Has your employment been impacted as a result of seasonal layoffs? Please find information below to help in your establishing of a new claim for unemployment benefits, or re-opening a past claim.
For Employers, information on the best process to submt information to the Department of Labor may be found below, or by clicking here.
Claimants
Have you established an initial claim for unemployment insurance benefits with the Vermont Department of Labor in the last 12 months? If so, you likely have an open benefit year and will need to re-open your claim. If you are unsure, go to labor.vermont.gov and log-in to the UI Claimant Portal to check your status. If you are unable to log-in, please review the steps below.
Establish a Claim for Benefits
- Visit labor.vermont.gov/stepsforunemployment to establish a new claim for benefits.
- *Please note: An email address is required to establish an initial claim online. Claimants will receive email communications from the Department regarding future claim and payment information.
- Once your claim has been established, you can continue to file a weekly claim for benefits through either the UI Claimant Portal or over the phone by dialing 1-800-983-2300.
Re-Open a Claim for Benefits
- Log into the UI Claimant Portal using your Social Security Number and account PIN.
- If you do not remember your PIN or have any other problem, contact our Claimant Assistance Center at 1-877-214-3332.
- Once logged-in, click the “re-open your claim” link on the welcome page.
- After re-opening your claim, continue to file your weekly claim for each week you are unemployed, either through the UI Claimant Portal or by phone at 1-800-983-2300.
File Weekly Claims
- Whether you have re-opened an old claim, or established a new claim, it is youre responsiblity as the Claimant to file EVERY WEEK you are unemployed or under-employed
- Failure to file a weekly claim may result in denial of benefits for a given week.
Claimants are required to inform the Department of Labor of any remunerations including, but not limited to: Severance Pay, Holiday Pay (Holidays as defined by State law or the Unemployment Insurance Board Rule), Vacation Pay, Sick Pay, and Wages in lieu of notice. Complete information about a claimant’s responsibilities while filing for unemployment can be found in the Department’s UI Claimant Handbook.
Employers
Traditionally, the Department assists businesses and employers needing to make mass-file unemployment insurance claims for seasonal layoffs. However, with the addition of online capabilities and the impact of COVID-19, the Department is adjusting best practices for 2020.
As your employees look to establish or re-open a past claim, they are able to do so online, as described in the steps for above for Claimants.
Additional Resources
The Department of Labor has produced a recorded presentation of resources available for employers, which may be viewed in addition to the resources listed below:
- Employee One Sheet: A one-sheet as been created for Employers to distribute to employees, providing information on how to establish and re-open an online claim. Click here to view or Download the one sheet
- Mass Request for Separation Information: To help mitigate any issues that might result in adjudication of claims, please completed the Mass Request for Separation Information, which provides information on your impacted employees
- UI Claimant Handbook: Now available online at labor.vermont.gov/document/unemployment-insurance-claimant-handbook, the handbook should be provided to those filing for unemployment insurance
- If you would like to request hard copies of the claimant handbook, please email Labor.UIClaimsCenter@vermont.gov to inquire.
- Refusal to Return to Work: Information on employees refusing an offer to return to work, may be found here: labor.vermont.gov/unemployment-insurance/refusal-return-work-covid-19
- For more resources, including Employee Return to Work Date Applications, visit our Employer Online Services page
WARN Act and Notice of Potential Layoffs
For information and details regarding the WARN Act and Notice of Potential Layoffs, please click here. When contemplating a layoff, employers are encouraged to contact the Department of Labor and Agency of Commerce and Community Development for assistance.