Tag Archives: Benefits

Navigators guide Idahoans through filing for unemployment insurance claims

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Nov. 25, 2022
Media Contact: Pam.Rogers@labor.idaho.gov

Unemployment insurance navigators are now available at Idaho Department of labor locations across the state to guide people through filing a claim for benefits.

Unemployment insurance is an eligibility program that replaces part of a worker’s lost income when they become unemployed through no fault of their own. Eligible claimants are paid these benefits through tax accounts to which their former employers have contributed.

As Labor employees, the navigators are assigned to help people identify and avoid mistakes that result in a delayed benefit payment, an overpayment that needs to be paid back, or fraud.

Unemployment insurance navigators can answer questions about the claims process, from first filing to continued claims. They are available in seven local labor offices, from Post Falls to Idaho Falls, and in mobile locations like Mountain Home, Kuna, Meridian, Payette, Emmett, Blackfoot, Preston, Malad City and more.

Find or call your nearest location at labor.idaho.gov/officedirectory.

Part of a $2.28 million Unemployment Insurance Equity grant through the U.S. Department of Labor is funding the program. The grant’s purpose is to make unemployment insurance more accessible to underserved populations in Idaho.

For more information about unemployment insurance and other job seeker services, go to labor.idaho.gov.

–end–

Idaho Department of Labor’s Navigators program is funded in part by a U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Administration Grant totaling $2,283,000.

Idaho employers save time, money using SIDES E-Response for unemployment claims.

Idaho employers can save time and money by responding to information requests for unemployment insurance claims filed by former employees in a secure, electronic environment.

SIDES logoSIDES (State Information Data Exchange System) is a simple tool to help employers respond to unemployment insurance requests in a quick, accurate, automated and secure way. The system is operating in 47 states, the District of Columbia and two territories.

“Responding to claims using SIDES E-Response saves Idaho employers hours of time and effort,” said Tyler Smith, SIDES coordinator for the Idaho Department of Labor. “The system is user friendly, intuitive and much more efficient than using paper.”

Continue reading →

McCall Labor Office moves to 1st Street

-Mobile employment services also available in Cascade, Council and New Meadows-

Idahoans living in remote, rural areas of Idaho’s West Central Mountains can now access state employment services in Cascade, Council, McCall and New Meadows.

The Idaho Department of Labor’s McCall mobile office is operating from a new location. Central District Health Department at 701 1st St. in McCall is sharing its space for walk-in Labor customers on Mondays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., (closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch) and on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Additional meeting times are available by appointment.

Continue reading →

Explaining Idaho’s UI Tax System – Claimants and Benefits

Idaho’s unemployment insurance (UI) program is generally like any other insurance program. It has the same basic components – an intake of funds from insured entities that go into a pooled reserve from which pre-established, eligible losses some experience are covered (Grollier, 2003). Where it differs is it is government run and the source of funds is taxes on employers pooled into a regulated trust fund, with the output the replacement of partial wages for eligible workers.

Though the basic components are similar, this straightforward comparison is too simplistic for the complex UI machine. Explaining how modern cars work by describing the basic components of an engine combusting gasoline to make wheels turn around and around does not really provide enough insight into the inner workings of the car to understand how it works. There is more to a car’s operation and to make it is easier understand, it’s useful to focus in on one aspect at a time. For our overview of the UI program we will take the same approach and focus on benefits and claimants.

Continue reading →

Scammers Target Idahoans with Fake Unemployment Text Messages

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: June 14, 2021
Media Contacts: Joshua McKenna, joshua.mckenna@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor is reminding Idahoans to be alert for a text messaging scam involving unemployment insurance claims.

Individual personal information has been compromised, hacked or breached by fraudsters in a large-scale nationwide scam involving phony texts about unemployment insurance.

If you receive a text with a link regarding unemployment insurance, disregard the text and do not click on the link. A fraudster has obtained – or stolen – your telephone number and is most likely using it to access unemployment benefits and steal your personal information. The text states your Idaho unemployment insurance claim is on hold for verification and instructs you to click on a link to reactivate your benefits. This text is a scam and should be deleted immediately.

Continue reading →

Labor Direct Job Referral Program Begins June 1

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 28, 2021
Media Contact: Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov

A new Department of Labor referral program will result in more customized matches between job seekers and Idaho employers.

