Unemployment Claims

[Melrose]

Those PA F^%*s are bastagees.  Twice now they've refused to report my my wages to Mass.  Luckily I had enough in the quarter that I didn't need their input and still maxed out.

I got pretty close to the investigator in Mass, she said that it's common with Pa as they're pissed at the loss of money.  This'll be the last year that I work in Pa if I can help it.  (hint for Troy)

Motions are also being made that the Mass gravy train be derailed, making us claim in our home states.  Anybody else hear this news? 
May be old.... sorry if it is.

later

[Smart People]

Those PA F^%*s are bastagees.  Twice now they've refused to report my my wages to Mass.  Luckily I had enough in the quarter that I didn't need their input and still maxed out.

I got pretty close to the investigator in Mass, she said that it's common with Pa as they're pissed at the loss of money.  This'll be the last year that I work in Pa if I can help it.  (hint for Troy)

Motions are also being made that the Mass gravy train be derailed, making us claim in our home states.  Anybody else hear this news? 
May be old.... sorry if it is.

later

I just talked to someone in the Mass. unemployment office and they said that should be coming to pass at the first of the year. if you haven't worked in Mass. then you can't file in Mass.

Sucks

Might be going to PA next year.

[Lorrie Henson]

I just talked to someone in the Mass. unemployment office and they said that should be coming to pass at the first of the year. if you haven't worked in Mass. then you can't file in Mass.

Oh no!! Not good, not good at all... isn't this a Federal program, distributed by the state?  While driving to Mass from Michigan is a PITA, it's only a once a year thing and well worth it with the weekly checks.... I guess we'll have to check out PA next year..   

[hamsamich]

I talked to a guy who works at the mass office.  He said the rumor for the last 10 years is that mass is going to stop interstate claims.  but they havn't yet.  but who knows?

and no, it doesn't always make sense to claim in mass, if you didn't make enough money, it makes way more sense to claim in pa.  people i know found this out the hard way.

rob143, we thought the same way you did, but when jr and deconner friends went to pa and mass, (they had both worked the same plants), the one who went to pa almost maxed out (500), while the ones who went to mass got about 320 a month.  big difference.

[PAULTHEVOL]

I looked through the previous post and did not find an answer to my question....

I have been very lucky over the years and have only had to draw unemployment twice for very short periods of time,one a combined wage claim in Mass and once in OH,which is why I am very inexperienced to these matters......
It looks like my current project is going to end a couple of months before my next one begins so I will probably have to file for unemployment again...
My question is this: I meet the requirements for filing a combined wage claim in Mass,but I did not exhaust my previous OH unemployment benefits...Am I still eligible for unemployment in Mass or do I have to continue to draw from my previous OH claim
Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated-----Paul

[wlrun3@aol.com]

I looked through the previous post and did not find an answer to my question....

I have been very lucky over the years and have only had to draw unemployment twice for very short periods of time,one a combined wage claim in Mass and once in OH,which is why I am very inexperienced to these matters......
It looks like my current project is going to end a couple of months before my next one begins so I will probably have to file for unemployment again...
My question is this: I meet the requirements for filing a combined wage claim in Mass,but I did not exhaust my previous OH unemployment benefits...Am I still eligible for unemployment in Mass or do I have to continue to draw from my previous OH claim
Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated-----Paul

   ...yes, you must either exhaust (use all the funds) in an open claim or the base year must have expired before you can open another claim...

   ...I suggest a PM to BeerCourt for specifics...

[Smart People]

   ...yes, you must either exhaust (use all the funds) in an open claim or the base year must have expired before you can open another claim...

   ...I suggest a PM to BeerCourt for specifics...

I believe that the open claim, regardless of whether or not you have used all the funds, is key.

if it has been less than a year since you opened the claim then you have to use that claim for unemployment until you use up the funds or your benefit year ends.

if you use up the funds, then you have to wait until the benefit year ends to open a new claim

[Dave Warren]

Or just quit being a leech on society and get a job.....
(Muffled chuckling)

[PAULTHEVOL]

Or just quit being a leech on society and get a job.....
(Muffled chuckling)

Geez.....Thanks for the compassion my brother.....For the record I am still employed..(As of today anyway)..

[UncaBuffalo]

if you use up the funds, then you have to wait until the benefit year ends to open a new claim

This is true in some states...it's what Idaho told me...BUT it is NOT true in all states.  I exhausted my claim in Idaho, and Massachusetts told me it was still fine to open a claim in Boston - even though only 6 months had passed since my Idaho claim had been opened.

[thenukeman]

UncaBuffalo is correct, As long as you exhausted all your funds from one state, Massachusetts will let you open another claim, Key here is that all funds are exhausted.  This helped me because TN went back 4 quarters but did not use the current quarter I was in which was almost done.  Mass also used my partial quarter I was in so this bracketted nicely and almost got my full 625, got 609.  Massachusetts to the rescue again!!!!!!!!!!!  Use up your Ohio funds T.Vols and you are in business, Just hop a jet to Mass!!  If you worked 2 or more states.

[stownsend]

Or just quit being a leech on society and get a job.....
(Muffled chuckling)

Spoken like a true Republican.

