Claimant handbook : unemployment insurance : your benefit rights and responsibilities

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c s: ~LAIMANT HANDBOOK
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
Your Benefit Rights and Responsibilities
RECEIVED
fEB 24 Z006
DOCU MENT'S UGA LIBRARIES
Georgia Department of Labor MICh3eJ L Thurmond, Commissioner www.dol.state.p.us

You may appeal any determination within 15 days of its mailing date. If the 15th day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the next work day is the last day to file a timely appeal.
NOTE: Con tinue to claim your benefits weekly throughout the appeals process and repo rt as instruc ted. If the decision is in your favor. weeks which were no t claime d timely ~nnQt be paid.
If any det ennination allo wing bene fits is reversed. YOU WILL
BE REQUIRED TO REPAY THE BENEFITS RECEIVED du ring the period of disqualification as specified by the
hearing officer. or the Board of Review.
CLAIMING WEEKLY BENEFITS
There are three ways to claim benefit s: a computer linked to the Internet a touch tone telephon e reporting in person to a Career Center
(The au tomated systems are available 24 hours a day. seven days a
week. and can also be used to cnec payment status.) An unemployment benefit week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday at midnight. You MUST wait until the week has ended to claim benefits for that week .
Youmay claim benefits any dayof the week for the prior week .
Important Points for Claiming Benefits
Benefits must be claimed for each week that you expect to be paid unemployment benefits. Failure to timely claim a week of benefits may result in a loss of eligibility for that week .
You can only certify for the most recent week ending date and one week prior.
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Remember your PIN. Entering your PIN incorrectly three times in a row will revoke your PIN.
If you do not d aim your weekl y benefits for more than 3 week s in a row, you will have to return to the Career Center to reopen your d aim.
To check on the status of your payment , you can use the telephone or the Internet.
After you answer all ques tions, the system will tell you whe ther your week ly claim was accepte d and processed OR whether it was NOT accep ted. If your weekly claim was not accepted , you will not be paid until you contact your Career Center.
If you are eligible and have success fully claimed a week of benefits, you will usually rece ive your bene fits:
Within ten days if your check is mailed. - With in three days , if you have direct depos it.
REPORT ALL EARNINGS EACH WEEK
Report the amount of earn ings before deductions.
Earnings must be reported for the week they are earned. even if you have not actu ally been paid for the work.
Social securi ty, vacation pay, seve rance pay, jury duty income and pay for weeke nd military reserve duty are not earnings . Therefore; they should not be reported on a weekly basis. but must be reported at the time a d aim is filed .
NOTE: When Monda y is a state holiday, you will expe rience a delay in recei ving your benefit check . This includes direct deposits made into your accoun t. See Definitions Section for lists of state holidays.
9

Claiming Weekly Benefits By Computer
You will need a PIN and a n Int ern et browse r eq ual to Microsoft Inte rnet
Explor er o r Netscape. 4.0 o r high er . The browser mu st be Ja vaScript
ena bled a nd set to accept "coo kies."
1. The Georgia Department of Laborweb site is: www.dot.statv.ga.us ,
2. Select Claim Week ly Unemploymen t Ben efits from either the
de pa rtme nt's hom e page ar the Job See kers landing page .
3. On the Certification Access pag e:
Sel ect the week for which yo u wa nt to ce rtify Enter yo ur Social Security number Enter your 4-digit PIN
NOTE: If you are using electro nic certification for the first lime. enter your chosen PIN in the designated box , then re-enter it in the next box to verify.
Se lect Submit.
4. When the Certification page displays, select Y ES or NO , as approp ria te . to a nswer each questio n .
If yo u a re entering ea rnings for the week , enter the amount ea rned BEFORE deductions in the boxes provide d. Enter do lla rs and cents . If you earn $1000 or mo re during a week , ente r $999 .99 . (Wages must be re ported for the week they were earned, even if you have not ac tually bee n paid .)
To fina lize the proce ss and complete ce rtifica tio n, read the sta tements at the bottom of the screen a nd selec t I A gr ee.
NOTE: You may change any responses before selecting I A gree by retuming to the space requiring correction and making appropriate changes.
5 . Aft er an swers are co nfirmed , yo u will be advised wh ether the weekly claim wa s processed or if yo u need to contac t your Career Center.
To inquire about weekly unemployment pa yments, select Learn About Unemployment B enefits for Individuals from either the home page or the Job Seekers landing pag e. On the Certification Inquiry page, enter your Social Secu rity number and PIN and select Submit. All weeks claimed for the pa st 90 da ys will display with the status o f each certifica tio n and payment.
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Claiming Week ly Benefits By Telephone
On-Li ne Interactiv e Voice Response (OLI VoR)

A touch tone phone and a 4 digit PIN are needed to claim benefits by telephone . (Problems may occur wIth cordless teleph ones and cell phones) .