Starting June 1, department workforce consultants will refer qualified unemployment insurance claimants to job openings posted on IdahoWorks, the state’s job search engine, during one-on-one meetings.

Claimants will be referred to the job openings based on their skills and experience – and they must apply to fill the vacancy within two business days to remain eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.

Continue reading →

Claimants must look for work to receive unemployment benefits

**2024 Update: Work search requirements have changed since 2021. For updated information, please review this article.  

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 23, 2021
Media Contacts: Georgia Smith, Georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov

Pre-pandemic work search requirements for unemployment insurance claimants will be reinstated starting Sunday, April 25.

Idaho has returned to low unemployment levels with 3.2% for March 2021 after hitting an all-time high 11.6% seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in April 2020. Idaho set the pace for the nation in its economic rebound from the pandemic and was the first state to experience year-to-year job growth.

The work search requirement means Idahoans who are out of work and collecting unemployment benefits will need to look for full-time employment unless they are returning to work with their employer within 16 weeks of their layoff date or are an active member of a work referral union. This is not a new requirement; rather a return to the process from before the pandemic.

Claimants who do not meet their work search requirements will not receive unemployment benefits for the week claimed. Approximately 4,500 claimants will be impacted by this change.

The work search requirements apply to regular and federal CARES Act unemployment insurance programs. Claimants – including self-employed individuals – need to report two work search contacts on their weekly certification application. These work search contacts cannot be self-employment or 1099 gig work.

The most common valid work-search activity is to apply for a job with an application, resume or cover letter. Employment services may also count as valid work search activities. These include setting up an in-person or phone appointment with a Labor workforce consultant for help with interview skills and resumes, on-the-job training, apprenticeships and virtual workshops or job fairs.

Job seekers can get connected with a workforce consultant in their area by filling out this form. Information on upcoming job fairs and workshops can be found on the Labor website calendar of events.

Learn more about Idaho’s work search requirements on the Labor website.

— end —

Labor Department Partners with ID.me for Claimant Identity Verification

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Jan. 7, 2021
Media Contacts: Darlene Carnopis, darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor has partnered with ID.me for unemployment insurance claimant identity verification.

The information gathered from claimants is needed to make sure others are not filing claims using the person’s name and other personally identifying information. This is one step Labor is taking to help prevent fraud.

Thousands upon thousands of unemployment insurance claims have been filed by scammers using false or stolen identities across the country. It is estimated these scammers have siphoned off $36 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments from states since the start of the pandemic and the implementation of the CARES Act.

Continue reading →

Idaho’s Unemployment Continued Claims Increase 3 Percent

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Dec. 3, 2020
Media Contacts: Craig Shaul, Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov or Salvador Vazquez, Salvador.Vazquez@labor.idaho.gov

The number of Idahoans who filed a continued claim for regular state unemployment insurance benefits increased 3 percent for the week ending Nov. 28 to 9,245, up 452 more than the previous week. The four-week moving average for continued claims increased from 8,343 for the week ending Nov. 21 to 8,623.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits totaled 3,991 for the week ending Nov. 28, down by 741 claims, while the four-week moving average increased by less than a percent to 4,698.

An increase in initial claims and continued claims for regular state benefits is normal for November, December and January due to the ongoing seasonality of Idaho’s economy. Claims related to COVID-19 may disrupt or exacerbate this normal seasonal pattern.

Continue reading →

Idaho’s Unemployment Continued Claims Increase 2 Percent

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Nov. 27, 2020
Media Contacts: Darlene Carnopis, Darlene.Carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Salvador Vazquez, Salvador.Vazquez@labor.idaho.gov

The number of Idahoans who filed a continued claim for regular state unemployment insurance benefits increased 2 percent for the week ending Nov. 21 to 8,793, up 483 more than the previous week. The four-week moving average for continued claims increased from 8,150 for the week ending Nov. 14 to 8,343.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits totaled 4,732 for the week ending Nov. 21, down by 328 claims, while the four-week moving average increased by 5 percent to 4,680.

An increase in initial claims and continued claims for regular state benefits is normal for November, December and January due to the ongoing seasonality of Idaho’s economy. Claims related to COVID-19 may disrupt or exacerbate this normal seasonal pattern.

Continue reading →