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New! On November 6, the president signed into law a new unemployment insurance benefit extension program. These additional benefits begin the week of November 8 and offer a maximum of 20 additional weeks of unemployment insurance benefits to eligible claimants. Click here for more info.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Based
on legislation passed by Congress, signed by the President,
Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation 08 (EUC 08)
became effective July 6, 2008. Individuals identified
as potentially eligible were notified by mail to file
for the extension. If you have exhausted your regular
unemployment benefits and have a Benefit Year Ending (BYE)
after May 5, 2007 you may be eligible for additional weeks
of Unemployment Insurance. Please call the Unemployment
Insurance Service Center at 243 9100 to determine your
eligibility for this program. Please read the Frequently
Asked Questions below for more information on requirements
of this program and when you should call to file.
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Click
on each question to show the answer.
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- 1.
What
is Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) 08?
- Emergency
Unemployment Compensation 08, hereafter referred to
as EUC, is a federal program that provides extended unemployment
insurance benefits to qualified individuals during increased
periods of unemployment as established by the Federal Government.
- 2.
Have EUC benefits been extended ?
- Yes. Due to a recent benefits extension, the EUC program now runs for a maximum of 53 weeks in Rhode Island. This change may positively affect pre-existing monetary determinations.
-
3. How
do I qualify for EUC?
- You
are potentially eligible for EUC if you have a Rhode Island
unemployment claim, and:
• Your benefit year or “BYE” (the one year period beginning
with the week you filed your initial claim for benefits) ended
after May 5, 2007 AND;
• Your total base period wages on that claim are more than
40 times your Weekly Benefit Amount, including any dependency
allowance, OR;
• The total wages on that BYE claim are more than 1 ½ times
your highest quarter of earnings, OR;
• You have 20 weeks of full-time covered employment in the
base period, which was used to establish your claim, AND;
• You are not eligible for any other claim with this or any
other state, AND;
• You are not eligible for any other Federal Unemployment
Program, AND;
• You are not receiving compensation under the unemployment
compensation law of Canada.
Other eligibility requirements pertaining to your work search
and the definition of suitable work are discussed below.
- 4.
How and when do I apply for EUC?
- You may file for benefits online, 24 hours a day, seven day a week at https://uiclaims.state.ri.us/RI-ICS/Intro/Index.aspx?AC=yes or by telephone Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between
8:00 am, and 5:00 pm, on Wednesday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and Friday
9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
To file a claim for Unemployment Insurance Benefits, EUC or
EB by telephone, please call 243-9100 during these hours. If you are calling
from out of state please call our toll free number at 1-866-557-0001.
Please note: If you were directed by the Interactive Voice Rseponse (IVR), or Tele-Serve, to file a claim for EUC or EB, please wait until the following business day before filing your claim.
- 5.
How much will I receive on EUC?
- Your
weekly EUC benefit rate is the same rate as your regular weekly
benefit rate plus dependency allowances.
- 6.
How long can I collect EUC?
- Effective November 8, 2009, Congress passed an extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program. This extension added weeks of entitlement for individuals collecting EUC.
Now, individuals collecting EUC receive three tiers of EUC payments:
EUC Tier 1, the lesser of:
• Twenty (20) times your total benefit rate, or
• Eighty percent (80%) of your regular total benefits.
EUC Tier 2, the lesser of:
• Fourteen (14) times your total benefit rate, or
• Fifty-four percent (54%) of your regular total benefits.
EUC Tier 3, the lesser of:
• Thirteen (13) times your total benefit rate, or
• Fifty percent (50%) of your regular total benefits.
EUC Tier 4, the lesser of:
• Six (6) times your total benefit rate, or
• Twenty-four percent (24%) of your regular total benefits.
You will be sent an EUC monetary determination which will show
your exact benefits each time you change tiers.
- 7.
How long will EUC last?
- The Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC 08) program applies to weeks of unemployment ending December 26, 2009. This is the last week that anyone can file for the EUC 08 program. No compensation shall be payable for any week of unemployment after the week ending May 29, 2010.
- 8.
What happens if EUC ends and I still have money left on my claim?
- Once the EUC period ends on May 29, 2010, the department cannot pay any further benefits, even if an individual has credits remaining. New claims for EUC cannot have an effective date after December 26, 2009.
- 9.
Once my regular benefits are exhausted, will I be automatically
filed for EUC?
- When
you call the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System for your
final payment it will direct you to call the UISC to file for
Emergency Unemployment Compensation (08). Please listen carefully
to the instructions given.
Please note: If you are directed by the IVR, or Tele-Serve, to file a claim for EUC or EB, please wait until the following business day before filing your claim.
- 10.
How will I receive my EUC Payments?
