After you have established your unemployment claim, you must certify that you are fully or partially unemployed each in order to receive an unemployment payment. This is done by filing weekly claims over the Internet, telephone, and in some cases through the mail.
We determine your eligibility to receive unemployment compensation in every week you file a claim for benefits. To determine your eligibility, we ask seven questions:
1. During the week ending (week ending date), were you able to work and available for work?
2. Did you refuse an offer of work or referral to a job?
3. Did you quit a job during the week ending (week ending date)?
4. Were you fired from a job during the week ending (week ending date)?
5. Did you receive a back pay award or settlement?
6. Did you receive Workers' Compensation, vacation pay, or wages in lieu of notice?
7. Did you perform any work or earn any wages this week?
Depending on how you answer these questions, other questions may also be asked by the system.
Timeframes for Filing Your Weekly Claim
Unemployment compensation benefits are paid for the seven-day period, which begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. File your claim for benefits after Saturday. The earliest you can file a Weekly Continued Claim for benefits is 12:01 a.m. on the Sunday following the week for which you are filing a claim. The latest you can file a claim for a week is the following Friday before 4:30 PM.
If you do not file your Weekly Continued Claim by telephone or Internet by 4:30 p.m. on the Friday following the week being claimed, you must contact the Claimant Assistance Line toll-free at 1-877-214-3332 if you wish to continue filing for unemployment benefits.
If you stopped filing for unemployment benefits for any reason or missed filing a weekly claim, you must call the toll-free Initial Claims line at 1-877-214-3330 to re-open your claim before you can again call in your weekly continued claim for benefits.
What to Do if You Make a Mistake
If you have filed either by telephone or via the Internet and you discover you have made a mistake on your response to any question for your Weekly Claim, the error can be corrected as long as you re-file the claim on the same day before 4:30 p.m. If you discover you have made an error on a day other than the day you filed the Weekly Claim, or if your error is on a claim filed through the mail, you must call the toll-free Claimant Assistance Line at 1-877-214-3332 to correct the error.
Keep Filing Claims If You Have Filed An Appeal
If you file an appeal of a determination or decision that was not in your favor, continue to file a claim for benefits for each week that you remain unemployed until a decision on your appeal has been made. Filing each week ensures that you will be paid if your appeal is successful. In other words, if you don't file claims for benefits while your appeal is pending, you won't be paid for the weeks during which you failed to file a claim, even if your appeal is successful.
Filing your Weekly Claims on the Internet (new page)
Filing your weekly claims over the Internet is easy, fast, and saves you the cost of a stamp! The first time you use the UI Weekly Internet Claims system, you will be required to establish your Personal Identification Number (PIN). It is your responsibility to make sure that no one else, including family members, knows your Social Security Number and/or PIN number. If you give your SSN and/or PIN to another individual, and as a result we make a payment that should not have been made, you will be required to repay the full amount of benefits that were improperly paid. In addition, you may also have "penalty" weeks assessed against you.
To file your Weekly Continued Claims via the Internet, simply select UI Weekly Claims Internet and follow the prompts. (Remember that you are always filing for the week, which ended on the previous Saturday.)
Once you complete and submit the Internet claim form, the screen will display general information about your weekly benefit payment amount and the maximum amount of benefits you may receive in your benefit year. If you do not complete the claim form your claim will not be processed.
Filing Claims by Telephone (new page)
After filing your first claim for unemployment benefits, you may file your weekly claims for benefits by calling the toll free Weekly Claims Line at 1-800-983-2300 and selecting Option #1. It is your responsibility to make sure that no one else, including family members, knows your Social Security Number and/or PIN number. If you give your SSN and/or PIN to another individual, and as a result we make a payment that should not have been made, you will be required to repay the full amount of benefits that were improperly paid. In addition, you may also have "penalty" weeks assessed against you.
Next, you will be asked seven (7) questions concerning the week of unemployment for which you are filing your claim for benefits. (Remember that you are always filing for the week, which ended on the previous Saturday.)
Once you have answered the questions, and you hear the words "thank you for using the weekly claim and information line, good-bye," your claim has been accepted. If you hang up prior to the system telling you "good-bye" your claim will not be processed.
Filing Claims by Mail
Generally speaking, mailing your claims is the slowest method of filing weekly claims. If you elect to choose this method of filing, you would mail your claim to the following address:
Vermont Department of Labor
ATTN: Mail Claims
PO Box 189
Montpelier, VT 05601-0189