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BENEFIT YEAR: A benefit year is the 52-week period during which you can claim benefits, beginning with the week you file your initial claim. The maximum benefit amount that you will be able to receive during that year is based on your wages in the base period, and the unemployment rate. Your benefit year will expire one year from the date of your initial claim. Once your unemployment benefits are exhausted or your benefit year has ended, you cannot receive any more benefits from that claim.

WAITING WEEK: A waiting week is a one-week period that benefits will not be paid on your claim. The waiting week will not be deducted from the maximum benefit amount. It is simply a week we review your documentation and make sure everything is in order. For all claims filed on or after August 1, 2012, the waiting week is the first week of a claim. Although no benefits will be paid, you must file a weekly certification for the benefit week to be counted as the waiting week.

WORK DONE IN OTHER STATES If you have earned wages in other U.S. states or territories during your base period, you may use these wages in combination with your Alabama wages to determine your eligibility. If you worked in another state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands during the base period, let the claims specialist know when you’re filing your claim via the phone. You can also call the UC Claimant Inquiry Line at 800-361-4524 for additional help. If you file your claim online, you’ll be asked specific questions about the work you did outside of Alabama. If you need to file a new claim, or if you’ve filed a claim against the U.S. Virgin Islands within the last 12 months, Alabama will notify the state or territory to reopen your claim or start a new one, unless your benefits from that territory are exhausted or terminated (and you don't meet requirements for requalification). The state or territory where your wages were earned and where you file your claim will decide whether you qualify for unemployment benefits. In other words, even if you qualify in one state, you may not qualify in another. This is because each state’s unemployment compensation law and procedure for filing may be different.

PART FOUR: CONDITIONS FOR ELIGIBILITY

WHAT IS AN ELIGIBILITY ISSUE? An eligibility issue is any information or circumstances, discovered during or after your benefit year, that can raise a legal question about whether you should be paid unemployment benefits. There are two types of eligibility issues: separation and non-separation eligibility issue. In other words, these issues relate to the reason you're no longer working, and all other issues related to your ability and availability to work. If we discover a potential eligibility issue before or while you're receiving benefits, we’ll need to investigate it. One part of the investigation is a fact-finding interview, which we’ll conduct with you to learn more about whether you're eligible for benefits. Under the Alabama Unemployment Compensation Law, an eligibility issue can cause your benefits to be reduced, suspended, or denied.

SEPARATION ELIGIBILITY ISSUES When you file a claim for unemployment benefits, we ask both you and your employer to describe why you’re no longer working. If there are any discrepancies between these descriptions, we may need to contact you to gather more information about your separation. Before we can make a decision about your claim, we need to understand how and why you became unemployed. The reason you’re no longer working with your last employer can affect whether you’re eligible for benefits.