Welcome to Un
employment MassachusettsFrequently Asked Questions about Unemployment
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Fr
equently Asked Questions about UnemploymentQ &a
mp; A fr om MTA Le gal on Un employment wi th Su pplemental CO VID-19 Re lated InformationAn
swers to fr equently as ked qu estions about unemployment fr om the MT A's Le gal Di vision. Th is do cument, re leased on May 20, 20 20, in cludes su pplemental CO VID-19 re lated in formation. 1Do
wnload Th is Q & A (P DF)Disclaimer: The MTA ca
nnot gu arantee el igibility for unemployment be nefits. The in formation co ntained in th is ad visory is pr ovided for ge neral in formational pu rposes on ly ba sed on the law at the ti me it was wr itten. It is not in tended to be le gal ad vice and sh ould not be ta ken as su ch. The pr inciples di scussed he rein do not ne cessarily ap ply to all fa ct si tuations and is suance of th is ad visory do es not es tablish an at torney-client re lationship. You sh ould not act or re frain fr om ac ting on the ba sis of the ad visory wi thout se eking ap propriate le gal ad vice on the pa rticular fa cts and ci rcumstances of yo ur ca se. If you ha ve qu estions, pl ease co ntact yo ur lo cal MTA af filiate or MTA fi eld representative.Re
1 Em ad MT A's Co vid-19 Le gal Up date: Un employment (R eleased on Ap ril 1, 20 20) ergency le gislation has be en pa ssed at the st ate and fe deral le vel th at ex pands el igibility and be nefits in so me ci rcumstances. Th is Q&A pr ovides su pplemental an swers we re appropriate.Wh at is unemployment in surance?
Un
Who is el employment in surance (U I) pr ovides te mporary ca sh as sistance to el igible di splaced wo rkers wh ile th ey se ek em ployment. The De partment of Un employment As sistance (D UA) ad ministers the UI pr ogram for the Co mmonwealth of Ma ssachusetts. The DUA de termines and co llects em ployer co ntributions to the UI pr ogram and pr ocesses re quests for be nefits. The DUA has a co mprehensive gu ide on its we bsite th at you are st rongly en couraged to re view: A Gu ide to Be nefits and Em ployment Se rvices for Cl aimants . igible for unemployment be nefits?Th
You did not vo ere are two co mponents to de termining el igibility. Fi rst, ge nerally you are el igible for unemployment be nefits if you be come un employed or pa rtially un employed and: luntarily qu it wi thout go od ca use; You we re not te rminated for de liberate mi sconduct or wi llful di sregard of the em ployer’s in terest or of the em ployer’s un iformly en forced ru les and po licies; an d/or You we re not te rminated due to co nviction of a cr ime.You mu
st be ab le, av ailable, and ac tively se arching for wo rk du ring any pe riod you re ceive unemployment benefits.Se
cond, you mu st ha ve ea rned at le ast $5 100 du ring the 4 ca lendar qu arters pr ior to the qu arter in wh ich you fi le for be nefits. Th is is ca lled yo ur “b ase pe riod.” 2 Ad ditionally, you mu st ha ve ea rned at le ast 30 ti mes the am ount of be nefits you wo uld be el igible to re ceive on a we ekly ba sis.
