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Unemployment Insurance - Application Procedures and Issuance of Benefits - Massachusetts

Eligible unemployed workers should file a UI claim for benefits immediately. The first week claimed for unemployment benefits is a waiting period for which a claimant will not receive a benefit check, but must meet all other eligibility requirements.

After filing the initial application, the claimant will report to the Division of Employment and Training (DET) office two weeks later for an orientation regarding rights and responsibilities under the Employment and Training Law. During this two-week period, eligibility for benefits is determined by reviewing wage and separation information.

The former employer is notified when a claim is approved and can file an appeal. A disqualified claimant can also appeal.

Once approved for benefits, claimants will receive a certification form and check in the mail every two weeks. The form is completed with a report of any income earned, job search efforts and availability for work, and is returned to a centralized processing unit where the form is scanned optically. Any eligibility questions raised by information received on this form will generate a mailing of instructions to the claimant. A claimant may be requested to visit the DET office for a review of his or her claim.

To ensure ongoing eligibility, claimants are scheduled for periodic visits to their DET office to verify work search efforts.

The worker's benefit year is the 52-week period beginning with the effective date of the claim. However, if the individual has been denied benefits because of termination, severance or dismissal pay, or payment in lieu of notice, the individual's benefit year will be extended by the number of weeks he or she has been disqualified. An individual may file a new claim only once during that year unless eligible for benefits in another state. A claimant cannot receive benefits from two or more states at the same time.

If an individual exhausts his or her claim during the benefit year, a new claim may not be filed until the benefit year has ended. A worker who becomes unemployed more than once (with the same or a different employer) during the benefit year and has not yet exhausted the total benefit amount may reopen an existing claim.

Also see:

Unemployment Insurance - Duration of Benefits - Massachusetts

Unemployment Insurance - Allowances and Deductions - Massachusetts

Unemployment Insurance- Calculation of the Benefit Credit and Benefit Rate - Massachusetts

Unemployment Insurance - Re-qualification for Benefits - Massachusetts

Unemployment Insurance - Fraud Prevention - Massachusetts

Unemployment Insurance (UI) - Overview - Massachusetts

Source

Information for this topic was drawn from the DETMA publication Simplifying the Employment and Training Law: A Guide for Employers. It is available in PDF format (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) from the Division of Career Services/Division of Unemployment Assistance (formerly Department of Education and Training) website at:
http://www.detma.org/pdf/smpbook2.pdf

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