Kansas Unemployment Benefits

The subsequent sections will explain how to apply for unemployment online and which eligibility for unemployment requirements workers must meet. Moreover, the sections below will address what information claimants must provide when they apply for the program and what applicants can do if their petitions are rejected.

What is unemployment in Kansas?

The DOL extends Kansas unemployment benefits to local employees on a short-term basis. With these funds, recipients are able to financially support themselves and their dependents while they are in between jobs. The KS unemployment insurance program offers funds to enrollees for a maximum of 16 weeks during a single calendar year. Furthermore, eligible candidates may receive up to $474 every week they are enrolled in the program. This is referred to as the UC maximum weekly benefit amount (WBA). However, petitioners must remember that they are not eligible to receive compensation during the first week that their unemployment claim is active. This period is referred to as a waiting week. For all other claim weeks during enrollment, candidates may receive benefits. Despite the fact that this program provides workers with substantial financial support, they must remember that UC is not intended to be a long-term solution for joblessness.

What are the requirements to get unemployment in Kansas?

Eligibility for unemployment in Kansas takes into account various aspects of the applicants’ professional and financial histories to determine if they may receive benefits. These requirements include:

• Work availability and search In order to be eligible to receive UI benefits, applicants must be able and willing to accept full-time employment opportunities. Furthermore, these candidates must register to work with the state’s required channels.
• Unemployment reasons – Beneficiaries must be unemployed due to circumstances that were out of their control. This means that individuals may not be eligible to receive UC if they quit their jobs without good reason or were discharged due to misconduct.
• Financial earnings – Petitioners must have earned enough money during their base periods in order to qualify for compensation. For UI purposes, the base period is defined as the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. Thus, this period excludes the quarter in which claimants submit their applications.

Regarding financial unemployment insurance eligibility requirements, there are specific amounts of money individuals must have earned at certain base period quarters. These qualifications for unemployment are as follows:

• Financial distribution – Enrollees must have earned income during at least two of the four quarters in their base periods.
• Insured employment – UC candidates must have earned their wages from insured employers in order to qualify for this program. This means that their employers must have paid taxes into the UI program.
• Gross finances – Beneficiaries must have total gross wages during their base periods that equal at least 30 times their calculated weekly benefit amounts (WBAs).

How can I sign up for unemployment in Kansas?

Qualified petitioners may wonder how to apply for unemployment online in Kansas or over the phone. Both of these options are available in the state. However, filing an online application for unemployment is quicker because the petition is immediately received by the DOL. Regardless of how claimants choose to apply for unemployment benefits, they will need to submit:

• Identifying information, such as full names, Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and driver’s license numbers.
• Contact information, including mailing addresses, the county where they live and phone numbers.
• Employer information for all companies they worked for in the last 18 months. This includes their employer’s mailing address and name.
• Employment timeline, including the dates when the applicants worked for these employers and the reasons why they left their positions.
• Payment compensation claimants have received or are expected to receive since they left their positions. This includes any pension, severance or unused vacation pay.

In addition, candidates who file for an unemployment claim and fall into specific categories must provide the DOL with additional information. For example:

• Military personnel who separated with the organization within the last 18 months must submit their DD-214 Member 4 copies.
• Federal employees are required to send the DOL either their Standard Form SF-50 or pay stubs.
• Non-citizens or United States nationals need to provide their employment authorization numbers and expiration dates.

Workers who file for unemployment online must remember that they have seven days to complete their submissions before they are required to start over an application.

How do I prepare for the unemployment insurance interview in Kansas?

Claimants may need to prepare for the unemployment insurance interview if the DOL has any questions regarding their petitions. The KS unemployment phone interview is part of the UC adjudication process, which is how the DOL resolves questions regarding UI claims. Potential claim questions that could warrant an interview include:

• “Why did the applicant leave his or her job?”
• “Is the petitioner able and willing to look for work?”
• “Can the claimant perform full-time work?”

Petitioners may wonder how to pass the unemployment insurance interview, should they be called to participate in one. However, candidates must remember that this conversation is part of a larger process that involves various factors. The questions asked during unemployment interview are designed to help the state to gain a better understanding of each situation. Therefore, the details received in these interviews are evaluated alongside the information that claimants provided in their initial applications. In any case, workers must remember that this conversation is an extremely important part of the enrollment process. Furthermore, missing the UC phone call could cause petitioners to lose their benefits.

In some instances, the DOL may require an unemployment interview with employer in order to gain information about the petitioner’s job loss. In general, interviews of this sort are common and do not indicate that petitioners will be denied benefits. In fact, a UI interview in Kansas is generally required when claimants leave their positions due to reasons besides layoffs. Since the interview is not a guarantee that applicants will be denied benefits, they should still continue to file weekly claims.