CO
If an em VID-19 supplemental ployer’s op erations are te mporarily sh ut do wn in wh ole or in pa rt due to CO VID-19 and wo rkers are fu rloughed or la id of f, th en th ey may be el igible for unemployment be nefits. Un der DUA em ergency re gulations, th ese wo rkers are co nsidered in “s tandby” st atus and th ey are el igible for be nefits for the pv rkjttcdgtz 4 we eks. Th is ti me may be ex tended. Wo rkers in st andby st atus mu st re main in co ntact wi th th eir em ployers and be av ailable for any wo rk th eir em ployer may ha ve for th em but th ey do not ha ve the sa me re quirement to be se arching for al ternate wo rk. Wo rkers who are qu arantined and not re ceiving pay may be el igible for unemployment be nefits wi th the ex pectation th at th ey re turn to wo rk wh en ab le to do so. Wo rkers who ne ed to ca re for a fa mily me mber who is ill or qu arantined due to CO VID-19, or who ne eds to ca re for a ch ild who is ho me be cause sc hools or day ca re ce nters are cl osed due to CO VID-19, may be el igible for unemployment be nefits. But if the wo rker is re ceiving si ck le ave or ot her pa y, th en th ey are not el igible for be nefits. Al so, a wo rker ab le to te lework may not be el igible for be nefits. 2 If you ha ve not ea rned en ough du ring yo ur ba se pe riod, or if an “a lternate ba se pe riod” wo uld re sult in re ceiving at le ast 10% mo re in we ekly be nefits, you may qu alify us ing wa ges ea rned du ring the th ree mo st re cently co mpleted ca lendar qu arters pl us the pe riod be tween the la st co mpleted qu arter and ef fective da te of cl aim. How mu ch wi ll my be nefits be?Ge
nerally, yo ur we ekly be nefit is ap proximately 50% of yo ur av erage we ekly gr oss wa ges but it is ca pped at $8 23 per we ek. Th ere is an ad ditional al lowance of $25 per de pendent (d ependent al lowance not to ex ceed 50% of yo ur we ekly be nefit am ount). You may be el igible for up to 26 we eks of be nefits. Un employment be nefits are su bject to st ate and fe deral ta xes. He re is the link to the DUA we bsite pa ge to he lp de termine yo ur be nefits and du ration: How yo ur unemployment be nefits are de termined .You mu
st be ab le, av ailable, and ac tively se arching for wo rk du ring any pe riod you re ceive unemployment benefits.Se
cond, you mu st ha ve ea rned at le ast $5 100 du ring the 4 ca lendar qu arters pr ior to the qu arter in wh ich you fi le for be nefits. Th is is ca lled yo ur “b ase pe riod.”2 Ad ditionally, you mu st ha ve ea rned at le ast 30 ti mes the am ount of be nefits you wo uld be el igible to re ceive on a we ekly ba sis.
CO
VID-19 su pplemental answer:The fe
Fe deral CA RES Act ex pands unemployment be nefits du ring the pandemic: deral Pa ndemic Un employment Co mpensation (F PUC) pr ovides th at $6 00 wi ll be ad ded to st ate we ekly unemployment be nefits fr om Ma rch 29, 20 20 th rough Ju ly 31, 20 20. Pa ndemic Em ergency Un employment Co mpensation (P EUC) may ex tend st ate be nefits for ev eryone by 13 we eks (f or up to a to tal of 39 we eks of be nefits). Pa ndemic Un employment As sistance (P UA) pr ovides unemployment be nefits up to a ma ximum 39 we eks to wo rkers who are not ot herwise no rmally el igible but are fu lly or pa rtially un employed or un able/unavailable to wo rk for one of the fo llowing re asons: Th ey ha ve be en di agnosed wi th CO VID-19 or are ex periencing sy mptoms and se eking a me dical di agnosis; A me mber of th eir ho usehold has be en di agnosed wi th CO VID-19; Th ey are pr oviding ca re for a fa mily me mber or me mber of th eir ho usehold who has be en di agnosed wi th CO VID-19; A ch ild or ot her pe rson th ey ha ve pr imary ca regiving re sponsibilities for is un able to at tend sc hool or a ca retaking fa cility be cause it is cl osed as a di rect re sult of CO VID-19; A qu arantine pr events the in dividual fr om re aching th eir pl ace of em ployment; A he alth ca re pr ovider ad vised the in dividual to se lf-quarantine, th ereby pr eventing th em fr om re aching th eir pl ace of em ployment; Th ey we re sc heduled to co mmence em ployment but no lo nger ha ve the job or are un able to re ach it as a di rect re sult of CO VID-19; Th ey be came the br eadwinner or ma jor su pport for a ho usehold be cause the head of the ho usehold di ed as a di rect re sult of CO VID-19; Th ey qu it th eir job as a di rect re sult of CO VID-19; Th eir pl ace of em ployment is cl osed as a di rect re sult of CO VID-19; or Th ey me et any ad ditional cr iteria es tablished by the Se cretary of La bor.Re
cipients of PUA be nefits al so re ceive the ad ditional $6 00 per we ek be tween Ap ril 4, 20 20 to Ju ly 25, 20 20. Ho wever, wo rkers who me et one of th ese cr iteria but re ceive pa id le ave or ha ve the ab ility to te lework are not el igible for PUA.
