What Every Worker Should Know

Claims for unemployment insurance can be filed online at www.ides.state.il.us or at any of the local IDES offices located throughout the state. Once you file your claim, you can obtain information on the status of your claim by calling Tele-Serve at 1-888-337-7234 or TDD/TTY 1-800-662-3943.

At IDES local offices you can also get help with your job search. Our online job matching service, www.IllinoisSkillsMatch.com, can match you to employers’ job openings instantly. To find the IDES office nearest you, call 1-888-367-4382.

Alton Arlington Heights Belleville Bloomington Bolingbrook Burbank Carlinville Centralia Champaign Chicago Heights Cicero Danville Decatur DeKalb East St. Louis Effingham

IDES LOCATIONS Elgin Evanston Freeport Galesburg Glen Carbon Grayslake Harrisburg Harvey Jacksonville Joliet Kankakee Litchfield Lombard Marion Mattoon Moline

1657 S. Blue Island Ave. Daley College7500 S. Pulaski, Bldg. 100 4931 W. Diversey Ave. 837 W. 119th Street 2444 W. Lawrence Ave.

Mt. Vernon Murphysboro North Aurora Olney Ottawa Pekin Peoria Pontiac Quincy Rockford Springfield Sterling Waukegan Woodstock

In Chicago:

10 S. Kedzie Ave. 8750 S. Stony Island Ave. 715 E. 47th Street 1515 E. 71st St. 3500 W. Grand Ave.

State of Illinois Department of Employment Security

WHAT EVERY WORKER SHOULD KNOW

Last revised: 11/08

about Unemployment Insurance Notice to Employers

When workers are laid off for a period of seven days or more or are separated from the payroll for any reason, employers are required to provide them with a copy of this publication. If it is not practical to provide copies at the work site, the publication should be mailed to employees' last known address within five calendar days of separation. Enter the firm's name and address in the space below:

Note: The information contained in this brochure is subject to change at any time. For the latest information, visit the IDES Web site at www.ides.state.il.us. Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois IOCI 0356-09 07-08 9.4M

Illinois Department of Employment Security www.ides.state.il.us

The Illinois Department of Employment Security administers the unemployment insurance program for the state of Illinois. You are entitled to unemployment insurance benefits while you are unemployed if you meet the legal requirements. Benefits are financed solely by employers' payroll taxes – not by any deductions from your wages.

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File your claim for unemployment insurance benefits during the first week after you have become unemployed. You can file for benefits online at www.ides.state.il.us or at a local IDES office or Illinois workNet Center. If you are uncertain about your eligibility for benefits, ask your local IDES office for further information. Receipt of this pamphlet does not necessarily mean you are eligible. You must also register for job placement service at an IDES office or online at www.IllinoisSkillsMatch.com.

Who Qualifies for Unemployment Insurance?

To qualify, you must have earned at least $1,600 during a recent 12-month period known as the base period (see chart below). You must have earned at least $440 outside of the base period quarter in which your earnings were the highest. The staff of your local IDES office can explain the rules in more detail.

If Your Benefit Year Begins:

This Year Between: Jan. 1 and March 31 This Year Between: April 1 and June 30 This Year Between: July 1 and Sept. 30 This Year Between: Oct. 1 and Dec. 31

Your Base Period Will Be:

Last Year Between: Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, and the year before between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 Last Year Between: Jan. 1 and Dec. 31

Last Year Between: April 1 and Dec. 31, and this year between Jan. 1 and March 31 Last Year Between: July 1 and Dec. 31, and this year between Jan. 1 and June 30

If you have been awarded temporary total disability benefits under a workers’ compensation act or other similar acts, or if you only have worked within the last few months, your base period may be determined differently. Contact your local IDES office for more information.

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Your employer must be subject to the state's unemployment insurance law. Among the types of work not covered are certain agricultural, domestic, railroad and government work, and certain work done for one's family and on commission.

You must either be entirely out of work or be working less than full time because no more work is available. Your earnings must fall below a certain threshold determined at the time you file your claim.

Your unemployment must be involuntary. You may be disqualified if you: quit your job voluntarily without good cause attributable to your employer; were discharged for misconduct in connection with your work; were discharged for a felony or theft in connection with your work; or are out of work because of a labor dispute.

You must be able and available to work. Benefits are not paid for any period in which you are on vacation, when your principle occupation is that of a student (you may be eligible if you are attending a training course approved by the IDES director) or while you engage in any other activity that makes you unavailable for work. Benefits are not paid for any day or days on which you are unable to work because of illness, disability, family responsibilities, lack of transportation, etc.

You must be actively seeking work and willing to accept any suitable job offered. You must keep a log of your job search activities in every week for which you claim benefits. If your eligibility is challenged, you may be required to produce that document.

When and Where to File:

Information Needed to File for Benefits: ● ● ●

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This pamphlet

Verification of your Social Security number

Names and addresses of past employers and the number of days worked for each

Records showing wages earned, including dismissal wages and vacation pay

Records of any pension payments you are receiving, including Social Security Any odd-job or part-time earnings while you are unemployed Your spouse's employment status and Social Security number

Names, social security numbers and birth dates of your children, including stepchildren, adopted children under 18, disabled children regardless of age, and any child of whom you have court-ordered custody.

If, within the past two years, you have worked (1) in a state other than Illinois, (2) for a railroad, (3) for the federal government, or (4) if you have served in the armed forces, tell the claimstaker. Note: The law provides jail sentences and fines if you attempt to obtain benefits fraudulently by withholding pertinent information or by making false statements with your claim. IDES is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all state and federal nondiscrimination laws in the administration of its programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact the manager of the IDES office nearest you or the IDES Equal Opportunity Officer at (312) 793-9290 or TTY (888) 340-1007.