If the O liVoR call is a toll call , you r long distance company will bill you for the ca ll.
OLiVoR Telephone Numbers Your may ca ll any of the numbers listed below

Albany Athen s
Atlanta Area
A ug u sta Brunsw ick Columbus Dalton Douglas D u bli n G a i ne svi lle Go ffin

229 -430-29 79 706- 36 9 -60 81 404-65tHiOOO 706- 721-20 11 9 12-262-33 11 706-649-11 41 706-272-2 193 912-389-4435 4 78-275-68 90 770 -535-6955 770-412-47 16

LaG range M a con M illedge ville Mou ltrie Rome Savannah Statesboro Tifton Valdosta Waycross

706 -84 5-4227 4 78-751-44 00 4 78-44 5-64 21 229-1l91-71 40 706-295-61 45 912-353-3168 912-871 - 1200 229-386-7300 229 -245-3837 912-287-6690

Interstate Clai man ts call 404 -656-6000

OLiVoR Instructions

1. Before pla cing the call, know the gross amount of any earn ings for the week being clai med .

2. LISTEN CAREFUL LY AND FOLLOWALLINSTRUCTIONS

3. Select option 3 (Claiming Weekly Benefits ) to claim benefits.

4 . Answer each question by entering 1 for YES or 9 for No. a. '"Were you abl e. available and actively seeking work?" Pres s 1 for Yes OR pres s 9 for No . b. ' Did you refuse any work offered?" Pres s 1 for Yes OR press 9 for No. c. "Did you work or earn any wage s during the week ?" Press 1 for Yes OR press 9 for No .

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5. When entering earnings, enter the amount earned BEFORE deductions. Enter dollars and cents and the # sign. If you earn $1,000.00 or more during a week, enter $999.99. (Wages must be reported for the week they were earned, even if you have not actually been paid.) Examples: $110.50enter 11 050# $29.50enter 2950# $1.035.00enter 99999#
6. OLlVoR will repeat your answers following the completion of all entries. If you hang up before confirming your answers YOUR WEEKLY CLAIM WILLNOT BE COMPLETE.
7. After answers are confirmed you will be advised whether the weekly claim was processed or a Career Center contact is required.
Inquiring about Payments
Select op tion 5. Follow instructions for entry . Enter the six digit week ending da le
(example: March 5, 2005 would be entered 030505 .)
NOTICE TO ALL CLAIMANTS
Giving fal se information wh en reporting on your unemployment insurance claim is against the law.
Make sure that your entri es are truthful and correct. If you make a mistake and cannot re-enter th e correct information, contact your Career Cent er.
DIRECT DEPOSIT
Direct deposit of your unemplo yment insurance checks is strongly enco uraged. If your benefit check is mailed, it may take as long as 10 days or more to reach your mail box. With dire ct deposit, yo ur benefits are usually in your account within three days after you have claimed benefits.
Your benefits can be depo sited to your checking or savings account. To enroll, provide your bank name, routing number and your acco unt number. (You can find this on your checks or by contacting your ban k.)
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You may request direct deposit at any time during the claim year. Direct deposit can be requested or updated on our secure web site or you can visit your Career Center.
Use OliVoR or the Internet to verify the payment of your weekly claim. You should not write any checks against the deposit until you have verified that th e funds have been credited to your account by your bank.
If your account information changes . you should update your banking information on our secure web site or notify your Career Center immediately.

