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Unemployment 101

Man holding lay-off notification


There are more than 14 million people without jobs in the United States. Many of them qualify for unemployment, but don’t know what it is and how to get it.


Here are the specifics:
 

What is unemployment?   How much unemployment can you get and for how long?  

Unemployment is also called unemployment insurance. It is a program paid for by employers and your tax dollars when you’re working. If you lose your job and it’s not your fault, you could qualify. These benefits only last for a short time.

The amount of benefits you get depends on how much money you made in the year before you lost your job. When you’re approved, you’ll get a check once a week while you’re looking for work.

Find if you qualify.

 

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Posted by onlineseo on Jun. 26, 2012 10:16 pm.
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hello my name is rick i need a little advice i have been a city truck driver at a company for about a year and half recently or on02/09/12 i went in to pick up my paycheck i was told i was being fired i work weekends anyway with all the rain we had been getting here i had gotten stuck in the mud at work over the previous weekend i got pulled out by a wrecker and worked another eight hours of work my fellow employees said not to worry about it this has happened before on ocasion, how can someone fire you for this and said they are going to contest my unemployment he said i did damage to the truck from getting stuck that was why he fired me, the mud flap was bent, but that was from the wrecker pulling me out of the mud, it was not on purpose that i got stuck like i said it was muddy how can i get unemployment if he is contesting this and like i said i ve been there for a year and half allways been a good worker i just don,t get it any advice would be greatly appreciated
Posted by rick41 on Feb. 14, 2012 6:12 pm.
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being searching for jobs and cant find any
Posted by venishia simon on Feb. 14, 2012 9:39 am.
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I am relocating out of the area in 6 weeks to live with my fiance. The company I work for has 2 locations near where I am moving to, but due to budget cuts they do not think they will have a position available for me at either location. Will I be able to collect unemployment until I can find other employment?
Posted by lisamarie68 on Feb. 12, 2012 4:35 pm.
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I want to have a summer job
Posted by Beehive Reader on Jan. 31, 2012 12:09 pm.
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I recently was involuntary termed, a better way of saying "fired", after 16 years of dedicated service to a major casino in Reno/Tahoe. I'm a Californian that commuted 65 miles each way for work in Nevada. I disagree with what I thought was an error of judgment due to recently losing my father and helping my mother that's immobile readjust to life without dad. Nevada denied my unemployment benefit but I'm appealing. The company was also in the process of restructuring and downsizing. I've never had a bad performance in my work history until now. Job hunting for a female over 50 years of age will be tough as most jobs out there are entry level. Thank goodness I have my 401k but taking that out will result in income that will be taxed 20% plus 10% penalty. So will "being fired" affect how other employers willing to hire me? My first job of 26 years was with a family business. So technically I've only had 2 real jobs in my life. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!!!
Posted by divemasterkathy on Jan. 21, 2012 9:26 pm.
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sometimes you will need to just look for work out of state. it can be hard but it can work.. i done it before and made great friends while on the job
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Posted by fatbikez on Dec. 17, 2011 8:04 pm.
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I NEED MONEY
Posted by kingtobias11 on Dec. 15, 2011 6:03 am.
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I need a advice. I'm been lay off for the first time and my job give me a pacakge and included Several payment. I apply for the unenployment and they sent me the first check wish is only one week. I was lay off on sept 31 and now they havent send me anymore check, just the first one. I report them I was going to school when I got the lay off, but I was register to school before I got lay off. My school is at night and will not affect me to look for a job. I called Unenployment and they told me they have 3 issues #1 School, #2 Severance Payment and #3 I answer a question wrong when I was claiming my weeks and I called them right away.I call every week 2 or 3 time and they never have a answer and none since to care, they don't call me. The only thing they said to me, they going to send me a letter. I can't find a job yet and I don't have any income and don't know how to paid my rent and bills? It been almost 3 months that I got a lay off and this people dont care. Since they get paid and they get there paid check>> Please what I can do? Advice.
Posted by brownsugar1223 on Dec. 12, 2011 8:09 pm.
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thanks
Posted by prettyeyes1988 on Oct. 28, 2011 1:36 pm.
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Thanks.
Posted by Alla on Sep. 14, 2011 9:17 pm.
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Looking for job as LPN. I have 22 years experience.
Posted by pmajiik on Aug. 16, 2011 3:59 pm.
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Hi pmajiik, I would take a look at our Job Search tool to find jobs you're interested in in your area, you can get there by clicking here: http://www.thebeehive.org/jobs
Posted by Alexis Cala, Beehive Producer on Oct. 11, 2011 2:41 pm.
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Hello, Job is very critical period this time. Many people all day go the behind job.
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builders

