The following questions and answers have been selected to help you better understand the Unemployment Compensation Claim (UC) process and to become more comfortable with the terminology. These questions are targeted towards individuals filing their first unemployment claim.

• How do I file a claim?
• What do I need in order to file my claim by telephone?
• How long will I have had to work to be monetarily eligible for benefits?
• Can I receive benefits if I quit my job or if I am terminated?
• How soon after I am unemployed can I file for benefits?
• How much can I receive each week?
• Can I receive benefits during all of my benefit year?
• What if I have work in another state?
• What if I am monetarily ineligible?
• What if some of my base period wages are missing or seem incorrect?
• When do I report earnings?
• How do I file my weekly certification?
• Why can't I receive benefits if I am in the hospital or can't work for any reason for a week or longer?
• When is my payment going to come?
• What Alabama banks accept the Al Vantage Card?
• How can I avoid problems with my claim or weekly benefits?
• May an ex-service person file an interstate claim, using military wages, to qualify for UC from a state which pays a higher benefit level?
• May a military retiree, who also has qualifying civilian wages, elect not to use their military wages in the monetary determination to avoid having his military pension deducted from UC benefits?
• How do I establish eligibility benefits under the Trade Act of 2002?
• What are Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) Benefits?
• Who is eligible for TRA benefits?
• If I have questions about TRA whom should I contact?
• What is the Health Coverage Tax Credit?
• What is Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA)?

Once your claim is filed, information about your claim is available online click here or by calling the Toll Free inquiry number to get general information or specific information on your claim:

You will be asked to enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN) to make sure your personal information is secure.

Q. How do I file a claim?

You may file your claim on-line here.

You can file your claim from any touch-tone telephone by calling the Initial Claims Line (toll free) at 1-866-234-5382. Your call will be answered by an electronic Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, which will ask you some initial questions. You will then be automatically connected to one of our friendly Customer Service Representatives to complete your claim. We recommend that you do not use a Cellular telephone for this process because calls may be dropped by your service prior to our system saving the information.

If you are on a temporary lay-off and will be going back to work for the same employer, your employer may have arranged to file your claim at your place of employment. Check with your employer if you think this has been arranged.

Q. What do I need in order to file my claim?

You will need your social security number and the name, correct address, and dates of employment for your most recent employer. In order to verify your identity, we will also need a driver's license or state issued ID card number and your mother's maiden name. If you are separating from the military, you will also need the member 4 copy of your DD214. If you are not a citizen of the United States, you must provide us with your work authorization number.

Q. How long will I have had to work to be monetarily eligible for benefits?

You must have wages in at least two quarters of your qualifying period (base period). The base period is the first four quarters (12 months) of the last five completed quarters from the date your claim is filed. For example, if your claim was filed effective October 5, 2002 your base period would the 12 month period beginning July 1, 2001 and ending June 30, 2002. The total of your base period earnings must equal or exceed one and one-half times your highest quarter earnings. The average of your two highest quarters must equal or exceed $1157.01.

Q. Can I receive benefits if I quit my job or if I am terminated?

Generally, you must meet certain requirements to be eligible. You must be able to work, available for work, willing to accept suitable work, actively seeking full time work, and be out of work due to no fault of your own. If you voluntarily quit your job, the burden of proof is on you to show that you quit for a good work connected reason. If you are terminated or discharged, your employer must show that you were terminated for a work-connected cause as stated in the Alabama UC Law.

Q. How soon after I am unemployed can I file for benefits?

You should file immediately. Alabama does not have a "waiting week". Your claim will be effective the Sunday preceding the day that you file for benefits either online click here or by calling 1-866-234-5382. Your claim is good for 365 days from that Sunday.

Q. How much can I receive each week?

Benefits per week range from a minimum of $45.00 to a maximum of $235.00* calculated using your base period earnings. On the day after you file your claim, a form is mailed to you (monetary determination) that states all of your base period wages by employer and the total and weekly amount to which you will be entitled.

Q. Can I receive benefits during all of my benefit year?

Generally, you have up to 26 weeks of eligibility depending on how much you have earned in your base period. If you return to work of if you have deductible income for any week, you may draw more or less than 26 weeks. The total amount that you can draw for the year is the maximum benefit amount shown on your monetary determination.

Q. What if I have work in another state?

When you contact the call center, a representative can file your claim against another state (unless that state operates their own call center) or determine if you need to combine all of your wages from several states to file a claim. You will need to be prepared to discuss the last 18 months work history for this information to be correct. The call center representative is trained to help you decided what type of claim will benefit you the most. In some cases, you will be given an option on which claim/s you decide to file.

Q. What if I am monetarily ineligible?

No benefit year is established on ineligible claims. This allows you to file again when your base period changes. Be sure to ask for a specific date as to when the quarters will change so that you can file again as soon as possible if you are still unemployed.

Q. What if some of my base period wages are missing or seem incorrect?

If your monetary determination has missing or incorrect wages, telephone your local UC inquiry line immediately. A request for a re-determination may be needed, in order for us to locate missing or incorrect wages.

Q. When do I report earnings?

When you file your weekly certification for benefits, you should report any wages you earn for any work performed during the week you are claiming. Remember---you report your gross earnings during the week in which they are earned, not when they are paid. This is a mistake that could result in an overpayment of benefits.