[Smart People]

This is true in some states...it's what Idaho told me...BUT it is NOT true in all states.  I exhausted my claim in Idaho, and Massachusetts told me it was still fine to open a claim in Boston - even though only 6 months had passed since my Idaho claim had been opened.

UncaBuffalo is correct, As long as you exhausted all your funds from one state, Massachusetts will let you open another claim, Key here is that all funds are exhausted.  This helped me because TN went back 4 quarters but did not use the current quarter I was in which was almost done.  Mass also used my partial quarter I was in so this bracketted nicely and almost got my full 625, got 609.  Massachusetts to the rescue again!!!!!!!!!!!  Use up your Ohio funds T.Vols and you are in business, Just hop a jet to Mass!!  If you worked 2 or more states.

Thanks for the info guys, glad to hear it!

[MikeG]

I know this was maybe answered early in these pages but I live in FL and I'm self employed and file a 1099 every year and I wanted to know if I can claim UE on a 1099. I plan on working in Mass for weekend to get combined wage UE. Will any of this work or is it a waste of time. I have read all the posts here and I'm still a little confused so any info will help and be greatly appreciated.

[retired nuke]

I know this was maybe answered early in these pages but I live in FL and I'm self employed and file a 1099 every year and I wanted to know if I can claim UE on a 1099. I plan on working in Mass for weekend to get combined wage UE. Will any of this work or is it a waste of time. I have read all the posts here and I'm still a little confused so any info will help and be greatly appreciated.

If you are completely self employed, you must pay the unemployment insurance to the states you worked - same as an employer does. If you don't, you are out of luck....one of the questions they ask is "are you self employed or officer of the company".

Sorry to say, I don't think you will qualify. But if you are up hee anyway, go ahead and try, I may be wrong....

[Rob143]

I talked to a guy who works at the mass office.  He said the rumor for the last 10 years is that mass is going to stop interstate claims.  but they havn't yet.  but who knows?

and no, it doesn't always make sense to claim in mass, if you didn't make enough money, it makes way more sense to claim in pa.  people i know found this out the hard way.

rob143, we thought the same way you did, but when jr and deconner friends went to pa and mass, (they had both worked the same plants), the one who went to pa almost maxed out (500), while the ones who went to mass got about 320 a month.  big difference.

I have always stated that PA is second choice to MA in all but a few situations.  One of those situations is where you don't meet the more difficult two quarter qual numbers for MA.  Anybody planning on going to MA should do the math before going anywhere and make sure they will indeed make more in MA.  If PA ultimately pays more for you in any particular year then file there.  After all that is the point of this entire discussion to maximize benefit to you while unemployed.  I think what it takes to max out, and how this is determined, for both MA & PA have been more than adequately covered above and as such won't repeat it.

I'm sorry to hear some of your friends lost money going to Mass.  It doesn't help them much during that claim year but hopefully at least we have all learned from it to do the math BEFORE filing a claim anywhere.

[lighthouse]

Has anyone worked on a 1099 and paid their own UE insurance? 

[Rob143]

It's that time again.  The first Sunday of every October the new maximum WBR for Massachusetts unemployment becomes effective.

As of 10/05/08 max is now $628/week, up from $600.

This $28 increase follows increases of $25, $24, $23, & $21 over the last 5 years.

FWIW the max WBR in MA is calculated as 57.5% of AWW (average weekly wage) which works out to an AWW in MA of $1092.  May the workers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts keep getting good raises and driving that AWW ever higher.

[Lorrie Henson]

Thank you for the updated information Rob... Karma to ya.

[Melrose]

It's that time again.  The first Sunday of every October the new maximum WBR for Massachusetts unemployment becomes effective.

As of 10/05/08 max is now $628/week, up from $600.

This $28 increase follows increases of $25, $24, $23, & $21 over the last 5 years.

FWIW the max WBR in MA is calculated as 57.5% of AWW (average weekly wage) which works out to an AWW in MA of $1092.  May the workers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts keep getting good raises and driving that AWW ever higher.

And when ya count the kids you know about...... that could be a pretty good hit.

[Rob143]

It is with sadness that I post this news.   

If you're eligible to open one last Massachusetts claim before the end of the year it will be the last one.   

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-25097.pdf

[desertdog]

Bummer...  My pilgrimages to Mass must come to an end.   

[retired nuke]

Looks like Pilgrim, and plants in other high paying states will have no problem staffing in the future. Combined wage claims (after 1/6/09) will need to be filed in states that you worked in, not just the highest paying ones....

All you gotta do is do an outage in a high paying state during your benefit period to claim there.

Good luck roadies...I'm sure the contract companies will factor this in to their "favorites" lists....

[retired nuke]

It is with sadness that I post this news.   

If you're eligible to open one last Massachusetts claim before the end of the year it will be the last one.   

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-25097.pdf

for the research, and providing the info....

[RDTroja]

This is going to significantly alter some people's work patterns and/or lifestyles. After reading the rule, it seems it was designed to close a loophole specifically used by a lot of workers with jobs just like contract technicians.

Pilgrim and the Pennsylvania plants are going to become very popular places to go for an outage each year. I can think of a few places that are going to lose out... and some of them can't afford for it to get harder to attract technicians.

Location, location, location.