Posted by jansan on Jul. 1, 2011 2:13 am.
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My honest opinion is that I think that the reason for unemployment is that there arent many jobs availiable. When they are most times it can be for a certain group of people. People who have interent access are most times referred to jobs over the internet and personally I feel internet application do not work !
Posted by jAZZYf on Jun. 16, 2011 6:59 am.
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internet is very helpful
Posted by carmen durepos on Mar. 29, 2011 6:43 am.
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I have been off work after a diagnosis of lung cancer. While I was gone my employer has decided to change things so that I will work alone on a dairy farm at night, this has always been a team of 2. I have some residual effects of the surgery, feel I will not be safe alone, and do not think I am able to perform this job alone. If I quit will I qualify for unemployment?
Posted by kucky13 on Mar. 4, 2011 12:40 am.
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If I was receiving unemployment benefits from the state of California and moved to texas and acquired an income for 4 months from the state of Texas and then lost the job in Texas and moved back to California, do I still rate my uncollected benefits from the state of California?
Posted by boxing_ref1 on Feb. 4, 2011 4:37 pm.
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boxing ref1, to be certain of which state you should claim your unemployment from, contact your state unemployment office, they will have more information for you. Here's a full list of offices: http://www.thebeehive.org/jobs/unemployment-101/getting-unemployment
Posted by Alexis Cala, Beehive Producer on Oct. 18, 2011 9:34 am.
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I am replying to a posting from Nov and anyone else asking if they are eligible for unemployment. Please call and talk to a live person. Dont call on a Monday, you wont get through. This is the only way. There is no one to go see.
Posted by kathim23 on Dec. 30, 2010 2:48 pm.
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I been working for about 21 weeks and my wife is pregant with our second child and the place i was working call me to lay me off
Posted by matthew creed on Dec. 27, 2010 9:31 pm.
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Question, My employer was upset with me for missing a day or hours to help care for my very ill mother. I decided it would be best to ask for and take a three month leave. Turned out I needed longer to care for my mom, and then she passed away an I was overwhelmed with handling her affairs. I felt my employer at this point was trying to squeeze me out of my job. He rehired a bully whom he fired in the past for not abiding to office policies. He also kept telling me that my replacement was wonderful and everyone was really happy with her, and that he would like to keep her. At this point I felt totally uncomfortable considering going back, plus I was devastated after caring for and losing my Mom. I feel after years of hard dedicated work that I'm entitled to unemployment benefits, am I. Any suggestions, replies appreciated.

Posted by DeeDee on Dec. 26, 2010 8:13 pm.
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I currently reside in IL with my husband and daughter but have considered moving back to SC to be closer to my family will I qualify for unemployment upon our relocation? I will have to resign from my job because there is no way for me to transfer.

