Unemployment insurance: A guide

Two bright-red phones at the Verdugo Jobs Center in Glendale are direct lines to the state offices that manage unemployment insurance, the benefit that can be a lifesaver after a layoff. But because of record unemployment levels in the state, picking one up doesn't mean you'll get through any time soon.You can streamline the process by having the following information ready before filing for unemployment benefits. • Social Security number Driver's license number • Name, address and phone number of most recent employer • Last date you worked for the employer, and your salary • Reason you are no longer working there • List of all other employers, if any, over the last 18 months. Include dates you worked at each and your wages.The basic rule: Unemployment insurance benefits -- which are funded mostly by employer payroll taxes and federal dollars -- are for people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. And in this sorry economy, that's a lot of people. If you are fired for cause or just plain quit, the benefits could be denied. Also, an applicant usually has to have been a staff employee. "Independent contractors are not eligible," said Matthew Goldberg, an attorney at the Employment Law Center of the Legal Aid Society in San Francisco. There is a minimum earnings requirement as well. To collect benefits, you would have had to earn at least $900 in wages during a fiscal quarter in what the program calls the base period. Here's one of the points where it gets confusing -- that base period is a year long, but it skips the most recent full quarter. In other words, if you filed for unemployment benefits in January 2009, your base period would run from October 2007 through September 2008. When in doubt, it's probably easier to apply for the benefits and let the Employment Development  Department, which oversees the program in California, figure out whether you made the grade. If you're turned down for any reason, you have the right to file an appeal within 20 days to ask for a hearing. Moving out of state after a layoff doesn't disqualify you -- the program is based on wages and payroll taxes, not geography. If you move after starting to get benefits in California, simply continue to follow the rules of the program and send in your biweekly claim forms to the same office as always. If you apply after moving, the process might get a bit tricky but is usually doable. Bottom line: It's important to remember that these benefits are not just for the poor. If you are laid off and meet the requirements, you're eligible for them, even if you happen to have a gazillion dollars in the bank. CONTINUE READING...