Unemployment Claims

[illegalsmile]

Does anyone out there know what the requirements are for filing an interstate UI Claim? Specifically, if we work for a company based in Mass (I'll let you guess which one that is) but don't work in Mass, can we file our UI claim in Mass?

[retired nuke]

My last experience (5+ yrs ago) was that:

You had to work in at least 2 states.
You had to come to the state that you open the claim in.
You at least had to have an initial address in that state.
Then you move back home, and transfer everything.

Things may have changed.....   

Remember, VY is having a late spring outage in May 07, which will place you right up here next to MA to file your summer claim....  

[vikingfan]

not sure of the exact specifics but from what i was told by a unemployment clain rep. as long as you have worked in 3 or more states, within the last 12 months. you can file in any state you wish, although MA may require you to be in the physical boundries of the state when originally open your claim.

[Rennhack]

State of Massachusetts Unemployment Benefit Information:
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=dlwdtopic&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Claimants&L2=How+to+File+An+Initial+Claim&sid=Edwd

You may file a claim for unemployment benefits in Massachusetts on the Internet at:
https://ipasssecurity.detma.org/ipass/loginnew.asp?ipc=3

File by phone
Call the TeleClaim Center at 1-877-626-6800 if you are calling from the following area codes: 351, 413, 508, 774, and 978.

Call the TeleClaim Center at 617-626-6800 if you are calling from any other area code.

The TeleClaim Center is open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday and 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Shorter waiting times can be expected after 4:30 p.m., later in the week, and on Saturday morning. These expanded hours are for telephone services only and do not apply to Walk-In Centers.

If you choose to do so, you may file your claim in person at a Walk-In Center. There are locations throughout Massachusetts. Some walk-in centers have limited hours. Use the walk-in center directory to find the office nearest you, and to check its hours of operation and find directions.

At walk-in centers, you can:

File a new claim for benefits
Reopen an existing claim
Be interviewed if there are issues that affect your eligibility
Resolve problems with your claim
Attend an orientation session


Information they'll need from you include:

Your social security number
The year you were born
Your home address and telephone number
Whether you have filed an unemployment insurance claim in Massachusetts or in any other state during the past 12 months
Your last day of employment
The names and addresses of all of the employers you have worked for during the 15 months prior to filing your claim and the dates you worked for each of these employers. If you are reopening a claim, be ready with the same information for the past eight weeks
The reason that you are no longer working or that your hours have been reduced
The names, dates of birth and social security numbers for any dependent children, if you are going to apply for dependency allowance
Your alien registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen
Source: Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training

[justme]

You can file interstate claim in the state you live in.  New York investigates and tells you whichstate is the best to claim in and gives you options.  Mass has the highest weekly payment especially if you have dependents.  You must work in several states and have to physically show up at an unemployment office in the state.  You do not need an address in that state, nor have worked in it. 
Hope that helps.

[Already Gone]

It is important to distinguish between an interstate claim and a combined wage claim.  An interstate claim is filed by one who has worked in one state and lives in another.  For example, one who has worked in New Jersey but lives in New York can file an interstate claim in New York against New Jersey.  New York would administer your claim and pay your checks at the New Jersey rates.
A person who has worked in two or more states is eligible to file a combined wage claim in any state.  If you worked in Pennsylvania and Florida (or any two states), you can file in Massachussetts, which has the highest maximum benefit in the US and an additional allowance of $25 per dependent child per week.  To file a combined wage claim in Mass., you must do so in person and cannot normally back date to the date of layoff.  That means don't wait a month affter layoff to file, because the claim doesn't start until you get there.  This is NOT THE SAME as an interstate claim.  Massachusssetts, having the highest payout of all 50 states, is quite used to processing claims from residents of other states.  Just tell them you want to file a combined wage claim, and where you worked.
Your employer needs to have reported the wages to the states where you worked.  This is TOTALLY SEPARATE from where they withheld taxes.  If they only reported your wages to Texas, you cannot file a combined wage claim.

[Rennhack]

Contact info for all the states unemployment depts:

http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/agencies.asp

[Rennhack]

Combined-Wage-Claim A claim filed in one State against wage credits earned in two or more States.

Interstate Combined-Wage Claim A combined-wage claim in which the paying State is not the State in which the claim is filed and the interstate claims procedures are used in making the payment. 

Intrastate Combined-Wage Claims A combined-wage claim in which the paying State is also the State in which the claim is filed and to which the other State or States will transfer wage credits. 