- Once
you have filed a claim for EUC, you will request your weekly
payment in the same manner you used for regular benefits –
by contacting the Tele-Serve payment system each week at (401)
243-9600. Please make all requests for EUC payments via Tele-Serve
after 7:30 p.m.
You will receive the payments either via Electronic Payment
Card (EPC) or via Direct Deposit into your checking or savings
account. This was determined at the time you filed your claim
for regular benefits. Should you decide to change your payment
method, notify the claims representative at the time you file
for EUC.
- 11.
What if my bank account number has changed?
- Notify
the claims representative at the time you file for EUC benefits.
- 12.
What if I lost my EPC card?
- Contact
JP Morgan Chase at 1-866-847-8586 and request a replacement
card.
- 13.
I applied for EUC and the monetary statement issued to me indicated
that I was not eligible. Why don’t I qualify? If I disagree
with this, what can I do?
- You
may receive a monetary decision that determines that you are
not eligible. The reasons for ineligibility include:
• Your benefit year ended before May 5, 2007, OR;
• The total wages on your claim are less than 40 times your
weekly benefit amount, AND;
• The total base period wages on your claim are less than
1 ½ times your highest quarter of base period earning,
• You do not have 20 weeks of full-time covered employment
in the base period of your claim.
You may file an appeal if you disagree. An appeal is a written
disagreement with our decision. Send your written appeal within
fifteen (15) calendar days to The Rhode Island Department of
Labor and Training, P.O. Box 20389, Cranston, RI 02920-0944.
You will be notified in writing that your appeal letter has
been received. The appeal will be scheduled for an in-person
hearing with the Board of Review, at which time all facts will
be reviewed.
- 14.
Are these benefits taxable?
- Yes.
You must report unemployment insurance on your taxes.
- 15.
I returned to work. Can I receive retroactive EUC benefits?
- No,
the EUC program does not pay retroactively. The first payable
week will be the week ending July 12, 2008.
- 16.
Can I receive EUC if I am collecting Temporary Disability Insurance
(TDI)?
- No,
you cannot receive unemployment benefits of any type while you
are on Temporary Disability Insurance. Once you have ended your
TDI, and your doctor certifies that you are able to return to
work, you should contact the department at that time for a determination
of unemployment insurance benefits.
- 17.
What are the job search requirements while on EUC?
- You
must be able, available, and actively applying for full time
work during each week you request benefits, whether it be regular
or emergency benefits.
You must apply or contact three (3) employers each week. You
must keep a verifiable work search record that includes the
following information about each contact:
• The name and address of the company
• The date you applied
• The manner by which you applied: in person, sent a résumé,
applied via the internet, etc
• The specific position and shift for which you applied
The department may ask you to provide evidence of your work
search; failure to provide a record of your work search could
result in a denial and/or overpayment of benefits.
NOTE: If you fail to meet the EUC Benefits work search requirements,
you will be denied further EUC Benefits beginning with the week
you failed to meet the job search requirements and until you
meet the requirements.
If you are in an approved training program, you do not have
to meet the job search requirements.
- 18.
If I am sick, or on vacation, or do not look for work for a
week or longer, what should I do?
- If
you claim a week of EUC in which you do not meet the work search
requirements, you will be denied EUC Benefits for that week
and until you until you meet the availability requirements.
However, you can choose not to claim a week because you did
not meet the requirements. If you choose not to claim a week,
you must contact the department when you meet the requirements
to “reopen” your claim.
- 19.
What is “suitable work” while receiving EUC?
- Suitable
work on EUC is defined as any work that you are capable of doing,
which pays in excess of your weekly benefit amount and where
the wages are not less than the higher of the federal, state,
or local minimum wage.
The job must be within a reasonable distance from your place
of residence or last place of work, and cannot be detrimental
to your health, safety, or morals.
You do not have to accept a job if it is vacant due to a labor
strike, if you are required to join or to resign from a bona
fide labor organization, or if the working conditions or hours
are substantially less favorable than those conditions or hours
that are prevailing for similar work in the labor market.
If you fail to accept suitable work while claiming EUC, you
will be denied EUC benefits beginning with the week in which
the refusal occurred and until you work in at least eight (8)
weeks and earn at least $148.00 per week.
- 20.
I’m on “stand-by” with my employer. Do I have to look
for other work to receive EUC?
- There
is no “stand-by” on EUC. Claimants on EUC must be actively
searching for work (See question # 17).
- 21.
I get my jobs through my union. Do I have to look for other
work outside my union if I’m on EUC?
- Yes,
if you normally get your work through your union hiring hall,
you are still required to look for other suitable work that
will not jeopardize your union status. Your union counts as
one job contact during a week – you must make at least two
other job search contacts during any week you claim EUC. Remember
to record your work search contacts on a job log (See question
# 17)..
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