Initial Claim Made Easy

Initial claim

this is a quick guide for establishing an initial claim for unemployment benefits this is the best first step for anyone whether self-employed or a regular employee we'll start at the vermont department of labor's website at labor.vermont.gov on the right hand side of the screen there's a quick link section with a link to establish an initial claim you'll click on that and then scroll part way down the screen to the establish initial claims section all individuals looking to establish an initial claim for benefits may click this link this will bring us to the first screen of the unemployment insurance application the first step is to enter your social security number followed by your first name middle initial and last name in this field you'll enter your mailing address it's important to note that you should enter your mailing address as opposed to your physical address date and zip code in this field you'll enter your date of birth you can enter the date using the calendar picker or you can simply type within the field next you'll enter your email address and then your driver's license or privilege number for the purposes of this video i'll be using fake information you'll enter your actual vermont driver's license number or privilege number and then click the verify button if you do not have a vermont driver's license or driver driver privilege card you can check this box you'll need to enter your telephone number after all the contact information has been filled out you can click the next button the next screen is where you're going to enter your employment information if you are an independent contractor you can check this box if you are self-employed proprietor you can check this box otherwise you'll leave the boxes unchecked here you'll enter in the last employer or indicate your business name there is a search feature you can click from one of the search results and then the employer's address will pre-populate if you've chosen an incorrect employer you can click the x button to start over with a search or if you're unable to find your employer name in the search options you can check this box and you'll be able to freeform type in these fields next you'll enter your last employment start date and the last employment date it's important to enter the last day that you physically worked you'll need to indicate a reason for filing whether quit laid off fired working part-time or self-employed if you have a return to work date you can enter it in this field otherwise you can leave it blank after entering all of the employment information you can click the next button you have two questions that you'll need to answer on this screen are you a us citizen yes or no and are you a military service veteran after answering the questions click the next button on this screen you'll be able to enter any additional monies you may be receiving from your employer such as vacation pay wages in lieu of notice severance or pension if you need to enter one of these types of income you check the box and then you'll be required to enter in the gross vacation pay amount number of hours and rate of pay if you know the number of weeks these monies pertain to you can enter it here otherwise you can leave it blank at the bottom of the page there are two required questions workers compensation are you or will you receive it yes or no and have you received it within the past six months then click next on this screen you can indicate any applicable events um so if you've worked in another state served on active duty worked for the federal government worked for a business you owned or you're related to the owner of the business you worked for you can check all that apply or none if not applied to your situation a required question here have you filed for benefits in this or another state including canada within the past 12 months if you answer yes you'll need to indicate which state you filed in then click next this is the job information screen are you self-employed attempting to become self-employed working on a commission basis or engaged in any activities or hobbies from which you earn money yes or no are you able and available to return to full-time work you should answer yes if you could return to work if covid19 mitigation measures were lifted are you available for all shifts yes or no and are you currently attending or planning to attend school or training after answering the questions click the next button here we have the payment information screen unemployment benefits are taxable and you have an option to have state and federal taxes subtracted from your unemployment benefits each week or not it should be noted that if you answer yes both state and federal taxes will be withheld if you answer no neither state nor federal will be withheld from your benefits each week payment payment method so you have an option to opt for a paper check or direct deposit if you choose direct deposit you will need to enter the type of account whether checking or savings and you'll need to enter a valid bank routing number and account number direct deposit is a much quicker form of payment and also more reliable after making your selection you'll click the next button you'll need to enter your name in the submitted by field and a test under penalty of perjury that all information provided on the form is true click the i am not a robot box and then verify if you need to go back through your application to review and any information you've entered you can click the back button at any time and then also next to get back to the end of the application on the attestation screen you'll need to click the submit button you'll see a thank you for submitting your unemployment insurance claim page which does provide you with a confirmation number for your claim you have an option to download your application to view the details or you can return to the department of labor website there are also some instructions about when to file your first weekly claim dependent upon what day you filed your initial claim should be noted that weekly claims cannot be filed on saturdays once you're ready to file your first weekly certification according to this schedule above there is a link to file your weekly claim online thank you for watching the video and for joining me today if you have any additional questions or concerns please visit our website at labor.vermont.gov