Archive for the ‘Your Benefits’ Category

Florida may be called the ‘Sunshine State’ but everything isn’t very sunny about Florida, especially the number of the unemployed labor force. An estimate by the Bureau of Labor Statistics says close to 4.63% (average of unemployed men, women, and teenagers) of its entire population is unemployed (as of June 2016). Today’s market prices cut a wide hole in all our pockets – which is why keeping the interests of every American at heart and also understanding the improbability of the development of saving habits among Americans, a benefit scheme seeks to address all your financial problems and lend some security at the expense of Government’s Revenue.

Every state in the United States have their own governing laws pertaining to the distribution of benefits for job-seekers who with no cause arising from their side, find themselves unemployed. With the intention of providing financial security and assistance in times of emergencies, the state isn’t far away from lending you a helping hand. Also, every state based on the status of your dependents and their jobs fix the sum of money for weekly monthly benefits.

There is no telling when the economy will go up or down, which is why we recommend you to register yourself at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO). It can nevertheless be handy to not merely register but also learn everything that entails a Benefit Scheme. More so appealing to a higher authority for a denied claim is something most people are unaware of as this facility is vastly unused for a state with some of the highest numbers of complaints on treating claimants unfairly through the introduction of tests.

Why Are Your Benefits Denied?

Before appealing a higher authority challenging the status quo of your Application for Unemployment Benefits, it is arguably sensible to find out ‘why’, and then commence your appeal’s process.

Nearly all working and employed professionals are recommended to register with the Florida Department of . Economic Opportunity (FDEO), irrespective of their job status. If you should find yourself unemployed and not as a consequence of your own actions, you can visit them to acquire benefits, make yourself more marketable by taking up training courses or even look for new jobs, those offered through Public Private Partnership.

Your first claim made online (phone call or personal visit) with the intention of earning benefits from the FDEO can be denied for many reasons. The commonest of reason is of course not meeting the required eligibility criteria. These can break down to four reasons –

1. ‘Able’ and ‘Available’ for work – To qualify for any kind of unemployment benefits you must demonstrate to the FDEO that you do not possess any physical or time impediment that would prevent you from working. Without fulfilling the above condition you won’t qualify for the Florida Unemployment Benefits. This is due to the presence of exclusive benefit scheme for disabled persons. Also, another crucial word is ‘Available’, which is introduced in order to imply for the job seeker to give the time expected of him/her. This is why part-time job workers get less weekly benefits compared to the rest.
2. You must lose your job with no fault of your own – Only those people are eligible for benefit amount who have been laid off the company they work for, who have played no part in the dismissal of the job – be it mannerism, addiction or lack of productivity. The Government obliges to offer help only for those who haven’t been offered an explanation as to why they were fired from their jobs, through no fault of their own but the sole responsibility of the employer.
3. You either must be totally or partially employed.
4. You must have earned a stipulated minimum amount of wages in a given time period which is referred to as the ‘Base Period’. Base Period refers to the first four complete quarters (3 months) which must have begun at least 18 months prior to claiming of the Unemployment benefits.

Other reasons include –

1. Non-disclosure of part-time jobs or misinformation on the amount of wages earned through part-time wages.
2. No reportage of wages earned by Dependants, if any.
3. The absence of information on children if they are students and are eligible to do part-time jobs.
4. Reporting 7 days late on your Unemployment Benefit can result in your claim either being delayed or denied

How To Apply For Unemployment Benefits Denial?

If you are determined as ineligible for receiving benefits, you are allowed to request an administrative hearing conducted by an appeals referee from the Office of Appeals. This appeal must be communicated either online or through writing within 20 days from the day of determination.

Appealing Online

1. Login to your Connect Account from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity website.
2. On the left-hand menu click on Determination, Pending issue, and Decision summary. From here click on the Appeals View.
3. Here you appeal the determination you wish to challenge.

Appealing through writing

To appeal through writing you can either send a letter or write to the Office of RA (Reemployment Assistance) Appeals. Before sending your letter, do not miss to mention your Social Security Number or Claimant ID.

Office of RA Appeals

PO Box 5250

Tallahassee FL 32399-5250

When your request is received and processed, an Appeals Information Pamphlet along with the Notice of Hearing will be mailed to you. A schedule for the hearing will be stated in the mail, hence be prepared to the commonly asked questions, the most obvious and the important of which are your justifications for the reason of the refusal of your determination.

In the event where you miss the hearing, you’ll have to write a request letter to the hearing officer.

After the hearing, you will receive a written decision. If you disagree with the Appeal, there is another provision for re-appealing the Appeal’s decision. Known as the process of “Review of the Appeals decision”, it must be requested in writing to the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission – either by fax at (850) 488-2123 or by logging into FloridaJobs website.  

With this, we hope to have covered every information which would help you actualize your denied Benefits. Also, to know more about eligibility criteria, initial claiming process and employment opportunities offered by the state, you can refer to our site. If any queries do leave us a comment, for help is not far away from our already growing community.

This is a common question that plagues the mind of anyone desirous of attending school after facing a layoff. While adding a degree/ improving a skill set is a good way to utilize your time when you are unemployed, it may not necessarily deem you eligible for unemployment insurance (UI) or the dole.