He
Wh re is a link to a fl owchart for the di fferent fe deral unemployment be nefits ad ministered by the DU A: Wh at you ne ed to kn ow and do about the CA RES Act . en and how do I ap ply for unemployment be nefits?You sh
ould fi le for unemployment be nefits du ring yo ur pv rkjttcdgtz we ek of to tal or pa rtial un employment. If you are el igible, yo ur be nefits wi ll st art the fo llowing we ek (i .e., th ere is a on e-week wa iting pe riod be fore be nefits begin).DUA vi
deo ex plaining the ap plication pr ocess and wh at you ne ed to ap ply: How to Ap ply for UI Be nefits .The fa
stest way to ap ply for be nefits is on line: Ma ssachusetts Un employment In surance (U I) On line Ap plication .If you ne
ed to ap ply by ph one or if you ne ed as sistance wi th yo ur cl aim, the DUA Te leclaim nu mber is (6 17) 62 6-6800. No te th at the you mu st ca ll on the day as sociated wi th the la st di git of yo ur so cial se curity nu mber: Mo nday 0, 1; Tu esday 2, 3; We dnesday 4, 5, 6; Th ursday 7, 8, 9; Fr iday any digit.CO
VID-19 su pplemental answer: The one we ek wa iting pe riod has be en te mporarily wa ived for wo rkers ex periencing unemployment due to CO VID-19. Th is wa iver of the wa iting pe riod is in ef fect un til 90 da ys af ter the end of the Ma ssachusetts st ate of em ergency. The DUA st rongly re commends ap plying for unemployment on -line du ring th is time.The DUA has st
ep-by-step di rections for ap plying for be nefits th at has be en up dated to in clude CO VID-19 re lated in formation: Un employment In surance On line In formation Gu ideIf you may be el
igible for PU A, th ere is a di fferent po rtal on the DUA we bsite for ap plying: Pa ndemic Un employment As sistance .f you ha
ve CO VID-19 re lated in quiries, the DUA has an online fo rm you can us e: CO VID-19: De partment of Un employment As sistance Co ntact Re quest .No
Wh te: The MTA has be come aw are of an is sue in ap plying for PU A. At th is ti me, the fo rm re quires you to an swer if you re ceived at le ast $5 100 in wa ges in the la st 4 ca lendar qu arters. Th at is not the re levant qu estion for PUA and we ha ve he ard th at so me pe ople ha ve be en re jected for an swering ye s. If th at ha ppens to yo u, pl ease see the qu estion be low re garding ap peals. Wo rker ad vocates are tr ying to get the DUA to fix th is lo ophole. at in formation sh ould I ha ve re ady to ap ply for unemployment be nefits?Ev
So eryone needs: cial Se curity Nu mber Da te of bi rth (m onth, da y, ye ar) Ho me ad dress, te lephone nu mber, em ail ad dress (if av ailable) The na mes, da tes of bi rth, and So cial Se curity Nu mbers of any de pendent ch ildren th at you pl an to cl aim as a de pendent The na mes and ad dresses of all em ployers you ha ve wo rked for du ring the pa st 15 mo nths, da tes you wo rked for ea ch em ployer La st day of em ployment The re ason why you are no lo nger wo rking or why yo ur ho urs ha ve be en re duced Re call da tes (if ap plicable) Ve rification th at you we re le gally el igible to wo rk in the U. S. or al ien re gistration nu mber Ba nk ac count nu mber, and the ro uting or tr ansit nu mber of yo ur ba nk (if you wo uld li ke to re ceive yo ur pa yment by di rect de posit)Ad
Of junct pr ofessors al so need: fers of em ployment Do cuments re lating to wh ether em ployment is in the sa me ca pacity Ev idence re lating to bu dget for sc hool Do cuments re garding the ec onomic te rms and co nditions of the of fer. Ev idence re lating to st affing le vels How lo ng wi ll it ta ke to re ceive unemployment be nefits (m oney in ha nd)?Ac
cording to the DUA we bsite, “[ m]ost cl aims are pr ocessed wi thin 21 -28 da ys af ter fi ling. It may ta ke lo nger if th ere is an is sue wi th yo ur cl aim.” If the cl aim is pr ocessed and you are aw arded be nefits, the be nefits wo uld be aw arded re troactive to the ef fective da te of yo ur claim.CO
