Use this button to show and access all levels. The law also allows benefits if you voluntarily leave for good cause attributable to your employer. Workers in standby status must remain in contact with their employers and be available for any work their employer may have for them but they do not have the same requirement to be searching for alternate work. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. See step-by-step instructions for completing your "Weekly Certification" online. Unemployment insurance (UI) provides temporary cash assistance to eligible displaced workers while they seek employment. Please limit your input to 500 characters. WorkShare helps employers bring employees back part-time while allowing them to maintain the additional $300 a week in federal UI benefits as well as continuing to subsidize a portion of their wages. Predating of claims is also available when the claimantif the claimant is able to establish good cause for failing to file earlier. Unemployment Benefits MA: How To Apply However, we believe there is a good argument that the loss of a summer stipend position due to COVID-19 falls within the categories of workers covered by PUA (e.g., people seeking part-time employment but whose search is affected by COVID-19). Unemployment in MA | Benefits Duration & Amount | Filing DUA oversees the unemployment insurance (UI) program, which provides temporary income assistance to eligible workers in Massachusetts. Unemployment waiting week not waived : r/massachusetts When Does Eligibility for Benefits Begin? You skipped the table of contents section. Registering for work and reemployment services with a. The DUA determines and collects employer contributions to the UI program and processes requests for benefits. That is not the relevant question for PUA and we have heard that some people have been rejected for answering yes. The DUA has step-by-step directions for applying for benefits that has been updated to include COVID-19 related information: Unemployment Insurance Online Information Guide. Some page levels are currently hidden. Late appeals may be allowed for good cause, meaning circumstances beyond your control, but it is always better to timely file. The principles discussed herein do not necessarily apply to all fact situations and issuance of this advisory does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Also, a worker able to telework may not be eligible for benefits. To request weekly benefits, daily 6 a.m.10 p.m. To check your claim or benefit payment status (*please do not transfer to an agent while in the system-this is not staffed at this time). Massachusetts (MA) Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Latest You must make a request even if your eligibility is still being decided or you have an appeal pending. I have listed the absolute maximum number of weeks and recommend you check the state UI site link in the table . Claimants can locate a Career Center near their home by using the MassHire Career Center locatorhere. Massachusetts is set to complete its reopening process on May 29, 2021, when all COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted. Request weekly benefits online The Details What you need How to request More info Downloads Contact What you need You must request weekly benefits every week that you are unemployed. If you're working part-time while receiving a partial UI benefit, you are still required to engage in three work search activities each week. Thank you for your website feedback! Clickhereto look for jobs. Claimant | Frequently Asked Questions - New Hampshire Please let us know how we can improve this page. c. 151A, 23(b); 430 CMR 4.01(3), (4); AH c. 2, 2.Note. You may be called upon to attend a Career Center related activity andmaybe required to bringyour work search activity logs. While collecting Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, it is your responsibility to keep adetailed written log of your work search activities. If you are in a training or education program that hasnotbeen approved under Section 30, you are required to complete work search activities. This helps to keep your skills current and you may still be eligible for part of your benefit payment. If hours reported and wage information on a weekly claim causes a total deduction in the weekly benefit, resulting in a weekly benefit payment of zero due to the number of hours worked or the gross wages earned, this would not be due to the waiting week, this would be due to earnings deductions and able and available issues. The Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) administers the UI program for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A person is in partial unemployment in any week in which the employee is (a) working less than full-time; (b) has earned less than the weekly unemployment benefit she would be entitled to if totally unemployed during that week; and (c) the failure to work full time is due to the employers failure to provide full-time work and not due to the claimant's choice to work part-time. A claimant becomes eligible to begin collecting UI benefits one week after becoming unemployed. Claimants should not mail the work search logs to DUA unless requested. An important part of unemployment insurance is to become re-employed by actively searching for a full-time job. Apply for unemployment benefits Unemployment insurance (UI) provides temporary cash assistance to eligible displaced workers while they seek employment. