL NOT get any payment for up to 3 weeks. Good luck to everyone!
I had been on unemployment from 2/08-8/08 and was just laid off again in the beginning of November ‘09. I filed in person and there didn’t seem to be any issue. The woman who entered my information told me to use the pin number I had used before. I can log in online and I see a balance in my account, but it shows my last payment as the last one in August 2008. I got one random electronic payment out of four I should have received by now.
I got my paperwork back and everything still seemed fine, but no payments. I have made 45 unsuccessful calls to unemployment trying to get through. I did receive an email saying I had to answer some questions about my severance last week that was very odd. They asked me questions like how many more people at my company were going to get laid off and how did my company determine the amount of severance I received. This seems like an error to me and these questions should be directed to my former employer.
I have no idea what the hold up is at this point or how to go about getting answers but after this length of time it’s getting really stressful.
I have tried calling and putting in a fake ss# just to see if I can get through. It hasn’t worked, but the messages I get are different, which makes me think they have tagged my number so they don’t have to speak to me.
Is anyone experiencing anything similar?
Thank you for this blog. Although I hope everyone’s issues get resolved it’s good to know I’m not alone.
The state I’m in requires you make 2 job search contacts a week – by telephone with the person with hiring authority, by resume, by fax or by internet email. And the log must include employers, names and titles, phone numbers…etc.
This is the first time I’ve been unemployed. The work I’ve done for the past 15 years, since I graduated from college, is highly specialized, big corporation work. And these companies require you apply for jobs on their sites. There is not posting of the hiring managers name or the hr recruiters name…unless they contact you.
How do I log that? When I may not get a call?
And what do I do about a week or 2 weeks when there are no jobs posted in my specialized field?
I’m terrified of loosing my benefits and loosing my house.
Thank you!
Fellow Massholes: Just wanted to give those with their one year unemployment anniversary date coming up know my experience, as it was nerve wracking! I was in the middleish of my 13 wk extension (I got 26wks, then 20, now on 13) on 11/21/09, which was my one year date. Because that date fell on a Saturday, I was able to claim for the week prior without issue. I stupidly assumed that because I was in the middle of an extension, I was all set and my one year date didn’t matter, but when I went to file the following Sunday, I was told I had no claim. Scary! So I re-applied for unemployment on 11/30 by phone (call around 4 and enter 1 as the last digit of your social when calling, you may have better luck getting through). I was told there was a one wk waiting period between claims that I wouldn’t get paid for, but that I would get my next check the week after that. When that didn’t happen, I went to my local Workforce Central office (the people at the Worcester branch are incredibly helpful and kind, in my experience). They told me there is NOT a one wk waiting period for the anniversary/new claim, but that the new claim may take 3 wks to process, because it had to be denied before it could be reverted back to the middle of my 13 wks. This is accurate. Yesterday, 12/15, I received 3 direct deposits, which means I was paid for all weeks–there is no one week gap in payment, but the delay just about broke me, mentally and financially! For me, I went from 11/24 until yesterday with no checks, exactly three weeks, but now I am back on track and my claim shows the remainder of my 13wk extension funds as being available. The cherry on top is that I GOT A JOB OFFER THIS WEEK!!! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!! Keep trying and good luck, folks!!
Has anyone collecting UI benefits had a medical procedure that prevented them from working for a few weeks? If you are not able to collect for the time that you are not able to work, do your benefits last that much longer?
I’ve been through Tier I through III and now waiting for the extended extended UE.
I never thought I’d be living off the gov’t but I cannot get an interview anywhere and I was making $68K/yr in a reat university position, until let go by a megalomaniac 23 months ago…
Question: when the check (not Direct deposit as it usually was) come in the mail, where can I cash it outright?
Which bank does the State us? so I don’t have to oepn an account.
I currently have a mattress…
ok, I have the answer: Sovereign bank
I have a question about extended benefits.
I have been collecting for the past 46 weeks (26 weeks from state and 20 weeks of extended benefits). My unemployment account now reads zero so I contacted the unemployment office about the 2nd extension and the rep said just file the like you always do and it will update automatically and there will not be an interruption in payments. Well it turns out that I can only reapply on or after Jan 16th 2010 (the one year anniversary of being laid off) and only if I have worked in the past 15 months.
So a week before Xmas my checks stopped, what happened to the second (13 weeks) extension I thought every one got, never mind the one just signed by the president this past Nov.
Thanks
I have the same problem & question as Jimmy. RE the extended benefits… I too have exhausted tier 1 last week and went to file today and the system says I have no benefits on my claim and to re apply on or after Jan 16, 2010 (my anniversary date). What happened to tier II?