Am I el VID-19 su pplemental answer: It ap pears th at the DUA is ex periencing si gnificant de lays in pr ocessing the un precedented nu mbers of ap plications for unemployment be nefits so you sh ould be pr epared for a wa it. Ho wever, on ce be nefits are ap proved, th ey wi ll be pa id re troactive to the ti me you ap plied for benefits. igible for unemployment be nefits ov er the su mmer/between ac ademic te rms?If an em
ployee of an ed ucational in stitution wo rks one te rm and has a co ntract or re asonable as surance of pe rforming su bstantially the sa me se rvices in the ne xt ac ademic te rm, th en ge nerally no, unemployment be nefits are not gr anted for the su mmer. “P rofessional” em ployees (d efined as in structor, re searcher, or in a pr incipal ad ministrative ca pacity) who do not get su bstantially si milar wo rk in the su cceeding ac ademic te rm may be come el igible for unemployment be nefits at the st art of th at term.Ho
wever, “n onprofessional” em ployees (e .g., te acher’s ai des, bus dr ivers, ca feteria wo rkers, et c.) who do not get su bstantially si milar wo rk de spite pr ior re asonable as surance may be el igible not on ly for be nefits at the st art of the ne xt te rm but al so re troactive pa yment of be nefits for ea ch we ek ov er the su mmer for wh ich th ey ap plied fo r, but we re de nied, be nefits ba sed on th at re asonable as surance of wo rk. Th erefore, if th ere is any do ubt about be ing em ployed in the fa ll in a si milar ca pacity, a “n onprofessional” em ployee sh ould ti mely fi le cl aims for be nefits ev ery we ek ov er the su mmer.If you are el
Wh igible for unemployment ov er the su mmer ba sed on yo ur pr imary job but en gage in su mmer wo rk in di fferent ca pacity th an yo ur pr imary jo b, th at wi ll not di squalify you fr om un employment. Ho wever, you may be ex cluded fr om re ceiving be nefits th ose we eks you do al ternate su mmer work. at do es the DUA co nsider to be re asonable as surance?Ac
cording to the DU A, re asonable as surance is a wr itten, or al or im plied ag reement th at the wo rker wi ll pe rform se rvices in a si milar ca pacity in the ne xt ac ademic pe riod, in cluding th at the ec onomic co nditions are not co nsiderably le ss (e arning at le ast 90% of the sa me wa ges). An ed ucator wi th te nure or pr ofessional te acher st atus wi ll be pr esumed to ha ve re asonable as surance of co ntinued em ployment ab sent no tice fr om the employer.Ad
junct fa culty: Re asonable as surance is sues co me up of ten for ad junct fa culty. The fa ct th at co urses ha ve be en of fered co ntingent on fu nding or en rollment may not be en ough to ov ercome a co llege’s as sertion th ere is a re asonable as surance of wo rk the ne xt te rm. Ho wever, fu nding un certainty, en rollment va cillations, and bu mping ri ghts by day fa culty may di minish the li kelihood of wo rk be ing av ailable. And an of fer of fe wer co urses the ne xt te rm li kely me ans th ere is no re asonable as surance be cause the of fer pr obably is su bstantially le ss th an the pr ior te rm. The bu rden is on the co llege to pr ovide su bstantial ev idence of re asonable re assurance of si milar work.If you are el
igible for unemployment ov er the su mmer ba sed on yo ur pr imary job but en gage in su mmer wo rk in di fferent ca pacity th an yo ur pr imary jo b, th at wi ll not di squalify you fr om un employment. Ho wever, you may be ex cluded fr om re ceiving be nefits th ose we eks you do al ternate su mmer work.CO