The web address is www.dol.state.ga.us

Your Name Your Address City, Stale Zip
Pay to the Order of:

6214

$

_

For:

_

.:073921938: 2000202145:6214

I Bank Routing Numbef

Check Number- DO NOT ENTER

Accoun t Number

INCOME TAX INFORMATION

Un employment compen sation must be reported on your fed er al and state income tax returns. You m ay:
1. Request that the GOOL withhold state and federal taxes from your benefit payments. Taxes will be calculated on the gross payment for the week being paid (weekly benefit amount minus any earnings and any regular retirement deduction.) Since withholding of income taxes is voluntary. taxes are deducted only after any involuntary deductions are made (i.e. child support and repayment of an overpayment.)
OR
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2. Make estimated tax payments to the IRS if your taxable income withholding status mee ts the IRS' estimate d payment requirements.
Feder al taxes are deducted at 10% and state taxes at 6%. You can have both or either deducted from your benefits. (Example: Weekly
benefit amount = $274, federal taxes would be $27 and state taxes would
be$16.)
At the end of January you wilt be mailed Form 1099G which reports benefits paid to you during the previous calendar year, even if you repaid benefits to the department. The same information will be provided to the IRS and the Georgia Department of Revenue.
NOTE : To ens ure you receive your Form 1099G , report address ch anges im mediatel y.
Information regarding the amount of unemployment benefits paid and the taxes withheld for the prior calendar year is available on the Georgia Department of Labor's web site. The information is updated early in January each year. You will need your PIN to access the information. The 1099G form itself does not have to be sent with your income tax ret urn s.
Questions about the taxatio n of unemployment insurance benefits, making estimated tax payments or other tax matters should be directed to the IRS or the Georgia Department of Revenue.
DEDUCTIONS FROM YOUR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
Certain types of deductions may be taken out of your weekly benefit payment or may delay your benefit payme nts. YOU MUST REPORT ANY and ALL payments you apply for or receive while you are claimi ng unemployment insurance. (See page 9 for exceptions.)
PAYMENTS and INCOME TO BE REPORTED WHEN CERTIFYING FOR BENEFITS WEEKLY
Earn ings ~ YOU MUST REPORT all earni ngs fo r th e week you actually earned th em - eve n if you did not receive the pay during that week. You must report your gross earnings . For all new claims filed July 1, 2002 or after, earnings over $50 per week are deducted dollar for dollar from your weekly payment. For claims filed prior to that date , earnings over $30 are deduc ted.
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PAYMENTS and INCOME TO BE REPORTED TO THE CAREER CENTER WHEN CLAIM IS FILED or PAYMENT RECEIVED
Retirem ent -Includes pension , retirement or similar payment from any employer whose wages are being used to establish the claim. A determination will be mailed to you to show how the retirement income will affect your unemployment benefits. If your retirement payment changes. that information must be reported to your Career Center immediately.
Sev erance/SeparationIWages In Li eu Of Notice - Any type of payment you have received. or will receive. must be reported . If the weekly amount of the payment is more than your weekly benefit amount, benefits may not be payable for the period of lima the payment covers. If these types of payments are paid in a lump sum , they will be prora ted using your average gross weekly earnings.
Wo rk er's Compensation - You must repo rt that you have applied for or are receiving Wor ker's Compensation.
FAILURE TO REPORT ABOVE PAYMENTS MAY BE CONSIDERED FRAUD ' (See page 16)
OTHER DEDUCTIONS
Chil d Supp ort Obl igat ions - If you are required (or volunteer) to make child support payments to a court. district attorney's office or other child support enforcement agency. a deduction from your weekly benefit check may be required .
Repaymen t Of An Overpayment - If you have an overpayment of unemployment benefits. one-half of you r weekly benefit check will be applied to your overpayment.
OVERPAYMENTS
You may be required to repay money you receive for a week of unemployment insurance if it is determined tha t you are not eligible for that week . This includes repayment of any income taxes you had withheld in addition to the benefits you received .
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There are two types of overpayment s:
1. NON -FRAUD OVERPAYMEN T - Occurs when there is not an intentional act committed to knowingly make a false statement, misrepresent material facts or fail to disclose a material fact to obtain or increase benefits.
Penalt ies For Non-Fraud
You must pay back the overpaid amount.
You may be subject to other civil penalties in a court of law and you may have to pay certain court costs or filing fees.
2. FRAUD OVERPAYMENT - Occur s when you knowingly make a false statement, knowingly fail to disclose a material fact or misrepresent material facts to obtain or increase benefit s.
Pena lti es For Fraud
You must pay back the overpaid amount.
You must pay a 10 percent penalty on the amount of the overpayment PLUS interest
You will not be able to collect benefits for the rema inder of the calen dar quarter in which the fraud determination is released AND for one year after that quarter.
You may be subject to other civil or criminal penalties in a court of law and you may have to pay certain court costs or filing fees.
METHODS USED TO REPAY/COLLECT OVERPAYMENTS:
Lump sum repayment. Signed agreement to repay based on a schedu led payment
plan . Having 50% of future benefit payment s deducted and
applied to the overpay ment. Taking your state income tax refund to apply to your
overpayment. (This include s joint return s.) Possible lega l action. such as liens. levies and/or
garnishment in small claims cou rt or other courts of law.
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WAIVER OF NON FRAUD OVERPAYMENTS
Contact the office wh ere you filed your claim or ca ll the tele phone number on yo ur ov erpayment notice for ins truction s on requesting a wai ver of overpa yment. A wai ver must be requested w ithin 90 days of the release date of the overpa yment notice .
The following will be considered :
Wheth er you intentionally caused the overpayment. Whether the repayment of the overpaid amount would cause
a severe finan cial hard ship .
GENERAL INFORMATION
How do I get a decision on my claim?
After you file your claim . you may be scheduled for a telephone interview to give inform ati on about yo ur separation or other situations wh ich may affect yo ur eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits.
BEFORE we can call you to get this information. you MUST have claim ed a week of ben efit s or othe rwise certified by using the Internet or OLiVoR. To meet this requirement, claims for weekl y benefits sho uld be made the 1" Sund ay after filing.
If add itional information is ne ed ed on your c laim and you are n ot available, your decision could b e d el ay ed .
IF YOU HAVE NOT CLAIMED A WEEK OF BENEFITS, A DECISION WILL NOT BE MADE ON YOUR CLAIM.
What if I change my address?
Rep ort in per son to your Caree r Cent er. Thi s will help to preven t a delay of benefit paym ent s.
For your prot ect ion , ide ntifica tion is required when you report an address change .
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Information in this handbook....
is provided to help you understand the requirements of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program . If you have any questions about this information. do not hesitate to ask someone in your Georgia Departm ent of Labor (GDOL) Career Center.
Unemployment insurance provides temporary financial assistance to workers unemployed through no fault of their own. Unemployment insurance benefits are paid by employer taxes. No money is deducted from your paycheck.
or your taxes. to pay these benefits.
Notice: Individuals with hearing or voice impairment may contact the Georgia Relay Center at 1-800-255-0056 to access GOOl services.
.
Equal Opportunety Employer AuxIliary Aids & Services Are Available Upon Request To Individuals With DisabilitieS

