Employee: Frequently Asked Questions

If you are receiving other federal benefits – such as Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – you must exhaust PEUC benefits before receiving benefits from other programs. You will receive a notification to file a PEUC application, and you must comply in order to receive future benefits. If you exhaust PEUC benefits, your claim may automatically convert to the appropriate program type, if eligible.

Please note: If you receive PEUC benefits, that could reduce what you are eligible to receive from other programs. For example, TRA is available for a maximum of 26 weeks. In addition, PEUC is available only from March 29 through December 26, 2020.

Yes, unemployment benefits will be available for eligible Ohioans who are asked by a medical professional, local health authority, or employer to be isolated or quarantined because of COVID-19, even if they are not actually diagnosed with COVID-19.

Yes, unemployment benefits will be available for eligible Ohioans who lose their job due to their employer's loss of production caused by COVID-19.

You may be eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program offered through the federal CARES Act. This program expands eligibility to those who were self-employed before the pandemic. PUA claims must be filed by December 26, 2020. For additional details, please visit unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov/expandedeligibility.

This depends how the employer reported the employee's wages. If the employer reported tips as part of the employee's wages, it would be reflected on his or her tax reporting and, therefore, the unemployment benefit would be based on wages with tips. If the employer did not include tips in reported wages, employees will need to file an affidavit with their tipped wages for ODJFS to review.

If you were employed for at least 20 weeks during the first four of the last five calendar quarters, and if you earned an average weekly wage of at least $269 during the time you were employed, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits.

If you do not meet the $269 per week threshold, you may be eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program offered through the federal CARES Act. PUA claims must be filed by December 26, 2020. For additional details, please visit unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov/expandedeligibility.

Individuals who are partially unemployed due to lack of work may be eligible for benefits. Any earnings from employment during the week claimed may reduce the amount of benefits paid. Earnings equal to or less than 20% of a claimant's weekly benefit amount will not reduce the amount of benefits paid. Earnings over 20% of the weekly benefit amount will reduce the benefit payment dollar for dollar. Earnings equal to or over the benefit amount will result in no benefits for that week.

Possibly. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed into law on March 27, created the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. Both will be available through December 26, 2020.

Individuals who are laid off because of a COVID-19-related businesses closure may be eligible for benefits. Some child care facilities may be affiliated with churches or other organizations that are not required by law to pay unemployment insurance taxes. In those cases, the employee may not be covered.

No, this does not impact your unemployment benefits.

No. Unemployment benefits are available only if you are unemployed. Employees on FMLA through their employer are not unemployed.

It’s possible you may be eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program offered through the federal CARES Act. PUA claims must be filed by December 26, 2020. For additional details, please visit unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov/expandedeligibility.

Returning to work during the pandemic is a delicate balance of gradually re-opening the economy while providing safe working environments. ODJFS is required by law to ensure that unemployment benefits are issued in accordance with established eligibility requirements. We first encourage employers to engage in dialogue with an employee who expresses reluctance to return to work about the measures that employers are taking to help employees feel safe. It is our expectation that in most situations employers and employees will be able to work together to ensure a safe environment for employees to return to work. Individuals who feel that their workplace presents an unsafe working environment can report those conditions to their local health departments at this URL: https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/find-local-health-districts.

The ODJFS process for determining whether to deny unemployment benefits for a refusal to return to work existed prior to the pandemic. The analysis centers around whether good cause exists for refusing an offer of suitable work. That determination involves these factors: prior training and work experience, wages and benefits, travel distance, shift and hours, health and physical fitness, and health and safety. Also as part of the process, facts will be sought from both the employer and employee, and each party will have an opportunity to appeal the decision to the Unemployment Compensation Review Commission.

Each claim is different, but sometimes unemployment applications are denied because the applicant didn’t earn at least $269 in the “base period” of their claim. This a requirement for traditional state unemployment benefits. Please refer to the Claimant Affidavit portion of your New Claim Instruction Sheet. It should show the information provided by the employer(s) during the base period for the claim. If the weeks and wages that are reported do not meet the minimum monetary requirement, the claim will be disallowed because it is considered to be “monetarily ineligible.” The Affidavit provides an opportunity for you to review the information that is being used to establish your claim. It also provides you with an opportunity to submit corrections.

