Here you will find unemployment glossary terms.
Additional Claim
An additional claim is filed after a break in unemployment claims because of intervening employment within the benefit year.
Address of Record
The address to which all documents are mailed. You must notify the Unemployment Insurance Division in writing of any address changes. Checks and any determination will not be forwarded by the Post Office.
Base Period
The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the beginning of your claim.
Benefit Week
A calendar week which starts at 12:01 am Sunday and ends 12:00 midnight the following Saturday.
Benefit Year
Your benefit year ends one year from the effective date of your claim.
Benefits
The monetary amount paid to an unemployed or partially unemployed worker.
Calendar Quarter
A period of three consecutive calendar months ending on March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31.
Calendar Week
The seven consecutive days beginning on Sunday and ending on Saturday.
Claimant
A totally or partially unemployed person who files for unemployment benefits.
Claimant Fraud
The willful misrepresentation or nondisclosure of a material fact by a claimant for the purpose of obtaining benefits to which the person is not entitled.
Combined-Wage Claim
A claim filed in one state against wage credits in two or more states.
Determination
An official decision by the Unemployment Insurance Division regarding the unemployment claim of a person. (See monetary and nonmonetary determination)
Disqualification
A condition which may disqualify a claimant from receiving benefits.
Effective Date
The effective date of your initial claim is the Sunday prior to the day that you first file your claim for unemployment insurance.
Exhausted Benefits
This results when all of the benefits for which you are eligible have been paid.
Filing Date
The date you fill out your claim for unemployment compensation.
Frozen Wage Credits
If you had a continuous period of sickness or injury resulting in a total temporary compensation under the Workers' Compensation law, you may be able to claim unemployment benefits based on earnings prior to your injury date.
Highest Quarter
The quarter in your base period in which you earned your highest wages. Total wages for the base period must equal at least 1.4 times the highest quarter of earnings for you to be eligible for benefits.
Initial Claim
A new or an additional claim.
Internet Claims Filing
Unemployment Insurance initial, additional, and reopened claims can be filed via the web.
Interstate Claim
A claim filed after you have moved to a new state against the state where you had earned wages.
Issue
An act, circumstance, or condition which could potentially disqualify you from receiving benefits.
Job Attached
If you expect to be recalled to your job within twelve weeks from an employer who paid 50% or more of your base period wages, you will not be required to contact other employers or register for work until after the expiration of twelve weeks. If you are not recalled within the twelve weeks, you must begin an active work search to continue to receive benefits. This must be confirmed with the employer and starts from the effective date of the claim.
Lag Quarter
The quarter between the end of a base period and the quarter which includes the effective date of your claim.
Liable State
The state against which a worker files a claim for compensation.
Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA)
The maximum amount of benefits which a person may receive during a benefit year.
Monetary Determination
A written notice issued to inform you whether or not you meet the wage requirements necessary to establish entitlement to compensation. What the weekly and maximum benefit amounts you may receive, if entitled, and the beginning and ending dates of your benefit year.
New claim
The first claim for benefits which is filed in a benefit year.
Nonmonetary determination
A written notice issued to inform a person whether or not he is eligible for benefits based on a decision on an issue which is not related to wages.
Overpayment
An amount of benefits paid to an individual to which the individual is not legally entitled.
Payorder
The payorder is sent to you every two weeks. To claim unemployment compensation for the next two weeks, this payorder must be returned, unless you file by phone.
Period of Employment
The period beginning with the first day an employee works for an employer and extending through the last day he or she works prior to termination.
Reopened claim
A claim filed after a break in claimed weeks during a benefit year. This break could be caused by illness, disqualification, unavailability, or failure to report for any reason other than job attachment. It is not a break resulting from other employment (See additional claim).
Requalification
A process by which a claimant may establish eligibility for unemployment insurance through reemployment following a determination of ineligibility and a period of disqualification.
Unemployment
Any week in which you perform no services and receive no wages or perform less than full-time work if wages payable for that week are less than your weekly benefit amount.
Unemployment Insurance (UI) or Unemployment Compensation
A program under which a person, who is unemployed through no fault of his or her own, is paid weekly benefits based upon his or her past wages in employment covered by state or federal laws.
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE)
The federal program that provides benefits to former federal employees.
Unemployment Compensation for Former Military Personnel (UCX)
The federal program that provides benefits to former military personnel.
Union Attached
If you expect to be recalled to your job from your union within twelve weeks, you will not be required to contact other employers or register for work until after the expiration of twelve weeks. If you are not recalled within the twelve weeks, you must begin an active work search to continue to receive benefits. This must be confirmed with the union and starts from the effective date of the claim.
Voice Response System
Phone service which allows you to file your continuing claims. The system will note for which weeks you may file. Then you will be asked to respond to questions corresponding to those on the payorder.
Wage Credits
Wages earned by a person working in employment which is covered by state unemployment compensation laws.
Wage Protest
The right to protest a monetary determination if a person feels that it does not accurately portray his or her wages. This protest must be filed within 15 days following the date of notice on the monetary determination.
Weeks Compensated
The number of weeks of unemployment for which benefits are paid.
Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA)
The amount payable to a claimant for a compensable week of total unemployment.