How do I claim unemployment benefits in Kansas?

In order to claim unemployment benefits in Kansas, accepted candidates are required to complete additional tasks once they enroll in the program. These steps are necessary for recipients to maintain an unemployment benefits claim, and they must be completed on time. The first stipulation relates to job search activities. These steps are as follows:

• Fill out the “My Reemployment Plan” sheet. Upon receiving their acceptances into the program, enrollees have seven days to complete this form and return it to the DOL.
• Complete three job search activities each week. At least two of these activities must include submitting applications or resumes for potential job openings. The third activity can be attending a job fair, participating in a Workforce Center activity or undergoing a resume-writing course.
• Documenting their work search efforts. The DOL audits beneficiaries’ work search efforts. Therefore, it is imperative that enrollees maintain detailed and accurate accounts of their job search efforts. To simplify this step, participants should keep any brochures they obtain from their networking events or emails sent to employers.

Additionally, when claiming benefits for unemployment, enrollees must also file their weekly claims with the DOL. In order to claim UI benefits, workers must answer 13 questions that fall into the following categories:

• Weekly work The DOL will ask candidates whether or not they worked during the weeks when they are claiming benefits. Similarly, the department will ask whether they refused any job offers or were fired from work during each enrollment week.
• Reimbursement – Enrollees must report if they received any severance, vacation or holiday pay during the weeks they file a claim.
• Work availability – Beneficiaries are required to prove that they were physically available to work full-time during each week. Similarly, candidates must report whether they had any scheduling conflicts that prevented them from working, like school requirements.

In order to maintain a UC benefits claim, recipients must provide honest and accurate answers to the above mentioned questions. Producing fraudulent information may cause the claimant to be disqualified from the UI program for the next five years. Furthermore, candidates who falsify their claims would also be responsible for paying back with interest the money they received through this program.

What do I do if I am denied unemployment benefits in Kansas?

Claimants who are denied unemployment in Kansas have the right to file an appeal. However, they must file these requests for reconsideration within 16 days from when their determination notices were mailed. These petitions must be sent to the state’s Office of Appeals. In order to submit a denied unemployment benefits appeal, claimants must provide their:

• Names.
• Social Security Numbers.
• Current addresses.
• Phone numbers.

Employers also are able to file appeals if they disagree with the DOL’s decisions. For employers to submit these appeals, they must include:

• The claimants’ names.
• The issues they are appealing.
• Their Social Security Numbers.

Most hearings concerning unemployment benefits denied enrollment take place over the phone. These trials generally last 45 minutes. After receiving an appeal, the DOL notifies relevant parties of their hearing times and locations by sending a notice. On this document, participants receive a phone number that they must call in order to confirm that they will participate in the hearing.

During the UI denial appeal, both parties have the opportunity to present evidence, call witnesses and be represented by an attorney. After the DOL mails in its new decision after a hearing, both party can file a subsequent appeal. However, petitioners must direct these new appeals to the state’s Employment Security Board of Review.

How can I apply for a federal unemployment extension in Kansas?

Congress may authorize a federal unemployment extension to a specific state when many local individuals become unemployed there. However, an unemployment benefits extension in Kansas is not common. This unemployment extension is only available during periods when an above-average number of local workers are let go by employers. When this extension is offered, it allows program participants to enroll in UC benefits beyond the state’s 16-week maximum. In order to apply, candidates who have already expired their benefits must contact the DOL.

How do I contact the Kansas unemployment office?

Applicants and employers may contact the Kansas unemployment office with any specific questions they have about the UI process. There is a UI office in various locations throughout the state, and petitioners may submit their questions in-person or over the phone. Individuals can visit the Topekaunemployment office at:

401 SW Topeka Boulevard

Topeka, Kansas 66603

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTiONS

How do I file an unemployment claim in the state of Kansas?

One of the first steps you must stake in order to file an unemployment claim in Kansas is, create a Kansas Unemployment Benefits account on GetKansasBenefits.gov. You need an account in order to file for benefits online.

What do I do if I have a problem that I can’t solve through the website?

If you have questions or need information that you can not find on the website, you can call any of the phone numbers below in order to speak to a customer service representative.

Kansas City: 913-596-3500

Topeka: 785-575-1460

Wichita: 316-383-9947

Toll-Free: 1-800-292-6333

When will I get paid?

In the state of Kansas you will usually be paid 2 or 3 business days after you have filed your weekly claim. However, payments may not always arrive on the same day of each week.