[Rennhack]

Full unemployment glossary:

http://fortress.wa.gov/esd/portal/unemployment/benefits/glossary.htm

[Rennhack]

And lastly, the locations of Mass Unemployment offices, if you want to walk in:

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=dlwdmodulechunk&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Claimants&L2=How+to+File+An+Initial+Claim&sid=Edwd&b=terminalcontent&f=jobSeekers_ccServices_careerCentersUIListing&csid=Edwd

[stownsend]

I was filing combined wages for multiple states and I had the UI office tell me if there was a time I thought I would run out of benifits I could apply to each state, example I worked eight weeks in Mass.,seven in Fla and twelve in VY.What she said to do is file for the first state I worked in and get how many weeks I was eliglible for,then when that ran out file for the second state and get the weeks there and so on.You have to work a certain length of time to get the max weeks or combine them to get that States max amount and weeks.She said it may work in my favor but I never did.It doesn't hurt to ask.

[Already Gone]

The reason why most people find it best to combine the wages and file in Mass. is that Mass. pays a maximum benefit of over $550.00 per week for up to thirty weeks.  No other state pays nearly as much since Washington lowered their benefits.
If you claimes against each particular state, they would pay you very little for a very short while, you cannot use those wages again to claim from another state, and you cannot have two claims open at the same time.
There is no good reason to file anywhere except Massachussetts if you qualify.  It may be a bit of trouble to get there and to reopen your claim after each layoff, but it is worth it.  You'll net thousands of dollars more every year by going there, especially if you have dependent children.

[stownsend]

Am I missing something here. I thought you could only claim UI against the state with which you worked and paid state taxes(if any). Just because you work for big blue in South Dakota does that allow you to file in Mass?

[Rennhack]

Am I missing something here. I thought you could only claim UI against the state with which you worked and paid state taxes(if any). Just because you work for big blue in South Dakota does that allow you to file in Mass?

Big blue has nothing to do with what they are talking about.  Please re-read the posts, in detail, there is a lot of good info in them.  If you work in multiple states, you can file anywhere and get a combined state claim, where the state you claim in gets the money from all the states you worked in (combined-wage claim).  If you work in one state, you can file any where, and they will draw the funds from the one state you worked in (intrastate claim).  WHO YOUR EMPLOYER IS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, AND WHERE YOUR EMPLOYTER'S CORPORATE HQ IS HAS NOTHING TO DO WIHT IT, it's just a coincidence. To claim in Mass, you have to have worked there, or lived there.  Some people get a PO Box in Mass for their first claim, or use a friend's address as the 'lived' there part is very loosly defined.  After that, it's on file, and you can have the checks sent anywhere...

[Already Gone]

Mike is right, except that you do not have to live or work in Mass. to file a combined wage claim there.  You do if you are filing an interstate claim other than a combined wage claim.
Here's the deal, if you worked at Pilgrim and live in Tampa, you file an interstate claim against Massachussetts.  You can do this in Florida.  Just call Florida Unemployment.
If you worked it TWO STATES, that is ANY two states (even including your home state) during your eligibility period, you can file a Combined Wage Claim in any state.  To do this in Mass. you must physically visit an employment center in Massachussetts.  Then, when you get home (the next day perhaps) you have your state's unemployment office file an IB1 to start your payments.  As long as that claim is open (one year) you call your state to file a new IB1 every time you get laid off.  You never have to have an address in Massachussetts in order to file this type of claim - you just have to go there to open it once each year.
Normal people (those not privy to these nuggets of knowledge) just file UI claims in the place where they live.  These claims may be interstate or combined wage claims too.  If you work outside your home state, they are going to do an interstate or combined wage claim - maybe without bothering to tell you. 

WARNING!!!
Where you work, and where you pay state income taxes has NOTHING to do with your eligibility to file an interstate or combined wage claim.  What matters is where your employer REPORTS your earnings.
My current employer reports all my earnings to New York.  They are not required to report my earnings to any state just because I worked there.  The requirement to pay taxes to any of those states has absolutely nothing to do with where your wages are reported for unemployment purposes.  Unemployment is a federal program, administered by the states.  State income taxes are completely separate.
Some of you may remember a company who reported all their employees' income to Oklahoma, because the company was located there.  The obvious answer was to collect at least one paycheck from some other employer in any state other than Oklahoma.  Eventually, that employer stopped reporting only to OK.  They no longer exist.

[Rennhack]

Troy is right, I stand corrected.