Posted by chennettascott on Dec. 14, 2010 6:01 pm.
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I currently have an active Oregon unemployment claim, and have part time work as a 1099 consultant. Recently the Employment Department contacted the out-of-state company i was doing 1099 consulting for and demanded that they pay $5600 in taxes because they decided I wasn an employee not a subcontractor! How is this possible?
Posted by blainecf on Nov. 29, 2010 2:43 pm.
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My husband got fired in September for attendance, and i was wondering if anyone knows if we would be able to draw unemployment? We have 3 kids with one on the way, and he is lookin for a job right now, but we just need some type of income. He doesn't think that he can because he was fired for attendance, does anyone know?
Posted by nessarose02 on Nov. 13, 2010 2:24 am.
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I am a small business owner and may have to cut back on the weekly hours for a several weeks. What do I need to do an how can I help my employees with this process?
Posted by Sherry Jones on Oct. 17, 2010 4:50 am.
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I worked four-and-a-half years at an Indiana TV station, the last two under contract. When my contract came up in March 2010, I opted not to renew (so I most certainly wasn't fired). However, in the last six months, I have been unable to find a new job. I have not filed for unemployment either. Am I eligible?
Posted by mikejl81 on Oct. 8, 2010 1:33 pm.
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I'm volunteering for SPCA in a few weeks. How can I get ready for this? It's like, complicated...
Posted by Yuki Kitazawa on Oct. 4, 2010 2:05 pm.
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I'm volunteering for SPCA in a few weeks. How can I get ready for this? It's like, complicated...
Posted by Yuki Kitazawa on Oct. 4, 2010 2:05 pm.
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I am an LPN who may have her job phased out. The hospital I work at is talking about phasing out all LPN's as nurses. I have been there 30 years with a good work record. I was told a job would be offered to me as a ward clerk doing secretary work. The work is not guaranteed and even tho is a full time job, chances of being called off alot are high. I am not a secretary, I am a NURSE. If I say no, I need guaranteed hours, will this void out any chance of collecting unemployment? I need full time work to not lose my house in foreclosure.
Posted by catlou on Sep. 28, 2010 9:13 pm.
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I work for a church and they don't pay unemployment tax so I can't draw unemployment through them and I will be laid off the end of September. Is there any other organization or way of drawing unemployment from any other source? I've been looking for work for over 3 months since I knew the laid off was going to happen and no luck in finding a job.
Posted by copsmom1951 on Sep. 23, 2010 2:28 pm.
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I'm wondering if I qualify for benifits. I was fired from my job ( after 3 months ) which did withold taxes, but my prior employer had me as a 1099 employee. I quit that job to take the one I was fired from. Just wondering if my 1099 will disqualify me for benifits.
Posted by gsmith2005 on Sep. 9, 2010 7:16 am.
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The Bee's initial statement is incorrect. It is not people who are "laid off" who can apply. Anyone can apply who is unemployed or working less than full time (including those who quit or were fired). Or maybe they work part time or only one or two days a week. I used to work at the Unemployment Office, that is how I know.
Posted by sally on Sep. 8, 2010 1:31 pm.
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Wondering if anybody knows unemployment rules in NJ. I was a c-level officer in a limited partnership organization owned by outside investors. I was not an owner, or have any ownership percentage. NJ unemployment application askes a question tying in both ownership and being an officer. Does being an officer (though actually just an employee like all other employees) preclude one from collecting unemployment?
Posted by bj77 on Sep. 6, 2010 1:44 pm.
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If my current employer is not able to make payroll, which forces me to quit. Would I qualify for unemployment?
Posted by trobhol on Sep. 3, 2010 6:30 pm.
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If my current employer is not able to make payroll, which forces me to quit. Would I qualify for unemployment?
Posted by trobhol on Sep. 3, 2010 6:30 pm.
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hi im looking for job and i hop you can help me , thank you
Posted by khadi88 on Aug. 29, 2010 8:57 am.
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I live in Michigan and was employed for more then 3 years by a private practice physicians office. The practice was bought out by a local hospital and I was hired by them. I am miserable at this new job and want to quit. I have only been employed by them for 1 month but I already know this is a horrible fit for me. I never would of applied for this job on my own, I just got caught in the sweep when my old office closed up. If I quit to look for a new job can I claim unemployment benefits from the first job while I am in between jobs?
Posted by Pammiesue on Aug. 28, 2010 3:50 pm.
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I've held steady employment in full-time positions (40 hour week) for the last 12 years, including my most recent full-time tenure at the last company I worked for, for 7+ years. I've never been unemployed, terminated or laid off. I returned to school last year as a part-time student and since my husband's health has also declined, so I recently took a part-time position elsewhere to allow for a more flexible schedule for my family and school. I've only worked in the part-time position approx. one month, and there are many issues at my new employer and the outlook is not good. - If I am terminated or laid off from my current employer, assuming the situation with my current employer would normally qualify for unemployement, would I qualify since I've only been employed here one month and it's part-time? - Is the unemployment filed with my current employer or my past employer? - How are the benefits figured...since I'm working part-time now, I assume I would receive less than if I had been working full-time? - And finally, if I was attending part-time school before while employed full-time, will I still be able to attend part-time school if I were to receive unemployement? I've heard that they may allow iyou to attend part-time college if you were already doing so when employed full-time, because you've essentially already shown that it would not interfere with a full-time job. Is this true? Please help! As sole provider for my family, I'm very worried, and I know next to nothing about the unemployement process and stipulations! Thank you.
Posted by concernedworkin... on Aug. 16, 2010 8:28 am.
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I am currently employed full-time and have been with the company for 3 years. I have been in school since starting with the company and have always had a work schedule which accommodates my school hours. However, recently my school schedule is more demanding (employer was made aware of this well in advance) and I currently can't work 40 hours as they won't let me work in the evenings or on the weekend. I use my vacation time to get from 30 to 40 hours per week. I have an email which states they are accepting of a 20 or 30 hour work-week and would get temp help is necessary. I have never worked 20 and not 30 until now. There are talks of letting me go. I understand if I'm a part of the WIA program (I'm just starting the process now), I can collect unemployment while in school. However, do you know if I even qualify for unemployment if my employer tells them they let me go due to my school schedule? Please help, I'm desperate and worried I will lose my house and not be able to feed my child if I get let go!!!
Posted by smackenzie on Aug. 14, 2010 5:04 pm.
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i was working at Rite aid pharmacy and this august is the start of my fifth year. In the end of june I got hired as a receptionist for a hotel working full time makin rite aid my second job. After two weeks at the hotel they let me go cause "business was slow" and therefore I started working at rite aid again with my previous hours being between 34-39 hrs a week and being paid bi-weekly. They have since closed the Rite Aid that I worked at and promised me as well as my fellow coworkers that we'd be transferred to another store up town with the same amount of hours, fully knowing and stating that yes they'd be over payroll. I've worked over thirty hours consecutively for 3 years, and now since being transferred to the Rite Aid that I'm currently at I'm only receiving at most twenty hours a week... is there a way that I can collect money for the difference of the hours i was getting, with the amount of hours I'm getting now?
Posted by sammyjo266 on Aug. 14, 2010 4:53 pm.
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I am currently employed full-time and have been with the company for 3 years. I have been in school since starting with the company and have always had a work schedule which accommodates my school hours. However, recently my school schedule is more demanding (employer was made aware of this well in advance) and I currently can't work 40 hours as they won't let me work in the evenings or on the weekend. I use my vacation time to get from 30 to 40 hours per week. I have an email which states they are accepting of a 20 or 30 hour work-week and would get temp help is necessary. I have never worked 20 and not 30 until now. There are talks of letting me go. I understand if I'm a part of the WIA program (I'm just starting the process now), I can collect unemployment while in school. However, do you know if I even qualify for unemployment if my employer tells them they let me go due to my school schedule? Please help, I'm desperate and worried I will lose my house and not be able to feed my child if I get let go!!!
Posted by smackenzie on Aug. 13, 2010 9:37 pm.
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I've received a letter 08/04/2010 from the State stating :EUCO8 has added $3, 445.00 to my account, I receive a letter 08/09/2010 stating my beneift year ended and no other claims will be paid. I refiled a claim. The number listed is constantly busy any advise?

