Unemployment insurance (UI) benefits are provided to those who are unemployed by "no fault of their own." Generally benefit lengths vary by State. Before President Obama's signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Federal government provided 20 to 33 weeks of extended benefits once you exhausted your State benefits. ARRA allows high unemployment states to extend benefits by 13-26 weeks. The Department of Labor provides information on the additional benefits, known as Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC).
Eligibility
The Department of Labor offers a useful overview of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.
Some important take-aways:
-Each State operates its unemployment insurance program differently
- To be eligible for benefits,
"1. You must meet the State requirements for wages earned or time worked during an established period of time referred to as a 'base period.' (In most States, this is usually the first four out of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.)
2. You must be determined to be unemployed through no fault of your own (determined under State law), and meet other eligibility requirements of State law."
-When possible, file for UI in the State where you worked.
-You'll generally get your check 2-3 weeks after you file your claim.
How to Apply?
http://www.servicelocator.org/OWSLinks.asp offers an interactive map of the nation which allows you to click on your state to apply for UI benefits.
Some additional takeaways:-UI benefit amounts vary. Generally they are based on a percentage of your earnings over a recent one year period up to your State's maximum amount. The following site is a useful benefits calculator. As of this writing, the calculator was out of service, but hopefully it will be up and running again soon:
http://www.epi.org/resources/datazone_uicalc/
-Don't be ashamed about applying for UI. While you were employed, you paid your unemployment insurance tax.
-If you were a Federal employee or Ex-Servicperson, the Department of Labor offers some advice tailored to you.
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