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Unemployment Insurance Questions
Q
What is Unemployment
Insurance?
A
It is a benefit designed to
replace a portion of the income
you lose if you are out of work
through no fault of your own and are
physically able to work,
available for work, and actively seeking work.
Q
How do I
apply for benefits?
A
You may apply by
reporting in person to the closest Department
for Employment
Services office.
If your employer is laying off a large
group of employees at the same
time, arrangements may have been
made to come to your workplace or
union hall at a specified time
and date to take your claim for benefits.
Your employer will be
able to provide you this information.
Q
Where is the closest
office?
A Visit
our web site for a list of locations across the state.
Q
When do I file for
benefits?
A You should file
benefits during the first week
after your separation from
employment. Your claim for benefits is
effective the week you file. If
you do not file the first week
you are unemployed you may not be paid
for that
time.
Q
Isn’t there a waiting period before I
can collect benefits?
A No.
There is no waiting week in
Kentucky.
Q What do I need to bring with me when I
file?
A You should bring your driver’s license
and proof of your Social Security
number (i.e. Social Security Card,
W-2 form from your employer, or
check
stub with your Social
Security number on it). You will also need
the
complete address
and the exact dates you worked for any employer
during the last 18 months.
You will also need to bring your DD-214
Member 4 if you had active
military service during the last 18 months
and/or your SF-8 if you
were employed by the
Federal Government
during the last 18 months. If
you do not have a DD-214 or SF-8, you should still
report and file your
claim pending receipt of these
documents. Q How much will my benefit
be?
A Your benefit amount is
based on the
wages you received during a
specific 12-month period called the
base period. The base period is
the first four of the last five
completed calendar quarters prior to the
quarter you
file your
claim. A claim is effective on Sunday of the week
in which
the claim is filed.
Benefit amounts range from $39.00 per
week to $329.00 per week.
Shortly after you file your claim you will receive a
monetary
determination in the mail. It will list your employers
and wages for the
base period, your weekly benefit amount (WBA),
and your maximum
benefit amount (MBA). Click here for
a tutorial that will help you
calculate your approximate weekly
benefit amount. If any of your base
period wages are missing, you should report to your local office with
proof of wages. (i.e. check stubs, W-2 Form, letter from your
employer, etc.)
and file a reconsideration. Q
How do I get paid?
A Once your initial claim is filed,
biweekly claims may be made over our
automated benefits calling
system, often referred to as the
VRU. A
check will be mailed to you for each
two-week period that you claim
benefits and meet the
eligibility requirements.
Q
How does
the Automated Benefits System (Voice Response Unit (VRU)
work?
A By
using a touch-tone telephone, you may claim your weeks or request
the status of your last week claimed. Week
Claiming is available on
Sunday from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM Eastern
time and Monday - Friday
from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM Eastern
time. The Last Week Claimed
Inquiry is available Tuesday through Friday from
7:00 AM until 7:00 PM
Eastern time. This system offers you the
availability of a faster
payment. In about the same amount of time it takes you to
fill out your
pay order card, address it, and take it to the mailbox, you
can enter
your weeks for payment over the telephone. It’s that
simple and that
fast! The system is easy to use. It will talk you through the
step-by-step process. In
most cases, you will get three (3) attempts
to enter the correct information.
Q
When will I receive my first
check?
A You will be instructed to call the VRU
system fourteen (14) days after
you file your initial claim for
benefits. If you meet all the eligibility
requirements and your
call to the VRU system is successful, a check
will normally be mailed
to you the next day from Frankfort.
Q Can I receive Unemployment Insurance
benefits if
I was fired or if I
quit?
A It depends on why you were fired or why
you quit. If you were fired,
your employer must be able to
demonstrate that you were fired for
reasons of misconduct. If you
quit, then the burden is on you to show
that you quit with good
cause attributable to the employment. After
you file your claim,
statements will be taken from you and your employer
and a written
decision will be made.
If the decision is not in your favor
you have the right to file an appeal
and request a more formal
hearing. If you are disqualified from receiving
benefits, that
disqualification will last for the duration of your
unemployment.
To re-qualify you must work in at least a part of each of
ten weeks and earn total wages of at least ten times your weekly
benefit rate that was established when you filed your claim.
Q
Can I receive Unemployment Insurance
benefits if I’m out of
work due
to illness or injury?
A Unemployment Insurance benefits are
intended for people who are
physically able to work, who are
available for work, and who are actively
seeking work. It is not
a disability program. However, anyone may apply
for benefits and establish a claim. If
your circumstances restrict
your ability to work or to seek work,
then a ruling will be made on your
eligibility after you apply for benefits. Q
Can I attend school and still collect
benefits?
A You may be able to receive benefits
while attending school. Your local
office will ask for
information about your classes and availability for
work to determine if you are
eligible
to receive benefits. If you are in
Approved Training, you are eligible
for benefits.
Q
What is a Benefit Year and what is a
BYE?
A A Benefit Year is the 52-week period
beginning with the effective date
of your claim. The BYE (Benefit Year
Ending date) is the last date you
can be paid benefits on that
claim.
Q
What is a WBA and what is a
MBA?
A Weekly Benefit Amount
(WBA) is the amount you will be
paid for any week in which you are
totally unemployed and meet all the
eligibility requirements.
Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA) is the amount
you can be
paid during the benefit year.
Q
Can I work and still collect
Unemployment Insurance
benefits?
A If you work less than full-time during
a calendar week, you may be able
to collect partial benefits
for that week. We will compute 80% of the
amount you earned
during the week and deduct it from your weekly
benefit amount.
For example, if you earned $200.00 during the week,
$160.00 will be deducted from your weekly benefit amount and
you
would be paid the difference.
Q How long can I receive Unemployment
Insurance?
A Your
Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA) will be
twenty-six times your
weekly benefit amount. If you collect full
benefits each week, your
claim will be exhausted after twenty-six
weeks. If you are working
part-time and you claim partial
benefits your claim will last until your
Maximum Benefit Amount
is exhausted or until the Benefit Year Ending
date.
Q
Can I get an extension in the number of
weeks I collect?
A Extensions are in effect only during
periods of very high unemployment
and only if the
State or
Federal Government take specific action to
provide extended
benefits.
Q What does
my employer have to do with
my Unemployment
Insurance
check? I am the
one putting in
the money, aren’t I?
A No, the money that you collect in
Unemployment Insurance
benefits is drawn from taxes contributed
by your employer. None of the
money comes from you or your
paycheck.
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