Benefit claims process FAQ

Q.  I received a notice about a worker who applied for benefits, but this person never worked for me. What should I do?
A.  Mark the box on the notice or write anywhere on the notice to indicate this person never worked for you and return it to us. 

Q.  I received a notice that a part-time employee of mine has applied for unemployment benefits. How can he get benefits if he has a job?
A.  Since your worker applied for unemployment, we have to assess whether he is eligible for benefits. There are circumstances under which part-time workers can qualify for partial unemployment benefits, but they must be seeking full-time work and must report their weekly hours and earnings to us when they file their weekly claim. 

Q.  Why am I receiving a notice about a person who worked for me for only a very short time?
A.  If the person worked for you at all in his or her “base year,” those hours worked may be considered in our determination of whether the worker qualifies for benefits. If the worker does qualify, you also may be charged proportionately for those benefits (e.g., if the worker worked most of his hours at a different company, that company will be charged for the bulk of the benefits the worker receives). 

Q.  Why am I receiving a notice about a former worker of mine who went on to work for another business?
A.  Even though you aren’t the worker’s most-recent employer, the hours he worked at your business and the circumstances that led him to leave your business may be factors in determining if the worker is eligible for benefits and the amount of benefits he might receive.

Q.  I already responded to a notice about this worker. Why am I receiving it again?
A.  If the worker was receiving benefits, stopped claiming and then started claiming again, we need to update our information to make sure this worker is still eligible for benefits.  

Q.  I missed the deadline to respond to the notice. Can I still send it in?
A.  Yes. However, if it has been more than 30 days since we made the decision to pay benefits to your worker, we may not be able to change the decision but you will have the right to appeal. Because you did not respond on time to our written request for information you may not be eligible for relief of benefit charges.

Q.  How can this claim affect my benefit charging?
A.  You will not be eligible for relief of benefit charges and all benefits paid in error will be charged to your experience rating account if a benefit claim becomes invalid or a benefit payment was made and results in an overpayment:

• Due to an amendment to your tax report(s) where you failed to report or inaccurately reported hours worked and/or compensation was paid, or
• Because you or your representative failed to respond timely or adequately to a written request for information from the department relating to the claim(s) without establishing good cause for failure and there is a pattern of such failures.

If you are an employer who reimburses the trust fund for benefits paid to workers and you failed to report or inaccurately reported hours worked and/or compensation paid, you will not be eligible for relief of benefit charges and you will be responsible to reimburse the trust fund for all benefits paid in error.

Q.  How is the experience-rated part of my tax rate determined?
A.  Your experience rating is based on the average of your claim history over the past four fiscal years. We divide the benefits paid to your former workers by your total taxable wages over the four-year period. This number determines your rate class. 

Q. I received a Wage Verification Notice from the Office of Special Investigations. What is this?

A. When there is a discrepancy between what the employee says they earned and what you reported on your quarterly taxes, the Office of Special Investigations sends you a Employer Verification Notice, which you must return within ten days. Make sure to enter the weekly pay, not the monthly pay.

More information for employers

Request for Separation Information | Notice to base year employer | What we need from you | How we decide on worker benefits | Appeal an unemployment tax decision | Employer FAQs - benefit claims process | Employer FAQs - general | Contact information for employers