(Mi)
I was previously laid off in a mass layoff with my previous employer with no chance of being recalled due to the economy. I collected one unemployment check and accepted another position. I started working here on April 6, 2009 and now things are getting slow here as well and they are talking about doing cutbacks. I am a salaried person and low man on the totem pole. If they lay me off will I have to open a new claim against them or will it fall back on my previous claim with that employer? If I have a new claim with this employer can you tell me how much I would get for unemployment. I am salaried and gross $480.77 per week and have 2 dependants and live in MI?
Thanks,
Hi:)
Okay, if you find yourself laid off from your present job, the claim that will continue to pay is the one you opened when you were laid off from your previous job.
Your weekly benefit will be the same as for the one week you did collect. Why? It’s the same base period because it’s the same benefit year.
Any benefits paid by your present employer would not show up in your base period until and if you have to file for a 2nd benefit year, which would need to establish a new base period.
Base periods are generally the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters, but since you are in MI, know that if your base period does not have enough wages to qualify, they will then look at their alternative base period, which is the last 4 completed quarters .. to see if you have enough wages that way.
The reason all states should have an alternative base is because of the inherent “lag period” of the standard base period. You see, it is possible for someone to be laid off from one job and then a second job after a period of unemployment and not have the qualifying wages necessary in their base .. they would have to wait until a new quarter starts to pull in another one with wages to requalify. If I think about it too much .. it gives me a headache:)
So I’m telling you that even though the state will need to make sure that your separation from the job you currently have is “a qualifying separation” your benefit amount and where the money for it is coming from will remain the same at this time.
You won’t have to open a new claim, but reopen your existing claim.
Whereas, when someone ask IF they can collect unemployment for the reasons they quit or were fired which really just requires a fair amount of common sense, the question you asked is a “monetary” question and requires a bit of mental gymnastics for me. All things monetary are nicely condensed at the USDOL
Hope this helps.
Chris