If y ou hav e an appeal in process when your addres s changes, y ou MUST ALSO notify th e Appeal s Tribunal:
Georgia Depart ment of Labor Appea ls Tribunal Suite 20 1
16 30 Phoe nix Blvd. College Park , GA 30349
Teleph one: (77 0) 909-2828 Email : appeals@dol.state.ga .us
What do I have to report?
Change of add ress (report in person .) All job offers . even if the offer is refu sed . Earni ngs (whe n you ea rn the money - not whe n you are paid .) Receipt of seve ran ce pay. New employme nt. Self-employme nt. Commissioned employment. Retirement pension. Work er's Compensa tion . Enroll ment in school and any change in schoo l attenda nce . Rece ipt of training allowa nces. Illness or injury. Vaca tion or leave of absence . Inab ility to wo rk or loo k for wo rk. Unavailab ility for wo rk. Unw illingn ess to work or loo k for wo rk.
NO TE: You are not req uired to report ea rni ngs from ju ry duty or weekend mili tary reserve duty. (See page 9 for other exceptio ns.)
Is information verified?
It is importan t to give complete and true information any time you provide information to the Georgia Departm en t of Labor. Informat ion is v erified by seve ral different m ethods to ensu re that only those who are enti tled to b en efits re ce ive them .
Separation informa tion is ve rified with employers to determine eligibility for benefits . Verification ca n be do ne in w riting or by teleph one.
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To detect unreported wages , your Social Security number is checked against wages reported by employers. A nationwide network is also used to locate wages eamed in other states .
Federal law requires all claims be subject to random audit. If your claim is selected, there will be an interview with you, and your job search contacts and other information in your file will be verified .
Employers are required to report any new employee s hired. This information is matched against unemployment insurance claims .
Information received from employers, family, friends and others is also investigated.
EMPLOYMENT RESOURCE
Staff of the Georgia Department of Labor can provide many valuable services to help prepare you for your job search and shorten your period of unemployment.
The following Internet services are available at www.dol.state.ga.us:
Job opportunities - In addition to GDOL's Job Information System with over 20,000 statewide job open ings, there are links to America's Job Bank (over 1 million jobs throughout the nat ion ) and other major job and resume bank s.
Career and job market information. Job search advice with links to many addit ional useful
sites . Information on using the Internet for job search with links to
several resource guides. Educational and training resources.
The computer resource areas of GDOL's Career Centers contain additional job search tools and products including :
Georgia Job Gu id e - information on occupations , industries and employersin thevarious areasof the state.
The Georg ia Career Information System a wealth of information on jobs. schools, education & training programs and financial aid as well as tools to match one's skills and interests to occupations.
WinWay Resume Prog ram - 10 create resumes and cover leiters. 19

