When a citizen of Alaska loses his job, he can apply to obtain benefits from the Unemployment Insurance program if he meets the requirements for this purpose. These are contributions from the state to individuals who are not currently working for reasons beyond them.
States that provide these benefits have similar formats regarding payment amounts, qualification procedures, among other characteristics.
However, in this article, we will show you how these benefits work and what are the requirements to get them in Alaska.
Required information
Before you start your application, be sure to have the following:
- A personal email address.
- MyAlaska account and password (if you do not have one, you must create it).
- Social Security number.
- Data of your employers for the last 18 months (such as name, address, and phone number).
- Current salary.
- Data of your current employer (such as name, address, phone number, your start date of work, your last date of work, job title/position, and reason to leave).
Eligibility criteria
In Alaska, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development manages unemployment benefits and determines eligibility on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must meet the following three requirements:
Previous payments
It is necessary to have received several salary payments before becoming unemployed; this means that you must have had a stable employment relationship.
The state of Alaska will study your work history during a “base period” of one year. There are two types of periods: regular and alternate.
- Regular: It covers the first 4 quarters out of the 5 full calendar quarters prior to filing your claim. For example, if you filed your claim in April, the base period would be from January 1 to December 31.
- Alternate: On the other hand, this period considers the last 4 full quarters before the effective date of your claim.
To be eligible for benefits in Alaska, you must have earned at least $ 2,500 in two-quarters of the base period.
Cause of unemployment
The cause of your unemployment cannot be, in any way, your own decision. In this case, you will not be eligible to get the benefits.Below, we will show some unemployment reasons that are considered valid:
- Dismissal due to the necessary reduction of personnel in the company you worked. Companies often fire employees when they can not cover their payrolls; if this is the case, you may qualify.
- Dismissal due to the inability to perform the skills assigned to do your work. You can not qualify if your dismissal is related to aggressive or disrespectful conduct. The state of Oklahoma considers “misconduct” as a risk to the safety of other employees, and therefore, the labor system.
- Justified resignation. A resignation is a voluntary way to stop working; therefore, you would normally disqualify for the benefits. However, if your resignation is well justified, you can still apply.
Willingness to work again
You must be able to work again at any time, and stay active looking for a new job. These benefits are temporary, so the state expects you to get a job as soon as possible. If you get a job offer, you must accept it if it is suitable for you.
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How to apply?
There are two ways to file your unemployment in the state of Alaska:
Phone call
You can call the claim center to 1-888-252-2557, Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm.
Online
This is the fastest way to file for benefits, through the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
- First, go to https://my.alaska.gov.
- Scroll down and select “Unemployment Insurance Benefits.”
- Login to your account or create one.
- Then, you will be redirected to a Client Authentication Screen. Fill it and select “continue.”
- On the next page, select “File a new claim.”
- Follow the screen prompts; they are easy to understand.
- Answer the questions and continue. Remember that under no circumstances should you give false information about your situation.
After completing your application, you will receive in your mail your designated amount and further information about the deposits.
Benefit amount
If you qualify for unemployment benefits, your weekly payment will be calculated on your income during the base period. The current minimum amount is $56 per week, and the maximum is $370 per week.
Also, you can collect a subsidy of $24 per week for each dependent, for a maximum of three dependents.
You can receive benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks. In times of very high unemployment, there may be additional weeks of benefits available.
CARES Act
Since April, 2020, the Congress approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This law has several benefits for people who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can see highlights of the program in this link: https://labor.alaska.gov/unemployment.