Americans who recently lost their jobs could be eligible for federal-state unemployment insurance (UI). The program provides cash stipends to unemployed workers who actively seek employment.
Unemployment insurance or unemployment benefits is a type of state-provided insurance that pays money to recently unemployed individuals and meets certain eligibility requirements weekly, as explained in Investopedia.
Also Read: Unemployment Eligibility Worth Up to $450 for California Residents: Who Are Qualified?
Recently unemployed individuals can apply for unemployment insurance benefits while looking for a new job. (Photo: Brookings)
Who are eligible to claim?
Individuals who voluntarily quit or are fired are not eligible for unemployment insurance. Eligible unemployed individuals are those who become unemployed based on the following definitions:
Cyclical unemployment – due to changes in the business cycle, including recessions
Frictional unemployment – a worker who leaves their job to find a new employer
Structural employment – long-term unemployment due to significant changes in the economy, like changing business needs
Institutional unemployment – changes in policies that affect the features of the labor market, including minimum wage laws and unemployment insurance
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Unemployment Insurance in some states
According to Marca, a recently unemployed citizen can claim unemployment benefits depending on their state’s provision. Two states provide unemployment insurance of more than the maximum of 26 weeks.
Massachusetts provides up to 30 weeks of benefits to claimants living in metropolitan areas with more than a 5.1% of monthly unemployment rate. Montana is the other state that offers 28 weeks of benefits to eligible unemployed citizens.
Meanwhile, Michigan, South Carolina, and Missouri offer up to 20 weeks of unemployment insurance to eligible applicants and up to 16 weeks of benefits for Arkansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma.
Read More: Unemployment Eligibility Worth Up to $450 for California Residents: Who Are Qualified?