Mavis Beacon - typing training program.
The Career Centers also have job search brochures. books and videos . Copiers and fax machines are available for customer use.
Informative workshops, offered on a variety of topics. are designed to help individuals become reempl oyed and to cope with the impact of job loss. Counseling and assessment services are available to assist with career exploration.
Take advantage of all these resources . They are available in eac h Career Center at no charge.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Claimant-Trainee Program
In some cases unemployment insurance benefits may be paid to individuals atte nding sc hoo l or training . Scho ol atte nda nce requirements must be met and satisfactory progress shown for continued participation in the program . Your Career Center will assist you in determining whether you qualify for this program.
If you quit school without good cause, you may not be eligible to receive further benefits.
Profiling and Reemployment Services
Federal legislation requires GDOL to identify claimants who are at risk of exhausting regular unemployment insurance and who could benefit from job search assistance. The information you provided when you applied for benefits (your occupa tion. work history, education) along with the area unemployment rate, are used to determine whether you qualify for these special services .
If you qualify, you will be:
Mailed a letter to report to your Career Center.
Assisted in developing a reemployment plan which will include the activities and services required for participation.
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Trade Adjustment Assistance
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA ) is ava ilable to workers who lose their jobs as a result of increased imports or a shift in production to other countries . A petition mus t be certified by the U.S. Department of Labor for ind ividuals to be eligible for services and benefits . A petition may be filed by: a group of three or more workers; an official of a certified/recogni zed union or other representative: an official of the employe r/firm; a one-stop opera tor/partner; or, the state Dislocated Worker Unit. The certification will contain an "impact date' up to one year before the date of the petition . Work ers w ho are laid off on or after the ' trnpact date- and are covered by the petition are eligib le to apply for benefits. A pe tition may be obta ined at any Georgia Department of Labor Career Center. Ba sed on individual eligibility. members of a TAA certified worker group may receive one or more of the following services : reemployment services; training services; job search allowances : relocation allowances; and . Trade Readjustment Act (TRA) allowances . TRA al lowances may only be received after regular unemploymen t benefits have bee n exhausted . To rece ive TRA , individua ls m ust be attending or have co mpleted approved training or be gra nted a waiver from the train ing requ iremen t.
NOTE : Failure to re spond to a catl-In lett er and to participate in program activ ities could affect your eligibil ity for un employment benefits.
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LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

Priva cy

Because you are being asked to furnish your Social Security accoun number on the claim form s given to you . the Privacy Act of 19 74 requires that you be provided the follow ing stateme nt:

Your Socia l Sec urity Number is solicited under th e autho rity of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 [26 U.S.C. 85, 6011(a), 60508, and 6109(a)). Disclosure of yo ur Social Securi ty Number for this purpose is mandatory , and must be entered on the forms you submit to claim unemployment co mpensation.