If my ho VID-19 Su pplemental Answer: The un certain bu dget si tuation for bo th K- 12 and hi gher ed ucation due to the pa ndemic is a un ique si tuation and sh ould be ta ken in to co nsideration by the DUA in de termining if th ere is a re asonable as surance of wo rk in the fa ll. The DUA sh ould not ac cept an em ployer’s me re as sertion th at th ere wi ll be si milar wo rk av ailable. Ho wever, if the em ployer cr edibly la ys out pl ans to fu lly re sume cl asses in the fa ll, th en it is un likely su mmer be nefits wi ll be granted. urs are re duced, wi ll I be el igible for unemployment be nefits?It de
pends. A pe rson is in pa rtial unemployment in any we ek in wh ich the em ployee is (a) wo rking le ss th an fu ll-time; (b) has ea rned le ss th an the we ekly unemployment be nefit she wo uld be en titled to if to tally un employed du ring th at we ek; and (c) the fa ilure to wo rk fu ll ti me is due to the em ployer’s fa ilure to pr ovide fu ll-time wo rk and not due to the cl aimant's ch oice to wo rk pa rt-time. Ge nerally, you mu st ex perience a re duction of at le ast 1/3 of yo ur ho urs/wages in or der to re ceive ev en a mi nimal be nefit. Yo ur ac tual el igibility, ho wever, ca nnot be de termined un til you ap ply for benefits.CO
I st VID-19 Su pplemental Answer: If you re ceive pa rtial unemployment be nefits, you st ill wi ll be el igible for the ad ditional $6 00 per we ek un der the FP UC th rough Ju ly 31, 2020. ill ha ve my job but I’ ve lo st the ov ertime I us ually wo rk. Can I get unemployment be nefits for the lo st ov ertime wa ges?No; unemployment el
I us igibility is ba sed on yo ur re gular (n on-overtime) hours. ually wo rk two or th ree jo bs. If I am la id of f, fu rloughed, or ha ve my ho urs re duced in one of th ese su pplemental jo bs, can I get unemployment ev en th ough I am st ill wo rking my no rmal ho urs at my pr imary jo b?It de
pends. The DUA wi ll ca lculate po tential be nefits by of fsetting ot her so urces of in come. If the lo st wo rk pa id re latively li ttle co mpared to yo ur pr imary job and you re main at or cl ose to fu ll-time em ployment, th en the lo st wa ges may not be en ough to ma ke you el igible for pa rtial unemployment be nefits. It do es not hu rt to ap ply, ho wever, and see wh at the DUA determines.CO
I us VID-19 Su pplemental Answer: If you are el igible for be nefits at any le vel, th en you may re ceive the ad ditional $6 00 per we ek un der the PUA. ually wo rk ov er the su mmer but th at em ployment is now cl osed or my of fer has be en re scinded. Can I get unemployment for the lo st su mmer wo rk?Un
der no rmal co nditions, it de pends. See the ab ove an swers for re duced ho urs or lo ss of se cond job.CO
Be VID-19 Su pplemental An swer: If you lo st yo ur su mmer po sition due to CO VID-19, you may be el igible un der the PUA pr ogram, wh ich ex tends unemployment be nefits to wo rkers who are not tr aditionally el igible for be nefits. If it is a st ipend po sition wi th yo ur pr imary em ployer, th at sp ecific si tuation is not ad dressed in the law or ca ses. Ho wever, we be lieve th ere is a go od ar gument th at the lo ss of a su mmer st ipend po sition due to CO VID-19 fa lls wi thin the ca tegories of wo rkers co vered by PUA (e .g., pe ople se eking pa rt-time em ployment but wh ose se arch is af fected by CO VID-19). Wh ile we ca nnot gu arantee you wi ll be el igible for PUA be nefits, it is wo rth ap plying. cause of re mote te aching, my st ipend po sition for the sp ring is not ha ppening. Can I get unemployment for th at lo st wo rk?Un
der no rmal co nditions, it de pends but se ems un likely. See the ab ove an swer for re duced hours.CO
I was fu VID-19 Su pplemental Answer: Un like the ar gument for PUA be nefits for lo st su mmer st ipend wo rk, ma king a si milar ar gument for st ipend po sitions du ring the re gular ac ademic ye ar se ems le ss li kely. It is mo re li kely th at the DUA wi ll vi ew it as a re duction in ho urs si tuation (s ee ab ove). Th at sa id, th ere is no ha rm in filing rloughed and st arted re ceiving unemployment be nefits but now my em ployer has me wo rking so me ho urs (s till re duced ho urs) th at fl uctuate fr om we ek to we ek — how do es th at af fect my be nefits?If you wo