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. If an employers operations are temporarily shut down in whole or in part due to COVID-19 and workers are furloughed or laid off, then they may be eligible for unemployment benefits. COVID-19 Supplemental Answer:Because of the unprecedented demand for unemployment benefits and the resulting strain on the system, mistakes such as overpayment are more likely to occur. When requesting weekly unemployment benefits online, we strongly recommend using a laptop or desktop computer. It is not intended to be legal advice and should not be taken as such. You must certify for benefits weekly, including responding to the question regarding work search activities. A claimants health challenges may also constitute good cause to predate a claim, though advocates should note this could generate a capability issue for the weeks between the claimants separation and the date they were able to file their UI claim. No idea about Mass for PA it takes around 8 weeks to process and you are paid in a lump sum for the 8 weeks. This waiver of the waiting period is in effect until 90 days after the end of the Massachusetts state of emergency. Claimants can contact a MassHire Career Center nearest them by visiting the Career Center website or calling their local Career Center. The first weekly claims says "paid" however the Issue Payment Status says "Pending." The more recent three weekly claims say Current Week Status as "Hold", Issue Payment Status says "No Payment." It seems like my first payment should be good to go. Your actual eligibility, however, cannot be determined until you apply for benefits. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Please limit your input to 500 characters. The DUA will determine whether you had a reasonable fear that you would soon be furloughed or laid off, in which case your departure may be considered involuntary and thus you would be eligible for benefits. The information contained in this advisory is provided for general informational purposes only based on the law at the time it was written. BR-0038 5388 24 (10/29/20). They meet any additional criteria established by the Secretary of Labor. Open 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m., MondayFriday. Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, contact the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. Under the work search requirements, claimants will need to keep a detailed written log of their work search activities. Help with Massachusetts Department of Unemployment It expands states' ability to provide unemployment insurance for many workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including for workers who are not ordinarily eligible for unemployment benefits. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. See step-by-step instructions for completing your "Weekly Certification" online. Good causefor predating include the inability to reach a Call Center or DUA representative due to the volume of claims,BR-0017 2892 01 (6/28/16), or the failure of DUA to provide information in a claimants primary language. If you are not working a full-time schedule of hours (see question above), you may be classified as partially unemployed, and you may be entitled to receive reduced benefits during any period in which you remain in partially unemployed. PDF 2E Avoiding Waiting Weeks - National Employment Law Project Information about how to activate the DUA-issued debit card may be found at: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-the-us-bank- reliacardr-the-dua-debit-card. If that happens to you, please see the question below regarding appeals. Click, If an employer had furloughed workers during the pandemic and wants to call them back, the employer may want to consider using the Commonwealths WorkShare program. Note that the you must call on the day associated with the last digit of your social security number: Monday 0, 1; Tuesday 2, 3; Wednesday 4, 5, 6; Thursday 7, 8, 9; Friday any digit. of Massachusetts What to do if you've become unemployed in Massachusetts Maximum Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefit Amounts (WBA) by State. 5. Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) may extend state benefits for everyone by 13 weeks (for up to a total of 39 weeks of benefits). It depends. The DUA has a comprehensive guide on its website that you are strongly encouraged to review: A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services for Claimants. The statewide COVID-19 state of emergency will terminate on June 15, 2021. In 2022, DUA switched its debit card provider. A claimant may be able to predate their claim effective date to a date prior to the Sunday before the date of the claimants application for UI benefits is filed where the employer failed to provide them notice of their right to file for UI, or where they otherwise had good cause for their delay in applying. Frequently, however, adjudicators and review examiners continue to deny claimants predates on their claims, finding they did not have good cause despite their employer failing to provide them adequate notice as required by G.L. Claimants may also be asked to provide their work search information to DUA upon request and must keep proof of their work search documents for one year after they stop requesting benefits. Wyoming. Read MTA's Covid-19 Legal Update: Unemployment (Released on April 1, 2020). If the hours you worked during the week you are certifying fordo not meet the conditions above, you should respond: These answers will assist in preserving your potential