Maintaining Eligibility for Unemployment Compensation Benefits
Able to Work
You must be physically and mentally able to perform work in your trade or occupation. If you are ill and unable to work during one or more days of your normal work week, you may not be entitled to benefits for that entire week. If youare not physically and mentally able to work in your trade or occupation, you may receive benefits only if you furnish medical evidence that you can do other types of work for which you are qualified.
Available for Work
To be considered available for suitable work, you must be ready and willing to work any shift of any occupation consistent with your prior training and experience. If you unduly restrict hours, wages, or conditions of employment, which limit your chances of obtaining work, benefits may not be paid for the week(s) claimed.
Actively Seekeing Work
You will be informed of the minimum work-search efforts you must make each week (Sunday through Saturday) to remain eligible for benefits. Most people are required to make a good faith effort and to actively seek suitable work on their own.
Most people are required to actively seek suitable work on their own. If so, Ohio law requires you to keep a written record of your efforts to find work during each week. You may record your contacts on the pages at the back of this booklet. Be prepared to submit a copy of your work search contacts upon request. Failure to provide proof of your work search efforts may result in benefits being disallowed.
You must seek suitable work either in the locality where you worked or in a locality where your type of work is normally performed. If working part-time, you must still seek suitable employment to meet eligibility requirements.
You may be required to register with SCOTI (Sharing Career Opportunities and Training Information), ODJFS's job matching system, for job placement assistance. For a list of locations where you can register in person, go to this website: jfs.ohio.gov/workforce/jobseekers/onestopmap.stm. You may speak with a Customer Service Representative at your claims processing center if you have questions concerning your job registration status.
You may be required to remain active with your labor organization if your union has a hiring hall and this is the normal method you follow to obtain work. To remain active, you must be a member in good standing and eligible for placement or referral. Ohio law requires you to keep a written record of contacts with your union to obtain work. Record your union contacts on the pages at the back of this booklet.
If your work search is waived because it is expected that you will return to work within 45 days, you may be required to make yourself available to your former employer for work and to keep him/her informed as to how to contact you for work.
When you are personally required to seek work in your usual occupation. If you are on a temporary layoff from a former employer you must keep your contact information current with the former employer AND seek work with other employers. Contact with your former employer does NOT constitute a work search contact; you must still seek employment with another employeer who hires in your trade or occupation.
If you live out of state and do not normally commute to work in Ohio, you may be required to register for work with your state's job matching system.
Earnings and Income
You must report earnings for services performed and any income paid or payable to you while you are claiming unemployment benefits.
If you work part-time or perform odd jobs during the weeks for which you file for unemployment benefits, you may still be paid unemployment benefits if your gross earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount. You must report gross earnings for the week (Sunday through Saturday) in which it is earned, even if you have not yet been paid.
If your earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount, Ohio law allows you an exemption of 20 percent your weekly benefit amount before a deduction is made.
| Example: If the weekly benefit amount is $400, and weekly earnings are $200. | ||
| To calculate the earnings deduction: | ||
| Total earnings in a week | $200 | Note: Holiday pay is deducted after the 20 percent earnings exemption is applied. |
| Minus earnings exemption (20% of $400) | -80 | |
| Equals earnings deduction | $120 | |
| To calculate amount of benefits paid: | ||
| Weekly benefit amount | $400 | Note: If earnings/holiday pay are equal to or greater than your weekly benefit amount, no benefits will be paid. Report all earnings, even if they would not affect your weekly benefit amount. |
| Minus earnings deducted | -120 | |
| Equals benefit amount paid | $280 | |
You must restart your claim for a week of unemployment that follows a week of excessive earnings (equals or exceeds your weekly benefit amount). You must either call 1-877-644-6562 no later than Friday of the week you will be claiming, or file by Saturday on the Internet.
You must report all income, including payments other than wages. If the money is determined to be deductible from your benefits, the entire amount of money will be deducted. Types of income that may be deductible include:
If the deductible income is less than your weekly benefit amount, your weekly payment will be reduced by the amount of income for the week.
Some types of income may not be deducted, such as:
Note: Review your unemployment check stub for a breakdown of all the above deductions. If you think this income is being deducted incorrectly, ask ODJFS for a written determination so that you may file an appeal. Refer to the "Appeal Rights" section.