rk pa rt-time ho urs du ring any we ek for wh ich you re quest unemployment be nefits, you may st ill be pa id be nefits if yo ur gr oss wa ges (t otal wa ges be fore ta xes are de ducted) are le ss th an yo ur de termined we ekly be nefit am ount. Any pa rt-time ea rnings gr eater th an 1/3 of yo ur we ekly be nefit am ount (k nown as yo ur “e arnings di sregard”) wi ll be de ducted fr om yo ur we ekly be nefit pa yment. But ev en if you ha ve so me we eks wh ere yo ur wa ges are en ough th at you do not re ceive a be nefit pa yment, yo ur unemployment cl aim is st ill op en and yo ur be nefits wi ll be ad justed ea ch week.Th
I was la is we bsite has a he lpful ca lculator to es timate the im pact wo rking pa rt-time has on yo ur be nefits: Wo rking pa rt ti me wh ile re ceiving unemployment be nefits . id off and re ceived se verance pay — do es th at af fect wh en I get unemployment be nefits?It de
If my em pends. Ge nerally, a re ceipt of se verance pay re nders you in eligible for unemployment be nefits for the pe riod co vered by the se verance. Th us, if you re ceive six we ek’s se verance pay up on la yoff, you are co nsidered by the DUA to be em ployed ov er th ose six we eks. Yo ur be nefits wi ll not st art un til the se verance pe riod en ds but the pe riod of se verance pay do es not co unt ag ainst yo ur to tal du ration of be nefits. Ho wever, if se verance pay is co nditioned on si gning a re lease of all cl aims ag ainst yo ur em ployer, you may be ab le to re ceive unemployment be nefits at the sa me ti me as the se verance. You sh ould th erefore fi le a cl aim ri ght aw ay ev en if you re ceive se verance pay. ployer so licits vo lunteers for a fu rlough or la yoff and I vo lunteer, do es th at af fect el igibility for un employment?It de
pends. The DUA wi ll de termine wh ether you had a re asonable fe ar th at you wo uld so on be fu rloughed or la id of f, in wh ich ca se yo ur de parture may be co nsidered in voluntary and th us you wo uld be el igible for be nefits. The law al so al lows be nefits if you vo luntarily le ave for go od ca use at tributable to yo ur employer.In co
If I do not fe ntrast, if th ere is an an nouncement of la yoffs but you ha ve no re ason to be lieve yo ur po sition is at ri sk, th en you li kely wi ll not be el igible for unemployment be nefits if you vo lunteer for la yoff. For ex ample, th ere may be no ev idence th at yo ur pr ogram wi ll be cut or you may be co vered by a co llective ba rgaining ag reement th at pr ovides bu mping ri ghts to an other po sition if yo ur po sition is el iminated. But if yo ur em ployer le aves you to sp eculate wh ether yo ur po sition is at ri sk, th en you may st ill be el igible for unemployment if you vo lunteer for la yoff. For ex ample, yo ur em ployer may re quest vo lunteers for la yoff pv rkjttcdgtz but st ate th at in voluntary la yoffs wi ll fo llow and not gi ve any in formation on who may be ta rgeted for in voluntary la yoffs. Or, yo ur ma nager may ma ke st atements th at gi ve you re ason to re asonably fe ar you wi ll be in voluntarily la id of f. You ne ed to be ca reful, ho wever, th at the re ason for ac cepting a vo luntary la yoff is due to a re asonable fe ar th at a la yoff is im minent and th at you are not vo lunteering to be la id off for un related pe rsonal reasons. el it is sa fe for me or my fa mily to wo rk, can I re fuse and st ill be el igible for un employment?Le
