Minnesota Unemployment Information
When people lose their jobs in Minnesota, there's help available through state unemployment compensation. According to Minnesota's Unemployment Insurance Program, these are "temporary benefits to qualified persons out of work through no fault of their own." People receiving unemployment do not pay for their benefits; they receive them through a special tax that employers pay to the state.
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The Basics
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The Minnesota Legislature created the Unemployment Insurance Program (UIP) in 1936. The state's Department of Employment and Economic Development administers the program and pays benefits from an Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. A recipient can receive 26 weeks of regular benefits and extended benefits for an additional 13 weeks (given a 6.5 percent employment rate) or 20 weeks (8 percent or higher).
Eligibility
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To receive benefits, workers must be U. S. citizens, or they must be legally eligible to work in the U. S. They must have been employed in Minnesota within the last 18 months and worked for the same employer for six months. People who were in the military or who worked for the federal government within the previous 18 months are not eligible. Members of a union who are on strike or are respecting a strike are ineligible. Recipients must be available for and actively seeking suitable work. They must file ongoing claims, report earnings if they have worked and document work they have refused.
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Filing
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People who have lost a job should file for unemployment immediately, even if they are unsure whether they are eligible. Minnesota has simplified the application process so that an unemployed person can file for benefits by telephone or online. The state no longer takes applications in person. When an application is accepted, the UIP opens an Unemployment Insurance Account, and the person can start receiving benefits. If an application is rejected, either the applicant or the employer can appeal.
Benefit Payments
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Benefits are paid weekly according to a UIP formula. The benefit amount is calculated based on half the person’s average weekly gross wage received from all employers during a certain period. The maximum amount is $585 per week. Minnesota disburses payments electronically, either by direct deposit to a bank account or through an unemployment debit card called the Bank ReliaCard® Visa®. This can be used at any U. S. Bank ATM or any bank or business that accepts the Visa debit card.
Reemployment Assistance
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Minnesota’s unemployment program offers a number of services to help put people back to work. When people are accepted into the program, they complete a Job Search Self-Assessment and a Work Search Plan. They must also attend a mandatory Reemployment Session at their local Workforce Center. The centers offer such resources as help writing a resume, interviewing for a job, networking with other job-seekers, researching employers, job-search strategies and learning about various occupations.
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