[wlrun3@aol.com]

    y el mejor bien es la pequena...you are a national treasure

[shovelheadred]

...........Yo, ILLEGAL SMILE...If these posts havent answered your question, call Mass Unemployment...they will tell you everything to do...its a toll free call.............but if you will re-read, ALL, of BEERCOURT's posts you will get the full answer..I am drawing Mass unemployment now,,,$551/wk/26 weeks...its worth a plane ticket..I signed up and there were 3 vans full of construction workers from West Virginia, doing the same thing,,,,you do not have to pay taxes in the states, but the company you work for has to pay unemployment insurance to the state, that is where the hassle comes in,,,once you sign up it isnt a no-brainer, you better check all the paperwork they send you, or you will be 8-10 weeks into it and your money will run out if you havent done your homework, especially if you work for more than one company,,,not knocking Atlantic, but it took me a month to get through to their payroll what I was after,,,so go to Mass, go to your home state and get an IB1, and check all your paperwork for completeness,and enjoy your time off,,,,,,,,,,,,,red

[Already Gone]

Mass lets you collect up to THIRTY weeks.  I've never collected more than about 22 weeks in any year, but it's nice to know that that additional 4 weeks is there if I need it.
Shovelhead makes a good point.  The difference between $551 per week (plus the dependents allowance) and the rate in your state is huge.  If you live in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, or any other low-paying state, you could fly to Boston, sleep in a nice hotel, have three meals in decent restaurants and still recoup the cost of the trip with the first two checks.  G.W.Badkitty does exactly this every year.  If you ask him, he'll probably tell you which hotel to stay in, and which restaurants are nearby.

[diliigaf]

                I've been claiming from Mass. for over 6 years and have not had to return to restart my claim...EVER... All I do is call them and tell them I am reopening my old claim and they restart the clock...
             I do know several people that tell me Mass. made them return to restart but they have never made me show up in person... I was in Fla.,S.C.,and Ct. each time I restarted, (by phone).

[illegalsmile]

Everybody, thanks for the info. I have an open claim in Mass now, but I worked in 5 states in the year before I opened that claim. I've worked in 2 since opening that claim. I'd heard you had to work in 3 if you didn't live in Mass and wanted to find out so I could plan the Spring Thing. My daughter lives in VT, about 5 miles from the Mass border, so it's actually very easy for me to file in Mass and I get to see her and the grandsons too.
BTW, I hear Boston is a pain to file in. North Adams was easy.
Again, thanks for the responses.

[stownsend]

Thanks for the info .Now I can say I am not as dumb as when I came to work today.

[Already Gone]

                I've been claiming from Mass. for over 6 years and have not had to return to restart my claim...EVER... All I do is call them and tell them I am reopening my old claim and they restart the clock...
             I do know several people that tell me Mass. made them return to restart but they have never made me show up in person... I was in Fla.,S.C.,and Ct. each time I restarted, (by phone).

As I stated earlier, the rules are different for different types of claims.  I never have to return to "restart" an open claim, just once each year to start a new claim when the old one has expired.  A Combined Wage Claim filed in Massachussetts must be filed in person.  An interstate claim may be filed by phone.  If you worked only for Bartlett, you might be able to file either way.
I also cannot reopen an existing claim by calling Mass. directly.  I have to call New York and have them send an IB1 every time.  The one time I called Mass. and they reopened my claim, it was because the person who answered the phone did not know any better and made a "mistake".  Every time since then, I have had to spend 15-20 minutes punching keys on my phone with NYS Unemployment so that I could tell a live operator to disregard it all and file an IB1.
Nobody here ever said that the rules make any sense, or that the system isn't fraught with bureaucratic ineffieiency.  All we're saying is that the money is in Massachussetts, and most of us are qualified to claim there.
As far as the number of states goes, I am certain that it is two.  My current claim was eligible based on an entire year's wages in New York except for a single paycheck reported to Illinois at the very beginning of the eligibility period.

[diliigaf]

                     ???If you don't want to fly into Boston you might want to try Hartford,Ct.(Bradley).   It's easy in and out and Springfield,Ma. is only a few minutes north...
         It would probably be a bit less expensive if you stay over night as well... Hope this helps.

[illegalsmile]

I reopened my existing claim a couple of weeks ago and I had to call MD (my 'home' state) and have them send the IB1 and I still haven't received my first check, but hey, $550/wk is worth a little wait. Thanks again, particularly Troy, you're a wealth of knowledge....hey man, have you ever thought of changing your handle to 'answerman' or something like that?