If you believe your application was denied in error, you may file an appeal. Please read your determination letter for instructions on how to do so. You will need to provide the number of weeks that you worked, plus supporting documentation of your wages (such as pay stubs).

If you are ineligible for traditional unemployment, you may be eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program offered through the federal CARES Act. PUA claims must be filed by December 26, 2020. Visit unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov/expandedeligibility for updates.

Those eligible can receive traditional unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related factors, additional weeks of benefits were temporarily available, as well. However, unless action is taken at the federal level, those additional weeks of benefits will end in December 2020. This infographic shows the maximum possible weeks of unemployment benefits available from November 2020 through January 2021.

For details about allowable work-search activities, see the "Active Search for Work and Reemployment Requirements".

Each week that you file a claim, you will be asked to enter the work-search activities that you conducted.

If you are quarantined or isolated by order of a medical professional, local health authority or employer, your work-search requirement will be waived, per the Governor's Executive Order 2020-03D. If you are quarantined and an issue is set on your claim requesting information about why you did not search for work, please submit documentation from a medical professional, local health authority or employer indicating that you have been quarantined or isolated because of COVID-19. If you are quarantined and your claim is denied, you will have the opportunity to appeal and submit documentation from a medical professional, local health authority or employer.

Applying online is the quickest way to start receiving unemployment benefits. To apply online, go to unemployment.ohio.gov. Click here for a step-by-step guide to applying online. If you don't have access to a computer, you can apply by phone by calling 877-644-6562. Call center hours have been extended to Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Note that it is not possible to apply for unemployment benefits in person.

You will need:

• Your Social Security number
• Your driver's license or state ID number
• Your name, address, telephone number, and email address
• Name, address, telephone number, and dates of employment for your most recent employer
• If you have dependents, their names, Social Security numbers, and birth dates
• If claiming dependents, your spouse's name, Social Security number, and birth date
• If you are not a U.S. citizen or national, alien registration number and expiration date
• Your regular occupation and job skills
• If you had out-of-state employment, have worked for the federal government, or are separated from military service, more information is required, including:
  • Form DD-214, member 4 copy (for military service)
  • SF-8 or SF-50 form (for federal government employment)

If your PIN is not working or if you have been locked out, please call 1-866-962-4064 to verify your identity and request a new temporary PIN. Staff are available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays.

Tips should be included in reported earnings. Employers report quarterly earnings, which include the tips that employees report for each pay period. Those reports are used to determine the claimant's average weekly wage. If the employer did not include tips in reported wages, employees will need to file an affidavit with their tipped wages for ODJFS to review.

You no longer need to include a mass-layoff number. If you submitted your application previously and did not include a mass-layoff number, your claim will still be processed and there is no need to adjust your application.

The only reason to appeal a denial of regular unemployment benefits is if you believe the decision was made in error. If you think you might be eligible for the PUA program, but you have an appeal for regular unemployment in process or you’re still waiting on your determination for regular unemployment, go ahead and apply for the PUA program. This will not negatively impact your existing application for regular unemployment benefits. However, PUA claims must be filed by December 26, 2020.

Apply for the PUA program here.

If you claimed traditional unemployment, PEUC or EB benefits within the last 12 months, simply go to unemployment.ohio.gov, click on "Get Started Now," and answer the questions. When prompted, log in using your Social Security number and existing PIN. (If you do not remember your PIN, call 1-866-962-4064 to reset it.) When you reach the page titled "Ohio Unemployment Benefits - Main Menu," click on the button for "Restart your claim for Benefits effective with the week beginning SUNDAY of the current week." After you submit the application, remember to continue filing weekly claims while you wait for your determination.