Q. How do I file my weekly certification?
There are two methods to file your weekly certification. You can file online, click here, or you can call the weekly certification number provided to you during your Initial Claims filing process. In either case be sure to follow all instructions completely.

Q. Why can't I receive benefits if I am in the hospital or can't work for any reason for a week or longer?

You must be available to accept full time work and be able to perform work in which you have prior training or experience in order to be eligible for any week of benefits.

Q. When is my payment going to come?

Weekly and very quickly, if you have followed all of the procedures provided to you, there are no issues to be resolved, and your claim has been cleared for payment. Occasionally, delays may occur but normally if you certify before 5:00 pm your payment is made on the next business day after you call in your weekly certification. If your payment seems unusually delayed, contact your Call Center Inquiry line. Remember to allow 48 hours for the payment to be processed by the bank handling your account or Debit Card.

For new, additional or reopen claims filed after November 6, 2006, payments will be made through the AL Vantage Debit Card unless you selected the option for direct deposit. To access your account information, click here.

Q. What Alabama banks accept the Al Vantage Card?
To view a list of Alabama Banking Institutions that accept the AL Vantage Card, click here.

Q. How can I avoid problems with my claim or weekly benefits?

Read and listen to all of the information that is provided to you. There is a lot of information provided to you when you file your claim. If you do not understand something or you feel something is wrong, ask your customer service representative when you make your claim or call the inquiry line. We are always happy to assist you.

Q. May an ex-service person file an interstate claim, using military wages , to qualify for UC from a state, which pays a higher benefit level?

No. Federal military wages are only assignable to the state where an ex-service person is physically located when the first claim for UC is filed following release from active duty.

Q. May a military retiree, who also has qualifying civilian wages, elect not to use their military wages in the monetary determination to avoid having his military pension deducted from UC benefits?

No. All wages assignable to the state must be used in the monetary determination.

Q. How do I establish eligibility benefits under the Trade Act of 2002?

A petition must be simultaneously filed with the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance and the Department of Industrial Relations to establish group eligibility for benefits. Workers or their authorized representatives may file the petitions. The required forms can be obtained from your local employment security office. You can also download a printable form from the Internet, in English or Spanish.

Q. What are Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) Benefits?

TRA benefits are a weekly allowance which may be paid to eligible workers following the exhaustion of their Unemployment Compensation benefits. This is usually the same amount as the UC payment in effect or established by the first separation from employment.

Q. Who is eligible for TRA benefits?

To be eligible for TRA benefits, you must be:

• Totally laid off within the benefit period.
• Entitled to and exhausted all UC payments.
• Employed for the affected employer for at least 26 weeks at wages of $30 per week or more in the 52-week period ending with the week of separation.
• Be in approved training (or have that requirement waived).

Q. If I have questions about TRA whom should I contact?

If you have questions with your claim or have a question regarding Trade Readjustment Allowances, contact the Call Center inquiiry line.

Q. What is the Health Coverage Tax Credit?

The Trade Act of 2002 created a Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) for eligible trade affected workers under all TAA and NAFTA-TAA certified petitions. The TAA program provides two options for an eligible individual to receive the benefit. This program established a tax credit of 65% of the amount paid by an individual for qualified health insurance coverage. The HCTC was first available as an end-of-year tax credit for the month of December 2002.

Beginning no later than August 2003, eligible individuals may request the 65 percent credit for qualified premiums be paid on their behalf on a monthly basis as they are due to their insurance providers. The participant must pay the 35 percent premium difference if they choose the advance option. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is responsible for administering the HCTC program. Individuals receiving a benefit from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation are also eligible to receive HCTC.

Additional information regarding HCTC is available by calling the HCTC Program Customer Contact Center's toll free phone number 1-866-628-HCTC. Information is also available on the HCTC Program website: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/index.html, select "Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)”.

What is Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA)?

The Trade Act of 2002 established ATAA as an alternative assistance program for older workers certified eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance. This program is effective for petitions filed on or after August 6, 2003. The Act requires that petitioners who request that workers be certified for the ATAA program must do so at the time the petition is filed. The petition form ETA9042A for requesting ATAA can be downloaded here. The program is designed to allow TAA eligible workers for whom retraining may not be appropriate and who find reemployment to receive a wage subsidy to help bridge the salary gap between their old and new employment. To receive the ATAA benefits, workers must be TAA and ATAA certified.

Under the ATAA program, workers in an eligible worker group who are at least 50 years of age and who obtain different, full-time employment within 26 weeks of separation from adversely affected employment at wages less than those earned in the adversely-affected employment, may receive up to half of the difference between the worker's old wage and the new wage. The wage subsidy may be paid up to a maximum of $10,000 during a two-year eligibility period. To be eligible for the ATAA program, workers may not earn more than $50,000 per year in the new employment. In addition, the worker group must be certified as eligible to apply for TAA benefits and meet other ATAA eligibility criteria. These additional criteria are:

• A significant number of adversely affected workers in the petitioning workers' firm are 50 years of age or older;
• The adversely affected workers in the petitioning workers' firm possess job skills that are not easily transferable to other employment; and
• The competitive conditions within the affected workers' industry are adverse.
  

* effective July 1, 2007