Your Social Security Number will be used to:

Rep ort yo ur unem ploym ent compen sation to the Internal Revenu e Service as inco me that is potentially taxable.
Process and store you r claim for statistical pu rpo ses. Verify yo ur eligibility for be nefits .

Shou ld you decline to provi de your Soci al Secu rity Number, your claim can not be processed.

Georgia law protect s record s or documents requ ired by the Georgia Departm ent of Labo r regard ing a claim. The circumstances under which information may be released are pro vided in the Official Cod e of Geo rgia Annolaled (OCGA) Section 34-8-121.

Non-Disc riminatio n

The Georgia Departm ent of Labor does not discriminate on the bas is of:

0 Race 0 Religion 0 National origin 0 Disability

0 Color 0 Sex 0 Age 0 Political affiliation or belief

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DEFINITIONS
BASE PERIOD The first 4 of the last 5 calendar quarters (see chart below) completedat the time you file your cla im.

IF YOU A PPLY IN
January February March
April May June
July
August September
October November December

THI S IS YO UR BASE PERIOD

Oct Jan '--Apr July

Nov
' .D..e.c... Jan Feb Mar

Feb Mar
Apr 1
May June

May June
~ ,-
July Aug Sepl

Aug Sept I
Oct Nov Dec

~,-

Apr July May Aug

Oct Nov

I JFaenb

June Sept Dec
11 ~,-
July I Oct Jan Aug Nov Feb

,M.a,,rApr 1
May

,.,,- Sept Dec Mar June ~ ,-

ALTERNATIV E BAS E PERIOD - The last four calenda r quarters completed at thetime you file your claim. (Alternative Base Period can be used only if you do not have enough wages to set up a claim using the Base Period as defined above.)
CALENDAR QUARTER - a J- month period.
1st quarter - January 1 through March 31 2nd quarter - April 1 through June 30 3rd quarter - July 1 through September 30 4th quarter - October 1 through December 31
ALTERNATE CA LCULATION - This calcula tion is automat ically performed when the only reason a claim is not monetarily eligible is because total wages are not equal to one and one-ha lf times the high quarter of wages. To calculate the weekly benefit amount divide the highest quarter of wages by 22. The weekly benefit amount cannot be higher than the maximum allowed by law. Wages must be earned in at least two quarters of the base period and total wages must be at least 40 times the weeklybenefitamount.

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BENEFIT YEAR - The 365-da y period a valid claim is in effe ct beginning with the date a new claim is filed . The number of weeks established for an y
claim (a minimum of seve n up to a maximum of 26) ma y be pa id ONLY
during the ben efit ye ar period for that clai m . NOTE: An y benefits not pa id out during the ben efit year will NOT carry ov er to a new ben efit yea r.

INSURED EMPLOYMENT - Work for an employer w ho pa ys unemploym ent insuranc e ta x.

INSURED WAGES - Tho se wages pa id by em ployers wh o pa y unem ployment insurance tax.

GOOL Ge orgia Depa rtment of Labor

MOST RECENT EMPLOYER (MRE) - Generall y the MRE is defin ed as :

The last liable employer fo r wh om an ind ividual worked and was :



Separated from work for a disqualifying rea son ; OR ,



Released o r separated fro m work under nondisqua lify ing

co nditions and ea rned wag es of at least ten tim es the weekly

benefit amount of the claim .

A representative at your Ca ree r Cente r will be glad to assist with any question s about how GO OLdetermines MRE .

STATE HOLIDAYS



New Year's Day



Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday - observed



Confederate Memo rial Day



Memorial Day



Independence Day



Labor Day

Columbus Day

Veterans Day



Thanksgiving Day



Robert E. Lee's Birthday - observed on Friday after Thanksgiving

Day

Washing ton's Birthda y - normally observed in conjunction with Christmas Day

Christmas Day

UI - Unemployment Insurance

WBA - We ek ly BenefitAmount
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Dale of Contact

WORK SEARCH RECORD

Name of Company and Person Contacted

Type of Work

Melhod of Contact (In person. Mad. Phone)

Name
Result of ccoract

Date of Contact

WORK SEARCH RECORD

Name of Company and

Type of Woo

Method of Contact

Person Contacted

(In person. Mail. Phone )

