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Unemployment
Insurance Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs) |
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Unemployment
Unemployment Insurance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Last Updated:
December 01, 2009
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- 1.
What
is Unemployment Insurance?
-
Unemployment Insurance is
temporary income for workers who are unemployed through no fault
of their own and who are either looking for new jobs, in
approved training, or awaiting recall to employment. The funding
for unemployment insurance benefits comes from taxes paid by
employers. Workers do not pay any of the costs. To qualify for
unemployment benefits, you must have earned sufficient wages
during a specified time (monetary eligibility). To collect
benefits, you must meet certain legal eligibility requirements.
-
2.
What
are the basic eligibility requirements to apply for unemployment?
-
- Be fully or partially
unemployed;
- Be unemployed through
no fault of your own [the law imposes disqualifications for
certain types of separations from employment];
- Be physically and mentally able to work
full time*;
- Be available for full-time work*;
- Be registered with the
Connecticut
Works Center;
- Be actively seeking
work by making reasonable efforts to find employment each
week;
- Participate in
selected reemployment services if you are identified as a
dislocated worker by the profiling system;
- File your weekly claims as directed.
*Individuals who cannot work because of a physical or mental impairment that is
chronic or expected to be long-term or permanent may qualify for benefits if
they are available for suitable part-time work. -
3.
When
to file and what to have?
-
A claim should be filed as
soon as possible after you are separated from employment. To ensure the best possible customer
service, the following call-in schedule for individuals filing initial or
reopened unemployment is now in effect:
- Mondays: callers with social security numbers ending in numerals 0 through
4 can call the TeleBenefits "Dial to
File" system.
- Tuesdays: callers with social security numbers ending in numerals 0
through 7 can call the TeleBenefits "Dial to File" system.
- Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: callers with social security numbers
ending in any numeral (0-9) can call the TeleBenefits "Dial to File" system.
If Monday is a holiday
(agency closed):
- Tuesdays: callers with social security numbers ending
in numerals 0 through 3 can call.
- Wednesdays: callers with social security numbers ending
in numerals 0 through 7 can call.
- Thursday through Friday: everyone can file.
When to Call the Telebenefits Line:
- File your weekly
continued claim: Sunday, 12 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to
8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (E.S.T.)
- File or resume
filing your initial (new) claim or reopen your claim:
Monday through Friday, 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. (E.S.T.)
- All other inquiry
options, including employer information, are available 7 days/week, 24
hours/day.
- For your
convenience, customer service representatives are available during normal
business hours:
-
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to
6 p.m. (E.S.T.)
Please call the telephone number listed
that is within your local calling area. Directions to the nearest
CT
Works Career Center located in these areas can be obtained
by the calling the number listed below.
|
TeleBenefits Phone Numbers
- Local Calling Areas |
| Ansonia |
(203) 230-4939 |
| Bridgeport |
(203) 579-6291 |
| Bristol |
(860) 566-5790 |
| Danbury |
(203) 797-4150 |
| Danielson |
(860) 423-2521 |
| Enfield |
(860) 566-5790 |
| Hamden |
(203) 230-4939 |
| Hartford |
(860) 566-5790 |
| Interstate |
1-800-942-6653 (from out-of-state)
or
(860) 256-3900 (from in-state) |
| Manchester |
(860) 566-5790 |
| Meriden |
(860) 344-2993 |
| Middletown |
(860) 344-2993 |
| New Britain |
(860) 566-5790 |
| New London |
(860) 443-2041 |
| Norwich |
(860) 443-2041 |
| Stamford |
(203) 348-2696 |
| Torrington |
(860) 482-5581 |
| Waterbury |
(203) 596-4140 |
| Willimantic |
(860) 423-2521 |
| *If you live in the
Kent, Salisbury,
Sharon,
North
Thompson, Stafford Springs, Westport or Wilton
exchange, you may call the following toll-free number: 1-800-354-3305.
This number is NOT accessible statewide. It is only for the
seven above listed exchanges. |
TDD/TTY Users Call: 1-800-842-9710.
