How does US unemployment insurance work.

[TopCat]

Is it easier to apply for than the UK dole? How much do you get? How long for?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I know it depends on which state.

ETA: here's a page with links to the policies for individual states - CareerOneStop

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Yuwipi Woman might know about the system over there. Not sure whether it is federal of state-based. At a guess it's probably worse than the UK.

 

[MickiQ]

I seem to remember seeing somewhere it was for a maximum of 3 to 6 months and there were loads of exceptions, I can't imagine it would be anywhere as generous as the UK let alone France or Germany.

 

[Pickman's model]

Badly I believe

 

[Archimage]

Your employer pays the insurance. If you quit, you are ineligible, you must be let go. You have to wait two weeks after being let go to apply. The amount is based on how much you were making. I forget the amount. It's a pain, but not impossible to apply.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Is it easier to apply for than the UK dole? How much do you get? How long for?

The short answer is "it doesn't work." I haven't made a trip through there since I was in my early 20s and feel very lucky by that. My only experience with them is that they deliberately make it as difficult as possible and intentionally add as much shame and abuse as they can get away with.

A lot of it depends on what state you live in what the rules are and how much you get per week. Some base rules are set by the Fed. Where I'm at, the top benefit have been about $340 a week, but its technically based on your salary while working. During this time you have to apply for a certain number of jobs and provide documentation that you're doing so. The thing that I found difficult with them is that if your documentation wasn't complete in any way: you forgot to sign something, or put the proper date on it, or your potential employer didn't mail in the card they were supposed to, they docked you that week's benefits, but counted it against you for the total number of weeks you are eligible. I never did manage to get a check out of them. Most people I know give up after a couple of months trying to get a check. If I lost my job, I don't think I'd even bother with it., tbh. You're better off using that time working on getting a job, which is probably their intent.

Of course, all of this may be outdated with the program established recently for Covid-19.

 

[TopCat]

The short answer is "it doesn't work." I haven't made a trip through there since I was in my early 20s and feel very lucky by that. My only experience with them is that they deliberately make it as difficult as possible and intentionally add as much shame and abuse as they can get away with.

A lot of it depends on what state you live in what the rules are and how much you get per week. Some base rules are set by the Fed. Where I'm at, the top benefit have been about $340 a week, but its technically based on your salary while working. During this time you have to apply for a certain number of jobs and provide documentation that you're doing so. The thing that I found difficult with them is that if your documentation wasn't complete in any way: you forgot to sign something, or put the proper date on it, or your potential employer didn't mail in the card they were supposed to, they docked you that week's benefits, but counted it against you for the total number of weeks you are eligible. I never did manage to get a check out of them. Most people I know give up after a couple of months trying to get a check. If I lost my job, I don't think I'd even bother with it., tbh. You're better off using that time working on getting a job, which is probably their intent.

Of course, all of this may be outdated with the program established recently for Covid-19.

Many thanks

 

[Gimigimi]

It's designed to make sure as few people try to use it as possible and fuck over those who do. I remember visiting one of my best friends some years back and he looked like he was about to cry. I asked him what was wrong and he said he had received his unemployment check. I said "uh, isn't that good?" and he said that he had forgotten to send in documentation for some days (you're required to apply for two jobs a day and send in proof of this) and that he was afraid he was going to get fined or taken to court. He didn't, but it was just sheer luck because the audits are probably random. You can only get it if you've just lost your job and it only lasts a few months.

None of this stops anyone from bitching and whining about leeches living the good life on unemployment, of course. As everyone in America knows, all problems are caused by people with bad attitudes and the solution is giving grants and tax cuts to billionaires so they can make more opportunity, despite the fact that their noble attempts at bettering the lives of the poor with good jobs will be selfishly ignored by lazy people who always want more Free Stuff Paid For By My Tax Dollars.

 

[Combustible]

Your employer pays the insurance. If you quit, you are ineligible, you must be let go.

As I understand it, if you are let go the employer can also dispute your claim, and you only get paid if you are judged not at fault for your dismissal.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

As I understand it, if you are let go the employer can also dispute your claim, and you only get paid if you are judged not at fault for your dismissal.

I think you can still be at fault but there's a penalty offset in the number of weeks you have to wait. As you can imagine, they side with the employer most of the time.

 

[spring-peeper]

I think you can still be at fault but there's a penalty offset in the number of weeks you have to wait. As you can imagine, they side with the employer most of the time.

Up here in Canada, if you quit then you usually can't get any money

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Up here in Canada, if you quit then you usually can't get any money

In the UK you can't claim straight away either. I think it's 3 months wait.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

In the UK you can't claim straight away either. I think it's 3 months wait.

Six.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Up here in Canada, if you quit then you usually can't get any money

I think that's true here as well.