Name Result of Contact

Dale of Contact

WORK SEARCH RECORD

Name of Company and Person Contacted

Type of WOf1(

MethOd of Contact (In person , Mail, Phone )

Nam e
Result of Contact

Protecting Your Rights Information you must know about Unemployment Insurance
Please take time to read this booklet. Do not risk losing your benefits because you do not know your rights and responsibil ities.
You must:
Be unemployed through no fau lt of your own (more information on page 6)
CLA IM YOUR BENEFITS EACH WEEK (more information on page 8)
Report your gross earnings for the week the work was
pe rformed (more information on page 12)
Make a sea rch for work eac h week. be physically able to work and be avai lable to accept wo rk (more information on page 6)
Keep a record of your search for work each week (more information on pages 6. 25. 26,27)
Registe r with the Employment Service exce pt in special circumstances (more information on page 6)
Keep your address current with the Department of
La bor (more information on page 17)

Week Ending Date

PAYMENT RECORD

Claimed Date

Ched< Dale

Check Number

Check Amount

28

II IDIm IiNnf~ I,I
APPOINTM, . 3 2-10a 03'96 2'00 ~EE R CENT ER

Dal e 10 Report

Time 10 Report

Activity Scheduled

Siaff Member (if applicable)

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IMPORTANT REMINDERS
You must claim benefits each week. If you don't c laim at least one week of benefits a decision will not be made on you r claim.
Start claiming benefits on: Sunday

If you have claimed a we ek of benefits and have not received your written decision or a telephone call from a claims exam iner by the 16th d ay from the date your cla im was filed, pleas e call
immediate ly.

(404) 2323001
(877) 709-8185

Metro Atlanta Area Other Areas in Georgia and Outside Georgia

Remember it is your respons ib il ity to:



Read the Cl aimant Hand book.



Mak e a work se arc h each week (unless an ex ce pti on

wa s made.)



Keep a record of your work search EACH WEEK .

Ready for a newjob ?
Your Ca ree r Ce nter lists hundreds of jobs each week and GDOl helped over 100,000 people get new jobs last year. Ask what services are
available foryou .

DOL-414 (R-9/0S)

IMPORTANT POINTS
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN)
If you claim benefits electronically, you will estab lish yo ur 4 digit PIN the first time you claim a week of benefit s . If you do not certify electronicall y, yo u will be mai led a PIN shortly afte r filing your claim .
Your PIN has the same legal authority as you r signature o n a paper document. 00 not share it with anyone. The same PIN can be used on our Internet ap plications and on OLiVoR (O n-Line Interactive Voice Response sys tem.)
P INs have man y different uses in our sys tem now and more are pla nned for the futu re. Presently your PIN is needed 10 :
Claim your weekl y ben efit s . Update yo ur direct deposit information. Inquire abou t your wee kly payment s. Inquire abou t your an nual1 0g9G form for tax purposes . Request referrals 10 jo bs list ed with the Department. If you need a new PIN , contact your Caree r Ce nter. Your PIN will be reset and you will be able to choose a new PIN .
SERVICES AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET
(www.dol.state.ga.us)
You can: File for your weekly benefits. Start/U pdate direct de posi t info rma tion . Inquire about payment s. Review the am ount of unem ployment bene fits and taxes paid tha t were sho wn on your 1099G . l ook for jo b o pportunities and request referrals 10 specific jo bs. Obtain job search advice. Find labor market information. See what services are available at GOO l Ca ree r Centers .
You will need your PIN and SS N to use some of the serv ices. Many addi tional serv ices are being pla nned .
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Basic Claims Information:

How do I qualify?

5

What if I disagree with a decision? (Appeal Rights)

7

Benefit Payments I Deductions

Claiming Weekly Benefits

8

Direct Deposit

12

Inco me Ta x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Deduction s

14

Overpayments

15

General Information

How do I get a decision?

17

What if I change my address?

17

What do I have to report?

18

Is information verified?