I just filed my last week for the benefit year. I looked up the informaiton and it appears yes we do need to refile the claim but that is because you may be intitled to another claim since your benefit year is over (technially) in which you will collect from state money vs federal (eui). Feds are funding the extra money not the state but the feds want to be sure you do not qualify for another claim from state money.
If you do not qualify for another claim you will continue to collect off the federal funds emergency plan until the extra weeks used. It really does not mean squat to us its a matter of getting their papar wor in line.
To the person who suggest we look for a job above what is required. You obviously have not been recently unemployed. Personally I apply for at least 4-6 jobs each day some several times trying to get my resume near the top of the pile,for 1 year. Still nothing. I am licensed in 12 states and held the same position for 17 years prior to this layoff so I am fully qualified in the industry. So just because we dont have a job does not mean we are not looking.
I have been told by a company which I applied to 12 “open” positions, they listed them to create a book of what talent is out there in case they have a need. I have been on a training interview the trainee was the manager I was the unemployed person who bought a new outfit got all dressed up purchased 12.00 in gas and traveled to ten buck two so this manager who was never hiring could be trained. I could give you more but will spare you. But dont think we are not looking.
I am confused over Jimmy and Michelle’s experience – why would you have to wait 4 weeks to file for a Tier II extension when it’s supposed to happen automatically? I understand having to wait for payments to resume after refiling at your one year anniversary date, but not before that. I am worried as next week is my last week of Tier I, and my one year anniversary isn’t until February 3, 2010. I can’t wait 6 weeks to get this assistance. Any ideas? Thanks.
This is the first time I have to file for unemployment benefit. On Sunday (12/20) night, I called the number. There were several questions that I must answer. One of them was:
During the week claimed, were you able to work and available for work?
I pressed “9″ for “No”, because there was no job available for me for the week. I wonder if this was a wrong answer.
I then checked my online status. It is:
Call the Telephone Claims Center. Additional information is required to determine your eligibility for benefits.
What’s the phone number of “Telephone Claims Center”? What additional information do they need?
Emily,
that question refers to your physical ability to work and if you have available time to work.
Your not on vacation or sick right?
Then answer 1 for “Yes”.
Michelle and Marge
No worry’s.
I just got off the phone with a Rep from the unemployment office and she informed me that my account will in fact update automatically either Wednesday or Thursday.
Happy Holidays!
Thanks Jimmy for the reply!
I got this question straightened out. They told me that I should get a check in about 4 weeks (if I qualified).
What does this mean? If I get my fist check in 4 weeks, shall I expect a 4 weeks’ delay in each payment, or shall I expect that they skip the first 3 weeks of payment?
Also, when I check the status on webcert, it reads:
The following message was provided to you on December 20, 2009. This information may no longer be applicable.
Call the Telephone Claims Center. Additional information is required to determine your eligibility for benefits.
Since I’ve already got my answers straightened out for the weekly claim, shall I ignore this message?
Emily -
You should get a check for EUC Tier II in about 4 weeks? Please someone help me out here as I continue to be more confused. This is my last week of Tier I EUC and was told in August that the Tier II of EUC (13 weeks) updated automatically – is this not the case?
Marge,
I should get a check for unemployment (not EUC Tier II) in about 4 weeks.
I don’t know if Tier II of EUC is automatically updated or not. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know what EUC Tier II is.
Marge…
Tier II is automatic as Jimmy stated. However, I don’t know if they had a glitch this week or this is how it works… when I filed on Sunday the system said I had no benefits and my account had $0. However I did get my check direct deposit today(a day late) and got my redetermination letter. So I am all set and I didn’t have to call to setup for tier ii.
So I wouldn’t worry if this also happens to you on Sunday… the system will update it just may take a few days.
Emily…
when I first started with unemployement… it did take about 4 weeks before I got any $$. Once you are approved you will get 4 checks or direct deposits all at once and then after that it will be weekly. I don’t think they update those messages, mine seem to be the same and only changes when I do the weekly certification. Hope this helps.
Michelle,
Thanks for clarifying this! Now I understand what will happen.
Happy holidays to you all!
Thanks Michelle!
I had a quick question for anyone out there on EUC Tier II. Today I filed for my last week of Tier I benefits, and it shows the last check being deposited into my account, but also has a message that states: “Your claim is being processed. If additional information is required to determine your eligibility for benefits, you will be contacted.”
Does this mean Tier II is being processed? Thank you,
Jenn
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