I believe it’s important for even employees (in addition to employers who pay for unemployment insurance) to understand how Unemployment Laws work. State by state, unemployment statutes (sometimes called an Employment Security Act) are subjected to regulations written by a state unemployment agency, just so it has a manual, meant to interpret the meaning of unemployment by statute.
Here’s the problem I see with that, besides the fact that State UI programs are federally mandated to exist under wide federal guidelines. The federal government didn’t go as far as to mandate states to provide public access to even more specific information .. such as decision digests, that are much better help if you need to drill down into the ins and outs of an issue affecting eligibility.
This is a page of resource links and to get that ball rolling … help me give it up for the USDOLETA (United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration) for offering a yearly updated, state by state Unemployment law Comparison Charts.
Good but free … General Information on How Unemployment Insurance Laws Vary State to State.
I cannot tell you how relieved I was when as a fledgling UI hearing coordinator, I stumbled on the State Unemployment Law Comparison Charts. And all because I changed the way I was asking a question at google.
I felt like I’d struck gold and I’m still digging that mine for answers all these years later.
It sometimes even came in handy when I needed to at least try to convince an employer, as to why they may want to withdraw their appeal of a claimant’s benefits.
Just so you know, there was an acronym for this sort of appeal – ATS. It meant appeal to save. Save what? The employer’s right to an appeal hearing .. just in case they finally found the documents they should of submitted before the initial claim determination was made on the “available information”.
Anyway .. the charts are useful to know when the links below might be used for further investigation into your eligibility issue.
The USDOL generally updates it’s UI Law Comparison Charts yearly, around midsummer. Good to know because it might just reflect when there was an important change to a State’s Unemployment Laws .. or regulations.
The unfortunate thing for me about free official government information resources, is how often links are broken and left without any redirection.
Should you find a broken link on this page, I appreciate your email .. almost as much as I appreciate valuable working links to good info about unemployment benefits.
Chris
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Professional Representation is Limited to the Following States .. Because of What Else.. More State Rules
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Illinois | Iowa | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Mississippi | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Mexico | North Carolina | North Dakota |Ohio Oregon | Pennsylvania | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | Wyoming
State Unemployment Laws – aka Employment Security Acts
Alabama
The state of Alabama is not forthcoming with useful information about it’s regulations but here’s the link to Alabama’s UI statutes and it’s own FAQ’s
Alabama Unemployment Statutes
Alaska
Alaska is a touch on the unique side of unemployment laws in one way it varies from other states. Alaska is one of three states in this country I cannot disagree with if they tell me they were denied benefits after paying into unemployment all their working life . They do, but that doesn’t explain that claim when made in 47 other states.
Alaska Unemployment Statues
Arizona
Arizona, has one of the lower maximum weekly unemployment benefits in the country.
It’s also one of a handful of states that makes finding affordable representation for an unemployment appeal hearing a bigger challenge for claimants
Arizona is one of two states that do allow non-attorney representation at tribunal hearings, but the challenge for a claimant, is the non-attorney must possess a supervisory letter from an Arizona attorney.
Arizona
AZ Administrative Code
Arkansas
Arkansas Unemployment Statutes
California
I think California does a good job of supplying information I think is helpful, for those needing to understand if, how and why, they may be able to receive unemployment benefits.
California Unemployment Insurance Code
Unemployment Insurance Precedents
EDD Unemployment Insurance Benefit Determination Guide aka the UIBDG
| Colorado CDLE Reference Library Connecticut PrecedentsDelaware – Do you know where Florida Georgia Hawaii IllinoisIllinois Unemployment Law HandbookIndiana Iowa Iowa Adjudication Guide KansasKentuckyLouisianaMaine | Maryland Decision DigestMassachusetts DUA Service Rep ManualMichigan Decision DigestMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew Mexico Precedents New York North Carolina StatuesNC Precedent ManualNorth DakotaOhio Statutes Precedent Abstract Oklahoma Precedent Manual OregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexas Precedents UtahVermontVirginia Precedent ManualWashington StateWashington DCWest VirginiaWisconsin Precedents Wyoming |
Many discussions in the Q&A‘s link to specific pages in many of the resources to help explain the reasoning behind any answer or question I might of asked.
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