18

Employment Resources

19

Special Programs

20

Legal Requirements

22

Definitions

23

Work Search Record

25

Payment Records

28

Appointments with the Career Center

29

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HOW DO I QUALIFY?
Geo rgi a law sets qualifying require ments in three main area s . You must meatall three to be paid benefits. They are :
1. Your past wages , and 2. Your job separation, and 3. Availability and work search requirements.
YOUR PAST WAGES
1. To establish a claim you must have:
"Insured" wages in at least two quarters of the ba se period (see Definition s pag e 23); and
"Insured" wages totaling at least $1,188 in the two highe st quarters of your base per iod ; and
Total base period wages of at least o ne and one- ha lf times the am ount of money you wer e pai d in the highest qu arter.
If you cannot establish a claim only because of the one and one-half times
requirement. an alternate calculation will automatically be used (see Definitions - page 23.)
2. You w ill be mailed a determination whi ch shows the :
Insured w age s paid in the base period .
Weekl y benefit a mount of your claim .
Number of we eks in your clai m .
Total amount of yo ur cla im . 3 . If yo u be lieve the wages shown on yo ur determination are incorrect
o r incomplete , you ma y as k fo r a "reconside ration ." Th is mu st be done in writing to your Car eer Cente r within 15 da ys of the date of the determination . Career Ce nte r staff w ill be g lad to a ssist you .
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YOUR JOB SEPARATION
1. You must be unemplo yed or parti all y unemployed thro ugh no fault of
your own to receive benefits . Information will be obtained from you r employer rega rding you r separation. Examples of potentially
qualifying reasons are :
Youwere laid off due to lack of work. You are still work ing but the employer reduced you r hours due
to a lack of work. You were fired wi thoutwork-related miscond uct. You quit you rjob fo r a good work-related reason .
2. A w ritten decision will be mad e on your elig ibi lity to rece ive benefits .
It will be based on the reason for your sepa ration from your most
rec en t emp loye r. (T his is not a lways you r last e mployer.) Georgia law defines th e criteria for "most rece nt employer," (see Deflnitions pa ge 24)
AVAILABILITY AND WORK SEARCH REQUIREMENTS
EACH W EEK YOU MUS T:
Report as instructed by the Career Cente r. NOTE : Fail ure to report may resu lt in lo ss of ben efits.
Be physically ab le to perform some type of work that you qualify for (even if it is not your regu lar field of work.)
Be actively looking for full-time work each week. You must make a broad search for work and make appropriate con tacts for work each week.
Be prepared to show a list of yo ur job search co ntacts . (A form for listing con tacts is incl uded in this ha ndbook .)
Be reg istered for work , if so in stru cted . w ith the Georgia Department of Labor's Em ploymen t Service .
Have no unr easona ble restrictions that would kee p yo u fro m working or accepting futl-tim e wo rk .
REMINDER : To c on tinue to be paid benefits you MUST me et all eli g ibility requ irem ents each week . A dec ision hold ing you n ot eli gi ble ma y be is sued for any week (s) you do not meet t hese eli gi bility req uirements.
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SPECIAL INFORMATION FOR NONCITIZENS
In addition to the prev ious requirements. non-citizens must present a valid. une xpired alien regi stration ca rd.
The registration sta tus with the Immigration and Naturalization Service must be verified .
Note: Decisions and payments can not be released until verification has been made.
JOB REFERRALS
You must be willin g to accept a jo b und er the same working co nditions in which you ea med the wages used to es tablish yo ur daim .
Whe n you are given a re ferral to a job by the department, you must apply as instructed. Failure to do so could affect your benefits.
Depending on how long you are unemployed. you must be willing to adjust your employme nt e xpectations.
APPEAL RIGHTS
A decision on your eligibility for Unemployment Insurance benefits can on ly be changed through the appeals process. You have the right to appeal ANY decision that denies or restricts your bene fits. Your employer may also requ est an appeal on any decisions on your claim related toyour job separation or an offer of suitable work.
A written appeal can be faxed . mailed or filed in person. at the nea rest Career Center of the Georgia Department of Labor. Additional information may beobtained by con tacting that office.
If you need an Interp reter for your hearing. contact the Appeals Tribunal immediately. (See Page 18 for contact information)
NOTE: Interstate claimants should file an appeal in writing to the
Interstate Unit.
The Appeals Tribu nal wilt schedule a hearing and mai l a no tice of the hearing time and da te as we ll as the issues to be discussed. Afte r the hearing , a decision will be mailed 10 all parties based on the information given in the hearing. If you disagree with the decision. you have the right to further appeal.
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