Unemployment Insurance (UI)

Initial Claim Filing Guidance

UI OverviewRequirements for eligibility:• Sufficient earnings in base period;• Out of work through no fault of your own;

and• Able, available, and actively seeking full-

time work– Claimants must make 3 work searches

weekly, and– Claimants must register with Indiana Career

Connect (ICC), the online job search site

UI Overview

Factors affecting benefit amount:

• Deductible income – vacation & holiday pay, remuneration for services, etc.

• Pension/401K

• Federal Tax Withholding (optional)

UI OverviewProcedures:1) File new claim or reopen existing claim:

New claim – If a claimant does not have a current UI claim, or if the last UI claim was filed over 1 year ago – no option to reopen the claim.

Reopen claim – If a claimant has a current UI claim (filed less than one year ago) on which maximum benefit amount has not already been received – an option will be provided to reopen the claim.

2) File weekly vouchers:– Claimants must complete a voucher for each week that they

claim benefits– Claimants must certify that they are able, available, and

actively seeking full time work, and that they have completed a work search

– Vouchers can be filed online or by mail. Encourage everyone to complete the online vouchers. Online filing results in the fastest payment.

Registering with uplink

• Before filing a claim, claimants need to register with uplink.

• Help is available by clicking on the blue words while filing to get more detailed information.

• The following slides provide an example of what claimants will see when registering.

Initial Filing Process

• Once registered, claimants need to answer a series of questions in order to file a claim.

• The answers provided will determine what type of claim will be established as well as the claimant’s benefit eligibility.

The Separating Employer

• After answering a series of initial questions the claimant will be asked for the separating employer.

• If the most recent employer is listed, select it and move on.

• If the most recent employer is not listed either search for it or add it using the buttons at the bottom.

• If there are questions about the who the correct separating employer is, look at a recent pay stub.

10 Minute Break

Deductible Income

• Deductible Income is income that a claimant receives that offsets their maximum benefit amount for some period of time.

• Examples of Deductible Income include pension income, sick pay, vacation pay, and wages earned.

Changing Answers

• Claimants have the option to edit information before completing the filing process.

• Once the information has been confirmed, it is not possible to “go back” to modify answers.

• It is critically important that claimants thoroughly review the information that they have input. Incorrect information may delay payment of benefits or render them ineligible to receive benefits.

Additional Information

• At this point, the basic regular claim is filed.• If additional information is needed regarding a

claim, claimants will be asked to provide it online.

• It is very important that requests for addition information be done – this helps the Department resolve any issues on the claim and allow for more prompt payment of benefits

• NOTE: The following screens are typical ones encountered during the filing process; however, depending on each individual’s situation, some screens may differ. All requests for information should be done as completely as possible.

Summary/Confirmation

• Claimants will be presented with a summary of their answers so they may review them. It is very important that all information is correct.

• The system does provide an option to print the claim summary.

• A message will be received that confirms that the claim was filed. Be sure to have claimants follow the job match link to sign up for work if they are not being recalled by their employer.

Indiana Career Connect

• A link has been added to the claimant’s home page under “Smart Links” that will take them to our job matching service.

• Here claimants can provide their work skills and other information that will help us match them with suitable employment.

• Indianacareerconnect.com

Filing a Weekly Claim

• Claimants will need to file a weekly claim beginning each Sunday for the previous week.

• This process is also frequently referred to as “filing a weekly voucher”.

• The claimant should input:– Where they searched for work– Any income they received for the week– Whether they were able, available and

actively seeking work for the week

Able, Available & Actively Seeking Work

• Claimants must certify each week that they were able and available for work

• This means that the claimant must be able to apply for work, available to accept a job if one is offered, and actively seeking work each week (minimum of looking for work with 3 employers each week)

Additional Information

• When filing vouchers, the claimant may be asked to provide additional information regarding something that was reported.

• It’s important that any additional questions be answered as completely as possible.

• Generally expect an initial claim filing (including setting up a login) to take 30-45 minutes. Weekly vouchers should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

General Reminders

• Claimants should utilize the tutorial to get help and gain better understanding of the process.

• Everyone should register for Indiana Career Connect (ICC).

• The handout information sheet may assist in answering some basic questions that most folks have.

• Encourage claimants to do everything online – this speeds up the process and ensures quick attention to their claims

General Reminders

• Most people will want to file on Sunday (which allows them to be paid on Monday in most weeks)

• If volunteer organizations have questions, please contact Valerie Kroeger at 317-234-4026. Claimants should not be given Valerie’s contact information. Valerie will ensure that questions get routed to the correct person in the Department to get answered.

General Reminders

• Claimants with questions regarding their claim should be referred to the call center. That number is 800-891-6499