To recap, here are the list of eligibility rules laid down by most states in America –

• The applicant must have been laid off due to a fault that wasn’t theirs.
• State decided minimum amount of wages must be earned by the claimant during the base period.
• The claimant should have performed work for minimum no. of hours (as decided the by the State) during the base period.
• The applicant must actively look for new jobs and even prepare a work search report to present to the authorities, if asked for it.
• Applicant must be ready and available for full time work, should an opportunity present itself.

As you can see, attending school would directly contradict the last rule as you would no longer be available for full time work. However, the authorities do make some exceptions in some cases.

When Can A Student Qualify For UI?

Following are the cases where the State shows some leniency when it comes to the eligibility of students –

• Cases where the student is either attending part time school (evenings/night classes).
• Cases where an applicant of UI is attending school as part of State mandated skill improvement.

The first scenario would include people who do not contradict the rule of being available for full time work. Such applicants are often available for day jobs as their classes don’t interfere with them working full time.

Applicants who fall into the above category stand higher chances to qualify for the dole as long as they meet the other requirements as well.

The second category involves cases where a claimant of UI was deemed underskilled and was hence recommended to attend State approved training programs and classes as part of skill enhancement. In this case, attending school was a requirement that the State put forward so that the claimant continues to remain eligible.

Other Requirements To Qualify For UI While Attending A School

If you belong to the category of students who are attending evening/night schools, they will be required to meet all the rules otherwise applicable for qualifying for UI. Which means that, if they are offered a full time job which they refuse as their school timings interfere with work, then they may be disqualified immediately.

For students attending State approved training programs, the job hunting rule will be waived a bit. They may not have to accept an offer right away if the course they were urged to attend has not been completed. Apart from this, every other rule including minimum wages, minimum hours during base period and everything else in between must be met.

Support Is Always Available

In case you have doubts or if you are still unsure about your eligibility, you can use our free eligibility checker tool to arrive at an approximate conclusion. Bear in mind that it is just a tool and the State authorities are the final word when it comes to deciding a candidate’s eligibility.

You can also visit our user discussion forum and community to connect with folks facing similar situations to seek help. Attending school is a wise way to use your time while being unemployed and we hope that school will only add to your value. Good luck and cheers!

If you’re unable to work owing to illness, pregnancy or non – industrial injury, you can be eligible to receive disability insurance benefits.

Various government sponsored schemes provides monetary assistance to workers who are unable to pursue work due to disability. There are a number of disability insurance and other ancillary programs which provide both monetary and nonmonetary support.

What is Disability?

A physical or mental illness or an injury which stops or hampers customary work is disability. Short term disability programs will provide assistance from a few months to a few years while long term schemes extend assistance for an ailment that affects for years or perhaps for a lifetime which stop at retirement age.

It is paramount for you to be well acquainted with the various disability programs with a view to make use of it when you need the most. Most of the disability related benefits begin on the date you file the claim and not from the date the disability occurred. Also, there may be a waiting period for the benefits to begin. In order to understand the nature of such conditions, being self educated is important.

Disability Insurance – Eligibility

The following are the requirements to qualify for disability insurance.

• The applicant must be employed or be keenly looking for work at the time of becoming disabled.
• The disability condition must make you unfit to work for at least eight consecutive days.
• Loss of regular wages must be due to disability.
• One must meet the minimum wage requirement during the previous period and SDI should be deducted from the wages earned.
• Applicant should be under treatment from a registered doctor or recognised religious practitioner during the first eight days of disability. Continuity in treatment is necessary for receipt of benefits.  
• The applicant form and procedure should be duly submitted within 49 days of becoming disabled.

How to File?

1) Secure copy of a disability compensation application form. The form can be downloaded and printed from the website of the labor dept in your state.

2) Fill relevant details in the section/fields meant to be filled by you only. Some of the fields will need details from the doctor who is treating you as per his records. Dates of hospitalisation and treatment details may be required.

3) The doctor/practitioner treating you should fill his part and provide consent by signing. They must provide specific details and diagnosis of the medical treatment.

4) Have your employer fill their section of the form. They should provide accurate details of your employment and wages earned.

5) After checks, send the form to the Department of Labor, Temporary Disability wing (TDI) and wait for processing as per timelines prescribed. If there is any shortcoming, the authorities will keep you posted.

The disability programs provide you a recurring sum on a monthly basis instead of a lump sum with a view to balance expenses. To match inflation and other affecting components, the payout component may altered. Two of the most popular programs under disability insurance are  Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (SSDI)

The social security disability benefits may be obtained at any time, unlike retirement benefits. If your salary had tax deductions that contributed towards the fund, you can receive benefits for serious physical and mental ailments endorsed by a registered medical practitioner. SSDI does not cover short term or partial disability.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

This system covers with little income or no assets or citizens who may have never worked. The benefits under this scheme are funded by federal taxes(Abbott).

Medicare

This health insurance scheme provides benefits for people aged 65 and above and also extended to citizens who have been on SSDI for 2 years. For some health conditions, instant eligibility is available with exception of mental ailments. Those who qualify for Medicare, a premium will be deducted from monthly SSDI check.

Medicaid

Is an health insurance program for those on SSI and is jointly funded by state and federal government. It is one of the largest programs in the country for medical and health related expenses for people with low income group.

Cobra Health Insurance

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) insurance is a program that mandates limited health insurance coverage after leaving employment to former employees, their spouses, dependent children and retirees.