How Do I Apply for Emergency Unemployment if My Illinois Unemployment Has Been Suspended?
Illinois workers typically receive unemployment benefits for 26 weeks to help lessen the pain of job loss. However, in December 2010, many Illinois unemployed workers became eligible for emergency compensation due to high unemployment rates and relatively little movement in the labor market. Emergency unemployment benefits -- based on the federal extension -- provide up to 53 additional weeks of benefits until job seekers return to work. The Illinois Department of Employment Security initiates contact with workers receiving benefits to alert them of their eligibility for emergency benefits.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Review your unemployment compensation benefit payment schedule to determine when your current unemployment benefits expire. Note the cutoff date for emergency unemployment benefits: Dec. 24, 2011. Check your calendar for the date on which you began receiving benefits and calculate how close you are to receiving your current maximum number of weekly benefits. You may be eligible for emergency unemployment benefits if you receive your final payment on or before the cutoff date.
-
2
Search correspondence you receive from the Illinois Department of Employment Security for information concerning eligibility for emergency unemployment benefits. The IDES sends instructions to beneficiaries about applying for additional unemployment benefits. Workers who are eligible for emergency payments receive instructions on how to initiate a new claim for emergency UI benefits.
-
-
3
Gather the information you used for a previous claim for UI benefits, such as your Social Security card, your employers' names and addresses, and wage information from past employers. Wage information includes year-end W-2, pay stubs or other wage statements. If you exhausted the first round of unemployment benefits, follow the IDES guidelines. IDES's instructions may require you to provide the information you relied on for your initial claim for benefits.
-
4
Contact the IDES via Internet or visit the IDES office closest to you to file a new claim or view the status of your current claim for benefits. Access the IDES website for its Office Locator (see Resources) to find an IDES location in your city or community.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Employers pay a small percentage of employees' wages based on the Federal Unemployment Tax Act. Their payments add to the coffers for unemployment benefits administered by individual states.
