If you are registered to receive unemployment benefits in Nebraska, you could receive notice by mail that you are required to sign up for Employment Services.

This is done at the Labor Career Center soon after you claim and you will then follow the program so as to continue to be eligible for benefits. However the Nebraska Workforce Development-Department of Labor Dislocated Worker Unit can be contacted by employers even before they lay-off employees. The rapid response meetings can help to reduce the anxiety workers feel when informed of future lay-offs.

These meetings facilitate re-entry into the workforce in various ways. Employers who use the Rapid Response Program really support their employees giving them more confidence when searching for work. Anyone wishing to provide their workers with this service should write to: Nebraska Workforce Development-Department of Labor Dislocated Worker Unit Employment and Training P.O. Box 94600 Lincoln NE 68509 (402) 471-9878 TDD (800) 833 7352 or visit the website www.nebraskaworkforce.com career services at local Nebraska Workforce Development.

Career services include job referral using a computerized file to match employers´requirements with employees´ qualifications. There is counseling to help applicants with decisions about careers and assessment. Veterans can be helped individually and the latest Labor Market information is available. There are Trade Adjustment  Assistance Programs for those who lost work because of foreign trade which are designed to help them find employment as quickly as possible. Training and Employment Programs are provided by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and for those who prefer to use the internet they should log on to nebraskaworkforce.com to get online help free of charge using Nebraska´s Joblink. Click on find a job at nebraskaworkforce.com.

There are many useful services on line and you could get help writing a resume so it is well worth your while to learn internet skills. It can mean the difference between long-term unemployment and quick reemployment if you know how to use this very useful tool. Once you have prepared your resume you will be able to post it on databases or send it directly by e-mail to prospective employers. Another way would be to set up a website with the information on your resume but also include graphics and video. Employment  Applications are very important and should be very carefully prepared so as to catch the attention of the all important employers. They should of course be honest and positive beside containing all the necessary personal data, requirements and references.

A resume is even more important and you can access real help in order to prepare one that will be an asset when looking for work. A cover letter should be included when sending a resume and this requires tailoring for each particular occasion. There is help for all of these details and assistance too to prepare for interviews so as to make the most of each interview. The Nebraska Employment Services are there to help you as much as possible.

 

 

Nebraska State has a variety of programs prepared so as to cushion the blow when citizens are made unemployed. The Rapid Response Booklet is especially designed to help with information about such important details as unemployment insurance benefits . Training programs are explained so that people can acquire the skills they need to be ready to fill any vacancy in the job market. There is counseling and help with career assessment as well as much needed support financially towards meeting obligations especially family obligations. It is often the case that employees need help to alleviate the tension and anxiety felt on learning of the imminent layoff.

The Rapid Response Program can arrange meetings even before the actual layoff of employees and can identify the services available to the dislocated workers. This could mean coordinating efforts with other agencies such as Employment Services, Unemployment Insurance, Education and Health and Human Services and Consumer Credit Counseling among other local government or state agencies. All of this is good for employee moral at a time when people really need assistance to readjust to their new situation. Career specialists are on hand to help with difficult career decisions by counseling and guiding the unemployed workers through the process of finding work. This can include assessment which may be useful to determine which job options are suitable for the skills and potential of each person.

There is specially trained staff who give individual help to veterans as they search for employment. There is a lot of help to be had when preparing a resume that will clearly describe your experience and your particular skills and accomplishments. A lot of this help is to be found on-line and it is a definite advantage to learn computer and internet skills so as to take full advantage of all the help available. A real state of the art service in this regard is Joblink which can be used completely free of charge by those looking for work and also employers on the web at Nebraskaworkforce.com or email LMI _NE @ nebraska.gov or by calling (402)471-2600.

You can learn the latest information about work possibilities and options.Projections for employment growth, wage estimates, economic trends, statistics and unemployment rates statewide. The trade act of 2002 was especially made to benefit those who, as a result of the increase in imports, were made unemployed. A petition is filed and as soon as an approved certification is issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, workers can apply for benefits such as training or relocation.

There are other dislocated worker programs for those who don´t qualify for Trade Act Programs. To file a petition for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) you could print a form from www.doleta.gov/tradeact/petitions.cfm or you could visit the Workforce Development Career Center where they can provide you with a petition form. The whole idea of these programs is to find employment as soon as possible using many different methods towards that end.

Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) is for people in Nebraska who have used up all the unemployment benefits to which they are entitled. As of 2009 the “Worker Home Ownership and Business Assistance” Act changed the established maximum number of weeks that anyone can collect EUC. 14 more weeks are now added on to the previous legal amount available, as signed by president Obama. This law went into effect on Sunday November 8 2009.Anyone who qualifies for extended benefits is notified by the Nebraska Department of Labor, by mail.

As soon as they receive the notification of eligibility for the extension of their benefits they are told to call the Nebraska Claim Center- 402-458-2500 so as to reopen their claim. This can not be done by internet. Anyone who is eligible will be helped in this way as they search for re-employment.

It is best not to call on Monday or Tuesday as there are so many calls. Calls that are made later in the week will be dealt with just as quickly. Extended Unemployment Compensation is funded by money from the Federal Unemployment Compensation Account.

Employers in Nebraska don´t contribute towards these benefits in any way. The Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program (EUCO8) is extended to all states for unemployed workers, who are eligible, that have used up all their benefits in the usual way.