aving wo rk vo luntarily us ually me ans one is not el igible for unemployment un less you can es tablish by su bstantial and cr edible ev idence th at you le ft (a) for go od ca use at tributable to yo ur em ployer; or (b) for ur gent and co mpelling pe rsonal re asons. Re asonable co ncerns about un safe wo rking co nditions may be go od ca use for qu itting. OS HA fi ndings of sa fety vi olations wi ll su pport fi nding go od ca use at tributable to the em ployer but it is not ne cessary. It is im portant to no te th at the DUA ge nerally re quires th at you ta ke re asonable st eps to try to re solve the pr oblem wi th yo ur em ployer be fore quitting.CO
Wh VID-19 Su pplemental Answer: Ac cording to U. S. De partment of La bor gu idelines, de ciding to vo luntarily qu it due to ge neral co ncerns about ex posure to CO VID-19 is not su fficient to es tablish el igibility for unemployment be nefits. Ho wever, the DUA wi ll un dertake a fa ct-specific an alysis about yo ur sp ecific ci rcumstances. For ex ample, do you ha ve an un derlying he alth co ndition th at re nders you a po or ri sk for co ntracting CO VID-19? Is a fa mily me mber wi th wh om you li ve a po or ri sk if you tr ansmit the vi rus? Is yo ur em ployer pr oviding ap propriate pe rsonal pr otective eq uipment and cl eaning su pplies for yo ur jo b? Wh ether you ha ve co ntinued to ph ysically re port to wo rk, or you ha ve be en wo rking re motely and yo ur em ployer is tr ansitioning ba ck to br ick and mo rtar op erations, you mu st ha ve mo re th an a ge neral co ncern about yo ur he alth and sa fety and you sh ould at tempt to re solve yo ur sp ecific co ncerns wi th yo ur em ployer be fore co ntemplating quitting. at do I do if DUA de nies me unemployment be nefits?If you are di
squalified fr om be nefits, ma ke an ap peal re quest im mediately. Th is do es not re quire you to wr ite a de tailed le tter or dr aft an ar gument. It is si mply a no tice th at mu st be pr ovided to the DUA to sc hedule an ap peal he aring. You mu st fi le the ap peal re quest wi th the DUA wi thin 10 da ys of the da te the de nial was ma iled or se nt to yo u, not the da te you re ceive it. If you re ceive mo re th an one no tice of de nial of be nefits, it is im portant to ap peal ea ch no tice se parately. La te ap peals may be al lowed for go od ca use, me aning ci rcumstances be yond yo ur co ntrol, but it is al ways be tter to ti mely fi le. Co ntact yo ur un ion to see if you are el igible for le gal as sistance wi th yo ur ap peal but do not wa it to fi le the ap peal itself.CO
Wh VID-19 Su pplemental Answer: Un der DUA em ergency re gulations, the DUA may co nsider a mi ssed de adline to be for go od ca use if it is CO VID-19 re lated, for ex ample if you or yo ur im mediate fa mily or ho usehold me mber is ill wi th co nfirmed or su spected ca se of CO VID-19 or are su bject to qu arantine due to CO VID-19. Ho wever, it re mains be tter to fi le yo ur ap peal ti mely if at all possible. at do I do if DUA de termines th at it has ov erpaid me?If you are pa
id unemployment be nefits to wh ich DUA la ter de termines you we re not en titled, you wi ll be re quired to pay th em ba ck ex cept in ve ry na rrow ci rcumstances. If DUA de termines th at you re ceived an ov erpayment due to yo ur own fa ult or mi srepresentations, you are su bject to ad ditional fi nes and pe nalties. If any of th is ha ppens, it is vi tal to fi le a ti mely ap peal of DU A’s de termination (as de scribed ab ove) and to se ek as sistance fr om yo ur union.CO
VID-19 Su pplemental An swer: Be cause of the un precedented de mand for unemployment be nefits and the re sulting st rain on the sy stem, mi stakes su ch as ov erpayment are mo re li kely to oc cur. In or der to pr otect yo urself, ma ke ce rtain th at yo ur ap plication co ntains on ly ac curate in formation, and be vi gilant for any su bsequent no tices of disqualification.Get an
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