Do not delay in filing a claim if you do not have your separation packet which
includes a pink slip. Your claim will be taken without it. Your claim is
effective the Sunday of the week in which you first file for benefits.
Ordinarily, you do not get paid for the weeks prior to the week you filed your
initial claim.
Have your Social Security card and separation packet, if one was provided.
If you are separating from the military, have separation form DD214, Member-4.
Federal employees should bring separation form SF-8 and a copy of their
most recent pay stub. If you are not a US citizen, you must have proof
of legal alien status. Do not delay filing a claim if you do not have these
documents. Your claim can be filed without them. However, there may be
a delay in payment until the document is received.
-
4.
Where
can I file my unemployment insurance claim?
-
You may file a claim for benefits
by telephone in English or Spanish. Claims for Unemployment Compensation
are now taken by telephone by calling the
TeleBenefits
Line. Once you have established a claim, you will file weekly claims by
telephone. This automated system provides eligibility
information on Unemployment Compensation Benefits, and will
allow weekly filing of benefits and provide information on the
disposition of weekly continued claims, once a new claim has
been established.
-
5.
How
much will I get?
-
We look at wages for a
12-month period that is called the Base Period. The time is the
first four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to
the calendar quarter in which you initiated the claim.
Commencing with
benefit years effective on or after January 5, 2003, individuals
who cannot establish monetary eligibility using wages in the
previously described base period will use an alternate base
period. The alternate base period consists of the four
calendar quarters immediately preceding the quarter in which the
claim is filed. To determine if a person has sufficient wage
credits, the law requires that he or she must have total base
period earnings that equals or exceeds 40 times the Weekly
Benefit Rate. Normally, the maximum number of weeks of regular
benefits payable is 26.
-
6.
What
wages are used in determining monetary eligibility?
-
Wages are drawn from a one-year period
(four calendar quarters) to calculate eligibility. This one-year
period is called the Base Period. By law, neither the quarter in
which your claim is initiated nor the calendar quarter
immediately preceding that quarter can be used for this
calculation. Therefore, the Base Period normally will be the
first four of the previously-completed calendar quarters.
- If
your claim is effective with
any Sunday in: January, February, or March
The Base Period will be the first
nine months (Jan-Sept) of last year and the last three months (Oct-Dec) of
the year before last;
- If your claim is effective with
any Sunday in: April, May, or June
The Base Period will be all twelve
months (Jan-Dec) of last year;
- If your claim is effective with
any Sunday in: July, August, or September
The Base Period will be the first
three months of the current year (Jan-Mar) and the last nine months
(Apr-Dec) of the last year;
- If your claim is effective with
any Sunday in: October, November, or December
The Base Period will be the first six months
(Jan-June) of the current year and last six months of the
last year.
-
7.
How
will my part-time job affect my benefits?
-
If you are working part-time,
your Weekly Benefit Rate will be reduced by an amount equal to
two-thirds (2/3) of your gross wages for that week, rounded to
the nearest dollar. To be eligible for this payment the law
provides that:
- you must be employed less than full-time;
the number of hours you are working during the week is less than the number
of hours customarily considered to be full-time for that job and/or employer;
- you must be able to work and available for work as
defined by law;
- you did not refuse additional hours.
-
8.
How
will my Pension Benefits affect my benefits?
-
If you receive
a pension, the law requires that the Weekly Benefit Rate be reduced by
the pro-rated weekly amount of the pension that was contributed by the
employer . A pension reduction of the Weekly Benefit Rate
will increase the number of weeks for which Unemployment Compensation Benefits
can be paid. You must still be able, available, and looking for full-time
work to be eligible for Unemployment Compensation Benefits.
If you are receiving a pension at the time of your new claim, have your Social Security
card and documentation of the amount you are being paid when you phone
in your new claim. If you start receiving a pension after your claim for unemployment has been filed, phone the
TeleBenefits
Line when you actually receive your pension benefits. Please have your
Social Security card and documentation of the amount of benefits
you are receiving.
-
9.