If you previously exhausted your rights to extended benefits, eligible individuals will be notified of their eligibility to receive up to seven additional weeks of benefits for weeks beginning on or after November 23, 2008. If you have not received this notification by December 10, 2008 and feel you might be eligible, please contact your local office.

Information on Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC 08) How do I know if I am eligible for the extension?

How do I get my extended benefit payment?

Up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment insurance benefits are payable for weeks starting July 6, 2008, and up to 7 more weeks are payable starting November 23, 2008, for the duration of the program, if you meet the following criteria: •

You are currently unemployed and have exhausted all regular unemployment insurance benefits.

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You are not eligible for any other state, Federal or Canadian UI benefits.

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The “benefit year ending date” on your most recent qualifying unemployment insurance claim is on or after May 1, 2007.

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Your total “base period” earnings on the qualifying claim are at least one and a half times the amount of wages you earned in the base period quarter in which your earnings were the highest.

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You continue to be out of work though no fault of your own and are able and available and actively seeking work.

You must certify for extended benefit payments, just as you did for regular unemployment benefits. You will certify bi-weekly via TeleServe unless you have been otherwise instructed. Once your extended benefit claim has been established you will be notified of the date you should call Tele-Serve.

What will be the amount of benefits I receive on the extension? •

The weekly dollar amount of extended benefits will be the same amount you received while collecting regular unemployment insurance benefits. This includes any dependency allowance received, if you remain eligible for this allowance.

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The total dollar amount of extended benefits you may collect is equal to the lesser of one-half the total amount of benefits payable on the regular unemployment claim (including dependency allowance), or twenty times the average weekly benefit amount (including dependency allowance) for the regular claim.

Funding for extended benefits While regular state UI benefits are funded by employer contributions, these extended benefits are 100 percent Federally funded, Illinois employers, including reimbursable employers, will not be charged for the cost of extended benefits.

What do I need to do to file for the extension? •

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Upon exhaustion of your regular benefits, an extended benefits claim will automatically be established for you if your benefit year has not ended. Once this claim is established, you will receive a “findings” letter in the mail informing you of whether or not you are eligible for the extension based on the above eligibility requirements. If your benefit year ends while you are filing for benefits, and if you are ineligible for regular benefits on your subsequent benefit year, you will receive a notice to report to your local office to determine your entitlement to extended benefits.

End dates of extended benefits •

At this time, no new extended benefit claims may be made for weeks beginning after March 31, 2009

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At this time, no extended benefits will be payable after the week ending August 28, 2009. Please continue to check the IDES website for future updates.

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SAVE TIME – FILE ONLINE!

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Questions and Answers about Filing Your Unemployment Insurance Claim on the Internet

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Why apply for unemployment insurance (UI) online? Using the Internet can let you file your claim at the time and place most convenient for you, without having to wait in line. To file, just go to www.ides.state.il.us and click on the link “Apply for Unemployment Insurance Online”. Should everyone who has a UI claim file on the Internet? Most everyone can file online, however if you worked for the US Military, the Federal Government, or outside of Illinois at some point during the past 18 months, you should contact your local IDES office before filing online. When should I file my claim? You should file your claim on the first working day after you become unemployed. What information do I need if I file my claim via the Internet?

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Social Security Number and name as it appears on your Social Security card If claiming your spouse or child as a dependent, the Social Security Number, date of birth and name of dependent(s) Employer's name, mailing address, employment dates, and separation reason for all employers worked for since 07/01/2007 to 11/24/2008 If you are not a United States citizen, your Alien Registration Information. If you worked since Sunday of this week, the amount of gross wages earned this week. (You must report all gross wages for any work performed, full or part time. Your gross wages are the amount you earned before any deductions, not your take home pay. Wages in the form of lodging, meals, merchandise or any other form should be included. Gross wages must be reported the week in which they are earned, not the week in which you receive the wages. If your gross wages earned in any week are less than your weekly benefit amount, you still may be eligible to receive a full or partial benefit payment.)

When does my claim begin? Your Internet claim will be effective the calendar week in which it is received by the IDES. For example, if you complete your Internet application today, in most cases, the claim will be effective this past Sunday. If you want to request your claim to be dated prior to this date, you must exit this system now and contact your local office. How long should the claim take me to complete? About 30 minutes.

How do I navigate through the system? While working your way through the Internet UI Claims process is quite straightforward, here are a few tips to keep in mind: •

To access the online application, you’ll need to use a Windows PC, the Internet Explorer browser, and Adobe Reader.

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DO NOT use the Back button on your browser to return to a previous screen or your information will be lost. Instead, use the navigation bar found on the left of the screen.

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DO complete the application if at all possible. If you exit before submitting the application, you will lose any information that you have entered. When done, be sure to click the FILE MY CLAIM button to transmit the application to IDES for further processing.

How do I get paid once my Internet claim is filed? Approximately two weeks after you have filed your claim you must certify for benefits on the claim by calling TeleServe at 1-888-337-7234. Tele-Serve is an automated system that enables you to claim weeks of unemployment insurance benefits over the telephone. You will receive a finding in the mail that will inform you of the date you should first call Tele-Serve to certify. If you do not receive this information sheet within two weeks from the date you filed your claim, contact your local office. After your first certification, you will continue to call Tele-Serve on a biweekly basis on your call day. Your specific date to call Tele-Serve will be printed on your Statement of Certification which will be mailed to you after each time you certify.

How are payments made? All Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits are now paid through a debit card, unless you elect to receive payment by direct deposit to a checking or savings account. More information about debit cards and signing up for direct deposit can also be found on the IDES website, www.ides.state.il.us.