Can I File for Unemployment Again if I Was on Unemployment & Worked for Three Months and Got Lai
- Although state laws vary, most allow you to reopen a claim within a year of your initial filing. Unemployment programs will continue to disburse benefits per the original claim determination. That means that whatever money your state decided was the maximum you could receive in a year remains your maximum until one year from your original filing date. Whatever money you didn't use before, will be available to you when you re-open the claim.
- Your state may want to know more about your circumstances before, or even after, reopening your claim. If you receive a query letter from your state, respond to it immediately. Unemployment adjudicators want to know about the circumstances surrounding your unemployment. Explain clearly about the job you took and why the company laid you off. If you were let go for lack of work or company labor force reductions, you should have no problems.
- Your unemployment payments will be the same as they were when you previously received unemployment. The amount you receive per payment period is largely dependent on your previous income and how much was put into the fund while you were employed. Employers fund your unemployment insurance through payroll contributions based on your earnings. In California, a claimant must have been making more than $47,000 per year in order to receive the maximum weekly payout of $475. In Massachusetts, claimants can receive up to $625 per week.
- Even though you ended unemployment and restarted after being laid off a second time, the state counts both events as part of one claim. Therefore, if you reach the end of your unemployment claim, and you have not found work again, you'll have to apply to the state for an extension of benefits. States have different criteria for benefits extensions. During difficult economic times, states and the federal government may decide to automatically extend benefits for everyone on unemployment. However, if this doesn't apply to your situation, ask your unemployment office for an extension application. You will need proof that you have been actively searching for work and will have to explain why you remain unemployed.