Filing an Unemployment Claim - Vermont
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You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, and you must have earned sufficient wages in your base period (the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before the week in which you file your application for benefits, or alternatively the last 4 quarters). Also, you must be able and available for full-time work.
Your initial application must be done over the phone by contacting 1-877-214-3300. You will be able to file weekly online.
Your weekly benefit amount is based on gross wages paid to you as reported by your former, liable employer(s), and will be calculated by adding the wages in the 2 highest quarters of your base period, dividing by 45, and rounding to the next whole dollar.
You may be eligible for a maximum benefit amount equal to 26 weeks times your weekly benefit amount or 46% of your base period wages, whichever is less. Being fired for misconduct will lead to a cap on the maximum number of weeks to be claimed in a benefit year, not to exceed 23 full weeks.
You must file weekly claims online, be able to work, and available for work. You must register for work in the Department’s Vermont JobLink system. Vermont requires that you contact three employers each week to be actively seeking work. You must keep a record of your work search contacts for one year for auditing purposes. You must accept suitable work, and report any wages made.
All appeals must be filed within 30 days of the date the determination was mailed to you, unless the appeal period is extended. This determination will contain the final date on which an appeal can be filed. All appeals must be in writing, and they can be filed in person, by mail, by fax or online. Also, you must continue to file for weekly benefits, as you will only be paid benefits for the weeks you filed if you win your appeal.