eligibility for continued partial benefits. The statewide COVID-19 state of emergency will terminate on June 15, 2021. Please limit your input to 500 characters. A. More information on Section 30 can be found here:https://www.mass.gov/service-details/training-opportunities-program-section-30. If you have a definite return to work date and it is within four weeks of the date you are requesting benefits,you are not required to complete work search activities. Work search requirements have been reinstated. Professional employees (defined as instructor, researcher, or in a principal administrative capacity) who do not get substantially similar work in the succeeding academic term may become eligible for unemployment benefits at the start of that term. applied for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, contact the Department of Unemployment Assistance. Therefore, if there is any doubt about being employed in the fall in a similar capacity, a nonprofessional employee should timely file claims for benefits every week over the summer. BR-0022 3860 38 (1/19/18)(holding that technical barriers in DUAs filing and registration system for someone who is in and out of unemployment constitutes good cause for predating); see also BR-0049 0100 32 (5/21/21) (allowing predate where claimant did not have computer to file claim and was unable to reach DUA by phone due to high call volume); BR-0064 7537 96 (10/27/21)(claimant entitled to predate of claim where she filed her MA UI claim one month late because she mistakenly attempted to proceed with an open UI claim in NY). Claimants may also be called upon to attend a Career Center related activity and will be required to bring printed completed copies of their work search activity logs. The claimant is entitled to an automatic predate if the employer fails to provide notice in writing. Yes to the question, Did you earn part-time wages (not from military service or self-employment)? and; No to the question, Have you returned to work full time during week listed above? MA PFML General Frequently Asked Questions | USAble Life See the above answer for reduced hours. Adjunct faculty: Reasonable assurance issues come up often for adjunct faculty. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. For example, Washington. See BR-0026 0086 90 (2/27/19) (where a claimant is not given written information on filing unemployment claims by their most recent employer, they are automatically entitled to have their claim pre-dated, pursuant to G.L. You need to be careful, however, that the reason for accepting a voluntary layoff is due to a reasonable fear that a layoff is imminent and that you are not volunteering to be laid off for unrelated personal reasons. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. [Massachusetts] Question about one week waiting period Employers can contact their local MassHire center to discuss their options. It is simply a notice that must be provided to the DUA to schedule an appeal hearing. Once you receive and activate your debit card, you will have access to your first payment. But if the worker is receiving sick leave or other pay, then they are not eligible for benefits. The call center representative will likely create a predate (or reporting requirements) issue, requiring the claimant and employer to fill out questionnaires and wait for adjudication of the issue. If you do any work while receiving unemployment benefits, you must report it when filing for your weekly benefit payment. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Request weekly unemployment benefits, is. There are two components to determining eligibility. New Hampshire Employment Security (NHES) 45 South Fruit Street | Concord NH 03301 | 603-224-3311 | 1-800-852-3400 They meet any additional criteria established by the Secretary of Labor. Claimants may also be asked to provide their work search information to DUA upon request and must keep proof of their work search documents for one year after they stop requesting benefits. But if your employer leaves you to speculate whether your position is at risk, then you may still be eligible for unemployment if you volunteer for layoff. Once DUA determines the claimant eligible for UI, the state will issue UI benefits througha DUA issued debit card, or, if the claimant affirmatively chooses, through direct deposit. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. You should therefore file a claim right away even if you receive severance pay. Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) provides that $600 will be added to state weekly unemployment benefits from March 29, 2020 through July 31, 2020. A quarantine prevents the individual from reaching their place of employment; Your benefits will not start until the severance period ends but the period of severance pay does not count against your total duration of benefits. If your earnings exceed 133% of your unadjusted weekly benefit, then you donotqualify for partial benefits, even if you are not working full time.. (Elise Amendola/AP) Starting this week, Massachusetts residents filing new claims for unemployment benefits . The DUA determines and collects employer contributions to the UI program and processes requests for benefits. There is no universal standard for what counts as full time employment across all industries and places of employment. We will use this information to improve this page. ", you continue to actively engage in work search to secure additional hours of employment; and. While we cannot guarantee you will