The amount they receive is the same as that they were previously receiving as their weekly benefit amount and is received by the same method of payment as before, that means that you file the claim each week on the automated phone system or online at w.w.w.nebraskaworkforce.com just as before and you use your PIN or personal identity number and your social security number.

If you have had any work at all since you last filed a claim for unemployment benefits you must report it and give details. Non U.S. citizens will need their alien registration number. Eligibility is assessed in the normal way too so that the way you left your job is important. The reason why you quit the job will be looked into as it could disqualify you for extended benefits if you were discharged for gross misconduct or if you voluntarily left the employment.

Other considerations can be assessed at the internet site wwwnebraskaworkforce.com. If anyone is disqualified for extended benefits they can appeal the decision following the instructions they receive with the notification letter. It should be noted that unemployment benefits are taxable so all insurance benefits should be reported when you fill in your income tax forms as you see on the form UC-1099G. Anyone who, having filed an EUC claim, still needs help should contact the Nebraska Claims Center between 8:00am and 5:00pm from Monday through Friday at 402-458-2500.

The Nebraska Department of Labor is a state agency which administers the Nebraska Unemployment Insurance Program. This program is governed by the law that is Neb. Rev. Stat.S 48-601 to 48-671 (and other statutes which are related) of the Nebraska Employment Security Law. The program was established in order to alleviate the financial situation for those workers who find themselves unemployed or whose hours of work are significantly less than they previously enjoyed. This is for workers who are not responsible for the position they are in so as to temporarily replace a part of their wages until they find other work. The money is collected as a tax from employers and not from employees who have no deductions from their paychecks to contribute towards their benefits. Employers pay the Nebraska State Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund which is then used by unemployed workers when necessary. Anyone who becomes unemployed should apply for benefits as soon as possible.

This can be done online. So to file a new unemployment insurance claim you can file anytime at all, 24 hours a day and any day of the week at w.w.w.dd.nebraska.gov. If you prefer to call you can use the automated phone system on the day assigned to you according to the initial of your last name or surname. A to E should call on Monday, F to L on Tuesday while M to R are to call on Wednesday and S to Z on Thursday. The number is (402) 458-2500, TTY (402) 471-0016.

The most direct way for a person with only Nebraska employment is to file on line. When you lose your job it is best to claim benefits quickly in the same week. You will need a PIN number, which is your personal identity number and your will use it to make you claim each week to keep your data private and for your security. When choosing a number make it something different from your date of birth, address or phone number as these are easier for others to guess as would be the case with repeated numbers or consecutive numbers.

This PIN number is used as you would use your signature. This information guide is provided along with other information to help you and you should make sure you understand everything you read in it because you are required to comply in order to be eligible for benefits. If you would like to ask questions you can do so on line at w.w.w.dol.nebraska.gov. If your claim goes through in the normal way you should receive benefits within three or four weeks but you must file your claim every week. When you make your claim you will probably have to answer questions to make sure that you still qualify for that week´s benefits. You may also be instructed to register for work. This is done at any Labor Career Center of the Nebraska Department of Labor: You can start the procedure by filling out the application for employment services on line at w.w.w.dol.nebraska.gov.

The Nebraska Department of Labor will consider you eligible for unemployment benefits if you meet the criteria. That means that you have become unemployed or your hours of work have been reduced in comparison to your normal working week. Then you must make yourself available to work at least 4 days during the week you are claiming for.

You must be willing to do a job offered to you either the same as your previous employment or any other suitable work that comes available. This would include accepting normal working conditions for your job such as working hours, distance to travel and wages. You will want to be actively looking for employment and take serious steps towards finding a job every week. This is the case even if you expect to return to temporary employment or if you are working part-time. In addition to being willing and positive about finding a job you must of course be physically able to work for at least four days in the week. It may be that you receive notification by mail informing you of a requirement to register for employment services. If this occurs you can register at any Labor Career Center in Nebraska for Employment Services. Eligibility for unemployment benefits also depends on the reason for your unemployment .

If you are out of work due to layoff by your employer the case is clear cut but if you left your job for any other cause then according to the law in Nebraska there is a procedure which will be followed so as to determine whether or not you qualify for unemployment benefits. Both your employer and yourself will answer questions and then a decision will be reached. You will receive a written Determination informing you of that decision.

To calculate your benefit amount you just work out your average weekly wage and then half the amount. This amount rounded down to the nearest dollar is your Weekly Benefit or your WBA. If you are eligible for benefits your gross wages in 2011 must have been $2,807 minimum, earning at least $800 in two of your base period quarters. Your employer must have paid the required amount of unemployment insurance tax. Your base period is the first four of the last 5 quarters. Each quarter is a three month period and there is a lag quarter which is the last three months before your claim. Eligibility depends on your employer as well as yourself. The maximum number of weeks that you can claim benefits in your benefit year is 26 weeks.

The benefit year is the 52 week period starting from the week that your claim goes in to effect. The number of weeks that apply to you may depend on your wages during the base period or even on anything that disqualifies you for the maximum due to your reasons for being unemployed. Every week that you claim benefits you will report any work that you have done of any kind at all. Gross earnings are reported before any deductions. Even if payment for that work will be later you must report it for the week you actually worked. In this way you will know if you earned more than your benefit amount. In that case you no longer qualify to receive benefits. Any income at all should be reported so that no incorrect benefits will be paid to you. This avoids any future repayments when checks are made. It is best to keep careful records as you go.