Posted by hsrussell on Aug. 12, 2010 6:16 am.
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I worked for the Church of St. Charles Borromeo for 9 plus years. During the last one and a half years they constantly harassed me. They said they finally got enough junk proof to fire me. They gave me a choice either get fired for something or hand in a resignation. Because they said the resignation would be the only thing that a potential employer would be given if asked. I told them I would resign. I do not believe I did anything wrong to warrant being fired, but I did not want this on my record. I believe I am still eligable for unemployment.

Posted by rodenterry24 on Aug. 4, 2010 2:27 pm.
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I am not unemployed but I have lesser hours per day and for the week than I usually work. My work hours are are about 40 hrs + OT but my hours were cut to about 22. It is due to lack of work and I would like to know how to go about collecting the additional hours that I have been working for the past 71/2 years for the additional time that there is lack of work until things are back to normal.

Posted by wiltora on Jul. 19, 2010 8:03 am.
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I still have my other job but due to uncertain reasons was laid off at my other job (Waffle House)
Posted by LeAnn Rene Moore on Nov. 1, 2010 5:50 pm.
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If my hours at work have been reduced from30 to 24 and now 18 can i file for unemployment for the difference?

Posted by zor2 on Jul. 19, 2010 7:54 am.
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my franchise was re-acquired by the corporate parent in march. my hours have been cut from an average of 30 per week to 24 and now to 17.5. Can i file unemployment?

Posted by zor2 on Jul. 19, 2010 7:43 am.
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I have a question I will be moving to another state to stay with my husband who is in the military. I am being forced to quit my job and heard that there was an umemployement for military spouses who are forced to quit their job to move. I also saw that Georgia has adopted this praticular unemployment law and was wondering if I could get some helpful information to see if i could qualify and how to go threw the unemployement process.

Posted by Sadarra Burgess on Jul. 8, 2010 4:16 pm.
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Sadarra, take a look at this page (http://www.dol.state.ga.us/js/unemployment_benefits_individuals.htm) for information on how to apply for unemployment in Georgia.

Posted by ctorres on Jul. 8, 2010 6:18 pm.
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