be eligible for PUA benefits, it is worth applying. A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services for Claimants, How your unemployment benefits are determined, What you need to know and do about the CARES Act, Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance (UI) Online Application, Unemployment Insurance Online Information Guide, COVID-19: Department of Unemployment Assistance Contact Request, Working part time while receiving unemployment benefits, Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, Bargaining and Online Resources for MTA Members, Guide for Bargaining the Safe Return to Schools and Campuses, Frequently Asked Questions about Unemployment. The federal CARES Act expands unemployment benefits during the pandemic: Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. Worker advocates are trying to get the DUA to fix this loophole. In most cases, once you have successfully completed the initial claim process, you must certify for benefits each week thereafter in order to be paid (the claim certification process is available starting on Sunday until the following Saturday evening that you wish). As of October 2, 2022, the maximum weekly benefit amount is $1015 per week. 26. How can I qualify for Massachusetts unemployment benefits? This time may be extended. This website has a helpful calculator to estimate the impact working part-time has on your benefits: Working part time while receiving unemployment benefits. COVID-19 in Mass.: Thousands Waited Months for Unemployment Checks Claimants can locate a Career Center near their home by using the MassHire Career Center locator, More than 200,000 jobs at Massachusetts employers are advertised in the MassHire JobQuest. Mine says eligible but not paid, and under payment says "hold". Generally, your weekly benefit is approximately 50% of your average weekly gross wages but it is capped at $823 per week. You may request benefits for the prior week at any time beginning Sunday through Saturday of the current week. Thus, if you receive six weeks severance pay upon layoff, you are considered by the DUA to be employed over those six weeks. high unemployment, federal and state programs may make additional weeks of benefits available.) Learn how to apply and where to find eligibility rules. Some page levels are currently hidden. For more information, please refer to the resources . Its very helpful and we recommend that you use it. Claimants will be required to attest each week that they are completing at least three work-search activities per week and provide proof of work search activity to the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) if requested. detailed written log of your work search activities. Under G.L. EOLWD manages the Commonwealths workforce development and labor departments to ensure that workers, employers, and the unemployed have the tools and training needed to succeed in the Massachusetts economy. Application If you need assistance, please contact the Department of Unemployment Assistance. Live Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance (UI) customer service is available from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday-Friday, Saturday-Sunday closed.Automated Telecert Line: 1-617-626-6338. Claimants should not mail the work search logs to DUA unless requested. Use this button to show and access all levels. If an employee of an educational institution works one term and has a contract or reasonable assurance of performing substantially the same services in the next academic term, then generally no, unemployment benefits are not granted for the summer. Mass. Waives Unemployment 1-Week Waiting Period During COVID-19 4. Follow the prompts to request a benefit payment. See the above answers for reduced hours or loss of second job. Certify weekly that you are in school. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27. If you are employed but still available for and actively looking for additional workandmaking less than 133% of your unadjusted weekly benefit, you are most likely not working full time unless: during the week listed above, you worked as many hours as your co-workers employed in similar positions;and. Or, your manager may make statements that give you reason to reasonably fear you will be involuntarily laid off. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. Employers may report any furloughed employees who refuse to come back to work by emailing UIReturntowork@detma.org. Massachusetts temporarily suspended these work-search requirements in March 2020, following updated federal guidance at the outset of the pandemic. My employer has a policy that requires employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below aim to help claimants accurately answer questions in the UI weekly certification: Did you earn part-time wages (not from military service or self-employment)? and Have you returned to work full time during week listed above?. Claimants can a search for available jobs onMassHire JobQuest, which includes remote work opportunities. If you are paid unemployment benefits to which DUA later determines you were not entitled, you will be required to pay them back except in very narrow circumstances. You should not mail the work search logs to DUA unless requested. COVID-19 Supplemental Answer: Unlike the argument for PUA benefits for lost summer stipend work, making a similar argument for stipend positions during the regular academic year seems less likely. If you are disqualified from benefits, make an appeal request