Can
I quit my job and collect Unemployment Insurance Benefits?
-
The general
rule is that a person who voluntarily leaves suitable work without good
cause, attributable to the employer, is not eligible for benefits.
However, there are a few non job-related reasons for quitting
under which a person may be approved for benefits. These include
quitting to care for a spouse, child, or parent with an illness
or disability, and quitting to escape domestic violence.
For good cause to be attributable
to the employer, it must relate to the wages, hours, or working conditions
of the job. A change in conditions created by your employer or a breach
of your employment agreement which is substantial and adversely affects
you may be good cause to quit. Also, if the job itself adversely affects
your health or aggravates or worsens a medical condition, it could be good
cause to quit.
Regardless of the cause,
in most cases, good cause attributable to the employer may only
be found if you took reasonable steps to inform your employer of
your dissatisfaction and sought to remedy the problem before you
left. If you quit, it is your burden to prove that there was
good cause for leaving. When applying for benefits, after
quitting a job, you will be scheduled to attend a
pre-determination hearing to establish whether you had good
cause for leaving. Your employer will be notified of this
hearing and will be invited to attend or to send in a written
statement.
-
10.
I was just fired. Can I collect Unemployment Insurance
Benefits?
-
If you are fired or
suspended, you may be disqualified for benefits if the employer
can prove one of the following:
-
Willful misconduct in the course of your
employment. The term wilful misconduct means deliberate misconduct in wilful
disregard of the employer's interest, or a single knowing violation of
a reasonable and uniformly-enforced rule or policy of the employer, when
reasonably applied, provided such violation is not a result of the employee's
incompetence. In the case of absence from work, an employee must be absent
without notice or good cause on three separate instances within a 12-month
period;
-
Conduct which is a felony under the
law and occurred in the course of your employment;
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Larceny of property or service whose
value exceeds $25 in the course of your employment;
-
Participation in a strike which is illegal
under law or regulations;
-
You were sentenced to a term of imprisonment
of 30 days or longer and had begun serving that sentence;
-
You were discharged or suspended because
you were disqualified by law from performing the job for which you were
hired as a result of a drug or alcohol testing program mandated by law;
-
If you are discharged, it is the employer's
burden to prove that there was wilful misconduct. When applying for benefits
after being discharged or suspended from a job you will be
scheduled to attend a pre-determination hearing to determine
eligibility. Your employer will be notified of this hearing
and will be invited to attend or to send in a written
statement.
-
11.
I never got my check for ... what should I do?
-
If you did
not get a check, you should first determine if and when it was mailed by
calling our automated TeleBenefits Line.
This system will provide information on the last weekly unemployment claim
received by TeleBenefits Line. If the claim
was received, the system will report the date paid, and if not paid, a
reason why the claim has been held or voided. You may then determine if
you need to speak to a customer service representative. If the claim was
not received or is not for the most-recent week, it may be necessary to
phone the TeleBenefits Line to file any
claims needed to bring you up to date, or investigate a check
that was issued, but not received.
-
12.
My boss is doing ... can he/she do that?
-
The employer must pay you for
work you have performed and in accordance with any contract or
written policy. The employer can change the nature of a job in
accordance with any contracts or written policies. If you have
questions you can call the Connecticut Department of Labor
Assistance Center at (860) 263-6785. They can help answer your
questions.
-
13.
I'm moving ... what can I do about my Unemployment Insurance
Benefits?
-
If you move out of
Connecticut, you may continue to file for Unemployment
Compensation Benefits from out of state. This is called an
Interstate claim. Connecticut will still be the paying state so
you must continue to meet all Connecticut eligibility
requirements. The toll-free number for the Interstate Claims
Unit is 1-800-942-6653.
-
14.
How do I file an appeal?
-
Click here to obtain
information on filing an appeal.
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15.
What other unemployment related programs are available?
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(The Labor Department is not responsible
for accuracy of the information provided by the following non-DOL programs)
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National
School Lunch Program (Conn. State Department of Education)
Children may become eligible for the free lunch program upon a change in a
parents' financial circumstances.
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