Unemployment Check: Eligibility and Benefits Questions

One of the hardest truths about being off without a job is that you don’t have money to spend for your needs.

However, if you become wise enough, you can get an unemployment check that can help you all throughout the process of being unemployed. Though there are various requirements, it is worth a try rather than being in despair for the lack of employment as well as the lack of money.

However, this cannot always be the case for all unemployed individuals.

There are various requirements and qualifications before you can be handed the check that you can spend. Therefore, you need to know what this benefit entails and see whether you can take advantage of it.

Eligibility for the Benefits

Truly, it does not mean that when you do not have a job that you can get an unemployment check. The truth is that before even qualifying for one, you need to have these following requirements to become eligible:

• Cause of unemployment. It is important to note that only people who lose their job without their own fault are eligible for this kind of benefit. One example of an eligible reason for the termination of employment is because of company’s budgetary issues.
  
  On the other hand, if you are terminated because of misconduct, there are no chances that you can be eligible for this benefit. Other causes of unemployment that can disqualify the eligibility include resignation due to illness, being involved in any labor dispute, school attendance, and marriage reasons.
  
  
• Capability to work. Another criterion to look for your eligibility is your capability to work. If you show that you are both physically and mentally capable of being employed, you are qualified to get the benefits.
  
  
• Willingness to find work. You must also be willing to get a job as soon as possible to qualify for benefits like this. You must show your active search for possible employment opportunities.

Unemployment Benefits

Once you are eligible for the unemployment benefits, you can already file for this program in the Department of Labor of the state you are in. Once everything is approved, you can take advantage of the following benefits:

• You will be paid a regular benefit unemployment check for some period of time. Usually, it is at the maximum length of 26 weeks.
  
  
• In cases that there is a high unemployment rate in a particular state, there can be additional weeks for the benefits. The maximum extension can be up to 13 weeks of benefits after the 26th week of the regular unemployment program.
  
  
• The amount of the benefits is commonly half of what you earn up to the maximum amount as provided by State laws. For instance, the maximum rate in New York is 405 dollars while in Arizona, it is only 205 dollars maximum.
  
  
• The check is released after a week of the approval of the unemployment claim. You need to file weekly to the department for the benefits either by phone or by mail.

With all these knowledge, you can easily say whether you qualify or not for this kind of benefits. Though the unemployment check is not that much as compared to your regular salary, it can still greatly help you in your daily living until such time that you find a new job.