immediately. A lock icon ( c.151A, 62A(g). But even if you have some weeks where your wages are enough that you do not receive a benefit payment, your unemployment claim is still open and your benefits will be adjusted each week. At least 28,000 workers in Massachusetts had to wait 10 weeks or more for their first unemployment check after getting laid off during the pandemic, according to monthly reports the state filed with the federal government. Hopefully, you have been filing since . Session Law - Acts of 2020 Chapter 40 For more information, please see our To request a predate, claimants should call DUA at (877)626-6800 toll free for area codes 351, 413, 508, 774, and 978or (617)626-6800 and speak with an agent to request the predate. c. 151A, 62A(g), without ashowing of good cause); BR-109713(1/14/11) BR-0024 6139 64 (12/24/2018); BR-0025 1553 94 (9/28/2018); BR- 00225533 19 (4/30/18); BR-0022 4583 16 (3/16/18); BR-0021 6448 96 (11/28/17); BR-0022 1570 69 (9/13/17); BR-0021 1788 30 (8/28/17); BR-0019 9348 56 (6/28/17); BR0019 9348 56 (6/28/17); BR-0017 7570 67 (8/26/16); Advocates should also ensure that notices provided by employers are adequate under 62A(g), which requires the notice to contain information including the name and mailing address of the employer, the identification number assigned to the employer by DUA, the address and telephone number of the regional DUA office which serves the recipient, and the telephone number of the teleclaim informational line. After Getting Laid Off, File for Unemployment Immediately: Here - CNET A restaurant displays a "Now Hiring" sign, Thursday, March 4, 2021, in Methuen, Mass. However, in times of economic crisis, states may choose to revise their benefits and the federal government may help fund extended state benefits during such times. However, if severance pay is conditioned on signing a release of all claims against your employer, you may be able to receive unemployment benefits at the same time as the severance. CBS News Boston: Free 24/7 News NEXT Weather Massachusetts Unemployment Payments: Your Questions Answered You should file for unemployment benefits during your first week of total or partial unemployment. COVID-19 Supplemental Answer: According to U.S. Department of Labor guidelines, deciding to voluntarily quit due to general concerns about exposure to COVID-19 is not sufficient to establish eligibility for unemployment benefits. If you have selected direct deposit as your method of payment, you may not receive your first payment until after 9 days from the date of requesting this payment method. Problems with UI Online can also constitute grounds for predating a claim. OSHA findings of safety violations will support finding good cause attributable to the employer but it is not necessary. Work search requirements will be reinstated for claimants effective the week of June 15, 2021. If an employers operations are temporarily shut down in whole or in part due to COVID-19 and workers are furloughed or laid off, then they may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Claimants who report wages from new employment will have their regular UI weekly benefit proportionately reduced to offset new wages, but in most circumstances claimants will remain eligible for the $300 weekly stipend until their regular wages exceed 133 percent of their regular weekly benefit amount (calculated without including the $300 weekly stipend). Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provides unemployment benefits up to a maximum 39 weeks to workers who are not otherwise normally eligible but are fully or partially unemployed or unable/unavailable to work for one of the following reasons: They have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis; A member of their household has been diagnosed with COVID-19; They are providing care for a family member or member of their household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19; A child or other person they have primary caregiving responsibilities for is unable to attend school or a caretaking facility because it is closed as a direct result of COVID-19; A quarantine prevents the individual from reaching their place of employment; A health care provider advised the individual to self-quarantine, thereby preventing them from reaching their place of employment; They were scheduled to commence employment but no longer have the job or are unable to reach it as a direct result of COVID-19; They became the breadwinner or major support for a household because the head of the household died as a direct result of COVID-19; They quit their job as a direct result of COVID-19; Their place of employment is closed as a direct result of COVID-19; or. The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) handles unemployment compensation and decides whether claimants are eligible for benefits. Key documents and tools created and curated by the MTA Environmental Health & Safety Committee. You must report all the work you did the previous week, even if you have not yet been paid for it. Massachusetts Announces Reinstatement of Unemployment Work Search This is called your base period.2 Additionally, you must have earned at least 30 times the amount of benefits you would be eligible to receive on a weekly basis. However, funding uncertainty, enrollment vacillations, and bumping rights by day faculty may diminish the likelihood of work being available. A health care provider advised the individual to self-quarantine, thereby preventing them from reaching their place of employment;