Louisiana State Center Wiki: FAQ About Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Claimants Frequently Asked Questions About Benefits

See also FAQ About Unemployment Insurance Appeals..

What is unemployment insurance?

Unemployment insurance (UI) is a program designed to provide temporary financial assistance to workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own and who meet the requirements of the Louisiana Employment Security Law. UI benefits are paid as a matter of past employment and legal entitlement, and not on the basis of need.

Who pays for unemployment insurance?

In Louisiana, employers pay all the costs of unemployment insurance through a payroll tax or reimbursable program. Employees do not pay any part of their wages to finance the Unemployment Insurance Program.

How do I qualify for unemployment insurance benefits?

The law sets qualifying requirements in three main areas: your past wages, your job separation, and ongoing availability and work search requirements. You must meet all of the following qualifying requirements in order to receive benefits.

Past Wages: You must have earned enough wages in your base period. The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim.
Reason for separation from your last work: You must be unemployed or partially unemployed through no fault of your own in order to receive benefits.
Ongoing availability and work search: You must be physically able and available to work. You must also be actively seeking work. If you are temporarily laid off and have a definite return-to-work date, your work search requirements may be waived.

For more detailed information refer to the Benefit Rights Handbook.

How do I file for Unemployment Benefits?

To file a claim for unemployment insurance, you may report in person to the nearest Job Center or you may file online.

Before filing a claim, you will need the following information.

Your social security number.
Names, addresses, job-site locations and telephone numbers of any employers for whom you worked during the last 18 months.
Name and local number of union hall (if applicable).
Alien registration number (if applicable).
The member-4 copy of your DD214 (if you served in the military during the last 18 months).
Your SF-8 and SF-50 (if you worked for a federal employer during the last 18 months). However, do not delay filing if you cannot locate your federal documents.

To file a claim online, click here. (You will be directed to a registration page prior to claim filing.)

How should I file if I worked in another state or more than one state?

No matter in which state you may have worked, or in which state you may now live, you can file your UI claim in the Job Center closest to your current place of residence. Personnel in that office will assist you in determining against which state you should file. There is a Job Center or a State Employment Office in nearly every large town in the United States. Click here to find an office near you.

What are the minimum and maximum amounts of UI benefits?

The minimum weekly benefit amount of UI in Louisiana is $10.00. The maximum is currently $258. Your weekly benefit amount could be anywhere in this range, depending upon the total amount of wages paid to you during your base period. The total amount of unemployment insurance benefits payable to you would be equal to the lesser of 26 times your weekly benefit amount or 27% of your total base period wages.

How do I file for weekly benefits?

You should file your weekly claims by phoning the Interactive Voice Response System, Easy Call. For Easy Call information and phone numbers, click here.

When will I receive my first check?

In most cases, the first unemployment check is received three weeks after the claim has been filed.

My checks always arrive on Thursdays, and today it didn't. What should I do?

Wait. Although checks often arrive on the same day of the week, they are occasionally later due to mail service or government holidays. If you have not received your check within seven days of the date you mailed or phoned in your certification, you should contact your local Job Center.

Can my UI benefit check be direct deposited?

Your weekly UI benefit check can be electronically deposited into an account of your choice with any bank. Contact your local office, or click here for more information if you are interested in this service.

What are Extended Benefits?

During periods of high unemployment, the Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 provides for additional unemployment insurance benefits to claimants. When this occurs, potentially eligible claimants will be notified by the Department of Labor and through the local news media.

What are Trade Readjustment Act Benefits, or TRA?

The Trade Readjustment Act provides benefits to workers who are displaced by increased imports of articles or products in competition with those produced by the affected workers. To qualify for TRA, a person must be an adversely affected worker covered under a petition certified by the United States Department of Labor -- and the worker must meet certain separation, wage and employment qualifications. TRA benefits are payable only after the exhaustion of all other UI claims.

How do I file an initial claim for TRA benefits?

You must report to the nearest Job Center to file a claim for TRA benefits.

How do I file for weekly TRA payments?

To file for weekly TRA payments, you must complete and mail the form LDOL 858A or LDOL 858B to the TRA Payment Unit each week. For instructions and forms that you can print and mail, click here.

How do I repay an overpayment of UI benefits?

To pay back an overpayment, you may send a check or money order to: Collections Unit, Post Office Box 44063, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804. Be sure to include your social security number on the check or money order. Make the check or money order payable to: Louisiana Department of Labor. Remember, do not send cash through the mail.

What is Disaster Unemployment Assistance, or DUA?

If the President of the United States declares a disaster in your area, payment of Disaster Unemployment Assistance may be authorized. Persons who become unemployed as a result of the disaster, and who do not qualify for regular UI benefits, may file for DUA. Should a disaster be declared in your area, your local news media will provide information on how to obtain this assistance.

Does the Department of Labor provide information concerning welfare benefits or child support garnishments?

Welfare benefits, Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Food Stamps are not handled by this agency. They are handled by the Louisiana Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support. Consult your telephone directory for further assistance.

Questions concerning child support deductions taken from UI benefit checks should be directed to the Support Enforcement Office, a division of the Office of Family Support.

Are UI benefits taxable?

Any UI benefits you receive are taxable income. You will be issued Form 1099G at the end of January showing the amount of benefits paid to you, as well as any federal income tax withheld at the time the benefits were paid. The amount on the 1099G is not reduced by any repayments you may have made for overpaid benefits. Therefore, if you repaid any benefits, you must maintain your record of payment, such as reimbursement receipts or canceled check notices to make adjustments to your taxable income and as documentation for the federal Internal Revenue Service and State Tax Office when you file your tax returns.

How can I obtain a duplicate 1099?

If you do not receive a Form 1099G because you have moved since you last claimed benefits, or if you need a duplicate Form 1099G from a previous year, you may contact your Job Center for assistance or send us a written request. If you send a written request, be sure to include your social security number, name, current mailing address, and the year for which you need the 1099G. Mail your request to:

               LA Department of Labor
               Records Preservation Unit 
               Room 312   
               P. O. Box 44094 
               Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9094

How can I get records for proof of the amounts of unemployment benefits that I received or am entitled to receive?

You should send a written request for this information to the Unemployment Insurance Custodian of Records. You must include your social security number, your name and return address. This request should be mailed to:

               LA Department of Labor
               UI Custodian of Records 
               Room 390 
               P. O. Box 44094 
               Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9094

For additional information, call (225) 342-3018.

Source

http://www.ldol.state.la.us/job_uifaq.asp

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Daily Fact

On September 28, 1998, the Mississippi Gulf Coast took a direct hit by Hurricane Georges that left approximately 230,000 people without electricity and about 15,000 residents in public shelters. In Biloxi, Mississippi, flooding and hurricane-force winds (over 95 miles per hour) damaged several homes and businesses, necessitating curfew and a state of emergency.

Source: NATURAL DISASTER EPISODE: IMPACTS, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, AND HEALTH EFFECTS OF HURRICANE GEORGES IN THE GULF COAST