Note that you should not restart your claim if you had other sources of income during the week you intended to claim, and you earned more than your previous unemployment benefit amount. If that is the case, you will not be eligible for a benefit.

If more than 12 months have passed since you last received benefits, you will need to submit a new application for benefits.

Please know that the high claims volume has slowed processing times. However, you will receive all payments that you are eligible for, dating from the time that you became eligible.

We apologize for your difficulties. The high claims volume has slowed processing times, but our unemployment team is working hard to process claims and distribute payments as quickly as possible. They are adding more customer service representatives and have expanded call center hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. In addition, all benefits will be retroactive to the date claimants became eligible.

Please know that each claim is important to us. We understand the frustration the website and call center issues have caused during what is already a stressful time. We also understand the urgency of providing Ohioans with the resources they need to support their families. We are grateful for everyone's patience as we build our capacity to process this unprecedented number of claims and assist all the Ohioans who need help.

It may take 24 hours before you can view some correspondence. Typically, you will be able to view it once you receive an email notification that the correspondence is available. However, the high claims volume has caused delays in correspondence processing, and our system has sometimes generated email notifications before correspondence is available to view.

Additionally, if you have a correspondence requesting information, you will not be able to open it if the deadline for responding has passed.

We have seen errors related simply to web browsers. Please try clearing the cache/history in your web browser and try filing one more time. If you do not know how to clear the browser cache, an internet search mentioning your browser by name (e.g., Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.) should provide helpful results. Also please do not use the "back" button on your browser.

Once you file your application for unemployment, you cannot claim a week of benefits until the week has ended on Saturday at midnight. Instructions for claiming your first week are included on the New Claim Instruction Sheet, which all claimants receive after their applications are processed. Please note that unemployment benefits will be retroactive to the time that you became eligible. Any delays in submitting an application will not affect the benefit amount you will receive.

Call your local Social Security office. To find the number, visit https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp. When speaking with Social Security staff, request a "Numi Lite" form, which is a verification of your Social Security number. You can then email this form to UI_Respond@jfs.ohio.gov.

For the time being, you should continue with the application process using your former name. At the same time, you will need to submit proof of your name change, such as a copy of your Social Security card or your marriage license. You can send it either via email to UI_Respond@jfs.ohio.gov or by fax to 614-466-7449. It is recommended that you also include your former information in addition to the new information when sending in your request for a name change.

• If your claim shows as "allowed" but your weeks are showing as "denied," you will need staff assistance. Please call (877) OHIO-JOB (1-877-644-6562) or TTY at (888) 642-8203.
• If your claim shows as "pending," this means we are still processing it, and there is nothing more you need to do. If you received a confirmation number, rest assured your claim is in process, and you will receive the full amount to which you are entitled.
• If your claim shows a determination of "0-0" while it is pending, this means we are still processing your claim, and there is nothing more you need to do. If you received a confirmation number, rest assured your claim is in process, and you will receive the full amount to which you are entitled.
• If your claim shows as "denied," each claim is different, but it could have been because you earned more money than your weekly benefit amount or because you did not select "yes" that you were physically able and available to work or.
  
  When you file your weekly claims, be sure to confirm that you were available to work and physically able to work. Answering that you were unable to work because your place of business was closed due to COVID-19 is not what the question is asking. Selecting "No" to these questions may result in your weekly claims being denied. If you believe your claim was denied in error, you may file an appeal. Please see your determination letter for instructions on how to file an appeal.
• If when you submit a weekly claim you are asked to answer additional questions, please respond immediately as this will help expedite processing.

• If your payment shows as "paid" and a date is listed, this means you should receive payment in your account or on your debit card within 24 to 48 hours after that date.
• If your payment shows as "paid" and the amount is listed as $0, this means you should receive payment in your account or on your debit card within 24 to 48 hours. Once the payment is finalized, the amount will be updated.
• If your payment shows as "pending," this means we are still processing it, and there is nothing more you need to do. If you received a confirmation number, rest assured your claim is in process, and you will receive the full amount to which you are entitled.
• If your payment shows as "break in claim," you need staff intervention. Please call (877) OHIO-JOB (1-877-644-6562) or TTY at (888) 642-8203. Breaks in claim can occur if you tried to reopen a claim, but you earned more than your previous weekly benefit amount.
• If your payment shows as "pay held," this could be for any of several reasons. If you are working part-time and received holiday pay or if you previously worked for a school or educational employer and are between terms, information will be needed from your employer before you can receive benefits.

