Vermont Unemployment Benefits

Whenever petitioners claim unemployment benefits, they come into contact with the Vermont Department of Labor (DOL). This division of the state government is in charge of managing and distributing UI funds. The sections below will explain how claimants can better manage their interactions with the UI office by learning how to prepare for the unemployment insurance interview and what documents they need to support their testimonies. In addition, later paragraphs will also outline how candidates need to file and collect their funds each week and what steps they may take if they are denied unemployment by the DOL.

What is unemployment in Vermont?

The Vermont unemployment insurance program is available on an interim basis to workers who recently lost their jobs in different parts of the state. In particular, candidates who submit a successful unemployment claim are out of work for reasons that are someone else’s fault and meet financial income minimums. Once deemed eligible to begin receiving unemployment insurance coverage, enrollees may begin using their funds. These dollars are generally deposited into claimants’ personal checking accounts, and they can use the money to provide for themselves and their dependents.

Receiving unemployment insurance coverage can greatly support families going through this professional upheaval. However, candidates must remember that unemployment insurance is only available to them for a limited period of time. In a given calendar year, enrollees with a UI claim may only receive, at most, 26 weeks’ worth of benefits. Similarly, the state also imposes a maximum weekly benefit amount (WBA) that petitioners may collect via UC benefits. Currently, this WBA limit is set at $466. This means that, regardless of their financial situations, no claimant will be permitted to receive more than this amount each week they are enrolled in UI.

What are the requirements to get unemployment in Vermont?

Eligibility for unemployment in Vermont pertains to two key factors. The first relates to specific circumstances that resulted in petitioners’ job losses. Candidates who wonder, “What are the requirements to get unemployment in VT?” must remember that it must not be their fault they are no longer working. UI benefits are allocated to petitioners who are most deserving of these funds, and candidates whose decisions and actions caused them to lose their positions to qualify. In many cases, unemployment insurance eligibility will accept candidates who lost their jobs due to their employers permanently closing or because they were dismissed due to work shortages. On the other hand, candidates who quit for personal reasons or who were fired for gross professional misconduct will not be admitted into the program.

When determining who qualifies for unemployment, the DOL will also be sure to assess petitioners’ financial readiness for the program. In order to determine if applicants meet this requirement, the department will examine the wages claimants earned during their base periods. Base periods begin with the calendar quarters that began five quarters ago, and they encompass subsequent quarters to make four total. This period of time totals 12 months altogether, and it excludes the most recent quarter. Once claimants establish their base periods, they may begin to assess if they meet the state’s qualifications for unemployment. There are four possible venues petitioners may use to see if they meet the state’s financial eligibility for UI requirements. They are as follows:

• Option 1 Candidates need to have earned at least the state’s minimum income total in one of their base period calendar quarters. In addition, petitioners must have earned at least 40 percent of their highest quarter’s income in their other three quarters.
• Option 2 – Applicants who do not qualify with the first option may have the DOL assess their eligibility using an alternative base period. This secondary base period looks at the wages claimants received during their four most recent calendar quarters. Once the new base period is established, petitioners must meet the same earnings requirements as those mentioned in the first method.
• Option 3 – Claimants who fail to qualify using options one and two will have their base periods readjusted. In this scenario, the DOL examines the wages candidates earned in their three most recent calendar quarters, as well as their current earnings in the present quarter. In this case, applicants must only have earned the state’s minimum income level in one quarter to meet the state’s unemployment insurance eligibility requirements.
• Option 4 – This enrollment option applies exclusively to petitioners who receive Workers Compensation. In order to qualify using this method, candidates must be ineligible to qualify for UC using any of the other monetary calculating systems. Furthermore, they must be filing their claims less than six months after their temporary disability ended. Finally, candidates must also have one calendar quarter that supersedes the state’s minimum quarter amount, as well as three quarters that equal at least 40 percent of the earnings they made in their highest quarter.

How can I sign up for unemployment in Vermont?

Petitioners who would like to receive program benefits must know how to apply for unemployment online, over the phone or in person. While filing an online application for unemployment is generally the fastest route, any of these options is acceptable. Regardless of how claimants choose to submit their applications, they will need to bring particular information. Specifically, candidates will need to report:

• Personal data Petitioners who are United States citizens must produce their Social Security Numbers. If candidates are foreign born, they need to include instead their Alien Registration Numbers. If applicable, petitioners must also disclose their driver’s license or state identification numbers. Finally, all candidates must report their phone numbers mailing and home addresses to the DOL.
• Expected payment – If claimants expect to receive any severance pay or reimbursement for unused sick, holiday or vacation time, they must report this information to the state. Furthermore, applicants must specify how much they believe they will receive and how long their benefits are expected to last.
• Banking details – One of the preferred methods for distributing and receiving UI funds is via direct deposit. When candidates apply for unemployment benefits, they must report their routing and account numbers if they would like to take advantage of this convenience.
• Job-related documents – Applicants who served in the military at any point during the previous year and a half must submit the unedited version of the Member 4 copy of the DD Form 214.

In addition, candidates who file for an unemployment claim must also submit additional information to the DOL regarding their recent employers. This information is extremely important because the department must contact the last place where petitioners worked. During the unemployment registration process, however, candidates must provide the following information regarding every place they worked in the past 18 months:

• What companies they worked for and where they are located. Petitioners must include full addresses, including zip codes.
• The companies’ payroll addresses, if they differ from where the businesses are physically located.
• The business’ phone numbers, which must include their respective area codes.
• The dates claimants worked there, mentioning specific start and end dates.
• Reasons explaining why applicants no longer work at these establishments.

