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Available for work, looking for work, fired, quit or attending school...
What must I do to be eligible for unemployment benefits?
- You must be unemployed or your hours must have been greatly reduced.
- Be a U.S. citizen or legally authorized to work in the U.S.
- Have sufficient earnings in your base period
- You must be available for suitable work.
- You must be actively seeking suitable work.
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What does available for work mean?
Available for work means you are ready and willing to accept work in your usual occupation or other suitable employment.
This includes being:
- ready to accept work immediately if employment is offered to you. You are not eligible if you are out of the area for a reason other than to seek work.
- willing to accept employment for all shifts and days that are normal for your occupation.
- willing to accept the wage most employers in your area pay for your occupation for someone with your qualifications and experience.
- willing to commute a reasonable distance to work.
Being available also includes making necessary family care and commuting arrangements.
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How do my medical restrictions affect my eligibility?
You are eligible for benefits if you are actively seeking work you can perform that is available in your labor market. If you cannot perform your usual occupation, you must seek other work.
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Do I have to look for work while requesting unemployment benefits?
If your benefit account is based upon full-time work you must seek full-time work, unless you have verifiable medical restrictions that require you to work part-time.
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If I have been working only part-time for the past year, do I have to look for full-time work?
If your account is based on part-time work, you may look for part-time work.
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Do I have to look for work if I am just laid-off for the winter (or summer)?
If you are seasonally employed you must look for temporary work during your off season.
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I belong to a union that doesn’t allow me to look for work on my own, do I have to look for work?
You do not have to personally seek work if you belong to a union that does not allow you to seek work on your own in your occupation. However, you must be in good standing with the union and on their referral list.
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What can I do if the determination I received states I am ineligible because I was fired or I quit?
Read the Determination of Ineligibility carefully. If you disagree with the facts or reasoning, you can file an appeal.
Unless you file and win an appeal, you will be ineligible for benefit payments until you earn gross wages of at least eight times your weekly benefit amount in covered employment and become unemployed again through no fault of your own. If this occurs, you may reactivate your benefit account.
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How does attending school affect benefit payment?
If you are:
- a high school (secondary) student, by law you are not eligible for unemployment benefits while in school or on break from school.
- a post high school student you may be eligible to receive benefits if you are:
- available for employment for the hours and days normal for your occupation,
- seeking work each week, and
- willing to rearrange or drop classes if your class schedule conflicts with the hours of an offer of suitable employment.
- a post high school student who is attending full-time training approved by the Unemployment Insurance Program, you do not have to seek work to be eligible for unemployment benefits.
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What if I am on strike, am I eligible for unemployment benefits?
If you are participating in or honoring a strike, or you are a member of a striking union, you are ineligible for benefits for as long as the strike lasts.
If there is a labor dispute and your employer locks out the employees, you may be eligible for benefits.
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