If you stop submitting claims for your weekly benefits, or if you earned more than your weekly benefit amount, you may need to restart your claim.

To restart your claim, log into your account at unemployment.ohio.gov during the first week you are unemployed or the first week that you have gross earnings less than your weekly benefit amount. If you wait more than seven days to restart your claim, you may lose benefits for any weeks of unemployment that occur before the restart date.

We are very sorry that happened. Please notify our fraud department so we can take appropriate action. There are several ways to report possible unemployment fraud in Ohio: You can fill out an online form at jfs.ohio.gov/fraud, email ucbenprotest@jfs.ohio.gov, fax the information to 1-614-752-4808 or call 1-800-686-1555 (Option 1). In addition, the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section has an Identity Theft Unit that provides information for Ohioans who believe they may be a victim of identity theft. You can learn more at OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/IdentityTheft.

Once your application has been filed:

• You will receive further information by mail or email. Email will be sent from OJI@odjfs.state.oh.us.
• Your claim will be assigned to a processing center, based on the last four digits of your Social Security number. Click here for a list of Processing Centers by Social Security number.
• While you're waiting for your eligibility determination, be sure to file your first weekly claim to expedite payment. For a step-by-step guide to filing your weekly claims online, click here.

Every week, for the first 3 weeks, you must file a weekly unemployment claim in order to receive payment for that week. You should do this even if your claim has not yet been approved. If it is approved, you will then receive payment for those weeks.

If you selected email as your preferred correspondence method and direct deposit as your preferred payment method, you can continue to file weekly after the first 3 weeks. If you selected U.S. mail as your preferred correspondence method, you will be required to file biweekly.

Once your application has been processed, you will receive a determination by mail or email (depending on which option you chose). If you chose email, you will receive a notice to log in to unemployment.ohio.gov to view the determination. The determination will state whether you qualify for benefits.

We are working as quickly as possible to process a record number of claims. The normal processing time is 21 days from the date that you filed your application. However, we are at least one week behind schedule. Please be assured that your benefits will be retroactive to the time that you became eligible.

Your first payment will begin processing after:

• You receive your eligibility determination, and
• You file your first weekly claim.

We are working as quickly as possible to process a record number of claims. The normal processing time for new claims is 21 days from the date that you filed your application. However, we are at least one week behind schedule in payment distribution.

Please note:

• All benefits will be retroactive to the date you became eligible. If your claim is identified as needing to be backdated, you will receive an email with more information.
• Any delays in processing will not affect your total benefit amount.
• For fastest payment processing, choose direct deposit.

If you chose to receive benefits on a U.S. Bank ReliaCard, you may receive the card in the mail before funds are loaded onto it. Your card will be funded two to three business days after your claim has been approved. If you have questions about your ReliaCard, please visit usbankreliacard.com.

The fastest way to file your weekly claims is through your online account. For a step-by-step guide to filing your weekly claims online, click here. You may also call toll-free 1-877-644-6562 or TTY 1-614-387-8408 during regular business hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m..

You can calculate your estimated weekly payment by referencing page 19 of the Worker's Guide to Unemployment Insurance. In addition, the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act will provide an additional $600 a week ‪from April 4 through July 25. The additional $600 per week will be paid via a separate weekly payment and will appear on your pay stubs with the designation "FAC". ‬

Yes.

Yes.

If you chose to receive benefits on a U.S. Bank ReliaCard, you may receive the card in the mail before funds are loaded onto it. Your card will be funded two to three business days after your claim has been approved. If you have questions about your ReliaCard, please visit usbankreliacard.com.