How do I prepare for the unemployment insurance interview in Vermont?

It is common that applicants will need to prepare for the unemployment insurance interview in Vermont. These conversations are a standard part of the enrollment process, and adjudicators are tasked with leading these conversations. The unemployment phone interview is technically part of the DOL’s fact-finding process. The goal of this interview is to help the adjudicators understand more about petitioners’ eligibility for UI.

The questions asked during the unemployment interview relate to any potential areas of uncertainty the department has regarding petitioners’ applications. Depending on the nature of the issue at hand, the DOL may also require an unemployment interview with the employer who candidates recently worked for. Regardless of who has been requested to participate in these conversations, it is in both parties’ best interests to take part in these interviews. If either representative refuses to participate, they may still be held liable for any charges that they are required to pay.

Many candidates want to know how to pass the unemployment insurance interview. In reality, however, this is not a practical goal. UI claims are evaluated based on a variety of information, and the UC phone interview is one part in this holistic process. As a result, petitioners’ only goal during these conversations should be to provide the DOL adjudicators with as honest of information as possible. The testimonies claimants give during these discussions will be frequently referenced. Similarly, providing inaccurate information may require enrollees to pay back any benefits they received but did not truly qualify for. In order to prepare for the UI interview, candidates should devote their energy to only arranging documents and evidence that directly supports their claims. Examples of these items could include copies of their contracts, employee contracts or emails sent to and from the human resources department.

How do I claim unemployment benefits in Vermont?

Candidates may claim unemployment benefits in Vermont online, over the phone or by mailing in their materials. This task must be completed for each week claimants accept benefits. To be able to collect on their active unemployment benefits claim, petitioners must answer a series of eight questions when they certify. These inquiries relate to specific topics, such as whether or not candidates:

• Received any earnings.
• Collected any Workers’ Compensation or other similar benefits.
• Worked any jobs.
• Refused one or more job offers.

Furthermore, enrollees who are claiming benefits for unemployment are also required to make a minimum of three job search contacts each week they receive payment. Candidates must report this information to the DOL. When filing these reports, claimants must disclose who they contacted, when they reached out and how they initiated the conversation. Finally, petitioners need to provide contact information for these locations. In order to properly fulfill this step and claim unemployment benefits, candidates must be sure to fulfill the diversity requirements for this obligation. Particularly, beneficiaries must:

• Contact employers on at least two different days during the claim week.
• Make at least one of these three connections in person.
• Utilize at least two different ways of contact.
• Not use any of the same contacts twice within five weeks of another.

What do I do if I am denied unemployment benefits in Vermont?

Applicants who are denied unemployment in Vermont have 30 days to file an appeal and request a new hearing with the DOL. These documents must be submitted:

• Through email.
• Via fax.
• In person.
• As a mailed letter.

Either an administrative law judge (ALJ) will hear the denied unemployment benefits appeals. When filing an appeal, claimants need to include:

• Their names and Social Security Numbers.
• Their appropriate mailing addresses.
• The final four digits in their Social Security Numbers.
• The corresponding dates for any determinations they are appealing.
• Reasons that detail why they are appealing these decisions.

Employers also have the right to request an unemployment denial appeal. During the trial, either party may submit new evidence, request to have witnesses testify in support of their cases or have lawyers represent them. After the trials end, the ALJs will mail their assessments to each party. This, however, does not necessarily mark the end of claimants’ candidacy. Petitioners who have the unemployment compensation benefits denied again may further appeal to the Employment Security Board.

How can I apply for a federal unemployment extension in Vermont?

The purpose of the federal unemployment extension in Vermont or anywhere else in the country is to devise a way for UC enrollees to receive benefits beyond the program’s usual expiration. In the Green Mountain State, this means an unemployment benefits extension allows recipients to collect UI funding beyond the state’s standard 26-week limit. Congress is responsible for making these benefits available to local workers. However, an unemployment extension is only offered during periods of widespread joblessness in a state. As a result, they are not common. When available, though, the DOL notifies qualified candidates so they can petition to receive the unemployment compensation extension.

How do I contact the Vermont unemployment office?

In addition to maintaining a comprehensive website, the Vermont unemployment office is able to provide UC enrollees and supervisors with program information. Individuals may call these locations with any inquiries they have regarding their specific claims or the enrollment process at large. Candidates who live far away from a UI office may call these locations over the phone. However, petitioners and employers who live nearby may visit these locations in person. The unemployment office in Montpelier resides at:

5 Green Mountain Drive

Montpelier, Vermont 05602

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When should I file for unemployment?

The same week you lose your job. There is no benefit in waiting to file for unemployment. You don’t get credit for any time between the day you lose your job and the day you file for unemployment benefits. The government will only recognize the day you file your claim when considering your unemployment benefits.

What is a waiting week?

A waiting week is the week after you apply for unemployment. During this week, your claim is usually being reviewed and you will not be eligible to receive payments.

Can I qualify for unemployment in Vermont if I quit?

Typically, unemployment insurance is granted to individuals who are fired from their jobs through no fault of their own. However, there may be certain circumstances that will allow a person who quits to qualify for unemployment benefits.