Know Your Rights: Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment insurance provides workers with temporary and partial replacement of lost wages during periods of unemployment.

What do I need to do to get unemployment benefits?
First, gather the necessary information for applying: Your social security number. Names of the places you worked during the last 18 months, and the dates when you worked there. The telephone number and address of your last employer. The reason you left your last job. Any document from your last employer stating the reason you ended your last job.

Once you have all these documents together, call the Division of Employment Security at 1-877-8419617 between 8:00am and 4:30pm, or fill out your application online.

How much will I receive in benefits?
The weekly benefit amount is how much money you can receive each week in unemployment benefits. The amount is based on your earnings before you were unemployed. As of July 1, 2013, the maximum weekly benefit that anyone can receive is $350.

What do I have to do when I start receiving benefits?
Every week you will need to call 1-877 -841-9617 or log in to your account in order to receive your weekly benefits. The Division of Employment Security will want to know how much you earned during the previous week.

You must seek work on at least 2 different days and make at least 2 job contacts each week in order to receive benefits. You need to keep a record of your job search in case you are audited.