DLLR's Division of Unemployment Insurance

GENERAL INFORMATION

• The telephone number for people living in the Baltimore area or in a state other than Maryland is (410) 949-0022
  and the TTY number for the hearing impaired is (410) 767-2727.
• The toll free telephone number for people living in Maryland but outside the Baltimore calling area, is 1-800-827-4839
  and the TTY number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-827-4400.
• The Maryland relay number for the hearing impaired is 711.

To access one of the following information options, press or speak the number that corresponds to the requested option.

If you are a rotary caller, you must clearly speak the numbers "one", "two", "three", "four" or "five" to select the information option you want, and the system will interpret your selection. Simple instructions are provided to rotary callers to explain how to use speech recognition.

The automated voice response service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Service representatives are available to help people with special problems or questions Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. EST on any weekday excluding State holidays.

You can file via the Internet at mdunemployment.com or by telephone using one of the telephone numbers listed on the Unemployment Insurance Home Page under "Claim Center Telephone Numbers."

In addition, you must be unemployed through no fault of your own, be able to work, available for work, looking for full-time work, and willing to accept a job for which you are qualified.

• your name, Social Security number, address and telephone number;
• if you are claiming dependents, you will need their names, birth dates and Social Security numbers; and
• the name, complete payroll address, telephone number and reason for separation for each employer you worked for in the 18 months prior to filing your claim.

• be able to work, available for work and you must make an active search for full-time work;
• report all wages earned each week;
• report all monies received by you (e.g., vacation pay, severance pay, pension payments, etc.);
• be available and/or contact the Division of Unemployment Insurance when directed to do so;
• report to the Maryland Division of Workforce Development when required to do so;
• accept suitable work as defined by law;
• file timely bi-weekly continued claims (request for payment). For more details see the question, "How often and when must I file continued claims (request for payment)?".

When you file your initial claim or reopen your existing claim, you must report full or part-time wages earned during that week from regular employment, self-employment, odd jobs, etc. regardless of whether you were paid during that week. You must also report pensions, annuities, holiday pay, vacation pay, severance pay, bonuses and special payments that you have received or will receive. Commission payments must be reported during the week in which you receive the commission.

When you file your bi-weekly continued claims for benefits, you must report all wages earned during the week in which the work was performed regardless of whether you were paid during that week. This includes wages earned for permanent and temporary work, part-time and full-time work, self-employment and odd jobs. Commission payments must be reported during the week in which you receive the commission. In addition, DUI must be notified if during the continued claim process you receive a back pay award or if there is a change in your pension amount.

When you return to work, you must report the wages earned during the week you first work, regardless of whether you have been paid.

A part-time worker is defined as an individual whose availability for work is restricted to part-time work, and who worked predominantly on a part-time basis throughout the past year for at least 20 hours per week.

A part-time worker is considered to be able and available for work if he/she:

1. is monetarily eligible based on wages that were predominantly earned from part-time work;
2. is actively seeking part-time work;
3. is available for part-time work for at least the number of hours worked at the part-time worker's previous employment;
4. does not impose any other restrictions on his/her ability to work or availability for work; and
5. is in a labor market in which a reasonable demand exists for part-time work.

A part-time worker is not considered to be unemployed, and, therefore, not entitled to benefits, if the part-time worker is working all hours for which he/she is available regardless of the amount of money earned.

If you stop working a part-time job, you must immediately notify the Division of Unemployment Insurance (DUI). Failure to do so could result in a finding of unemployment insurance fraud.

• on a temporary layoff and your employer has provided you with a definite return to work date of 10 weeks or less;
• a member of a union and are only permitted to get your work through the union hiring hall;
• in a training program approved by the agency;
• at least 60 years of age, laid off due to a lack of work and are subject to recall to work by your employer;
• serving on a jury;
• participating in the Work Sharing program; or
• participating in the Self Employment Assistance Program.

Form DLLR/DUI 212, "Determination of Monetary Eligibility," is mailed to you within 3 days after you file your initial claim. This form is for your records and it contains a listing of your base period earnings. It lists all the employers for whom you worked who are covered by the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Law and all wages these employers reported under your name and Social Security number during the base period.

Check this form carefully. Does it:

• List any employers for whom you did not work?
• List all employers for whom you did work during your base period?
• List all the wages you earned during the base period?

If you think a correction should be made, you must contact the Claimant Information Service within 15 days and ask for a correction. You may be asked to provide copies of your Social Security card, check stubs, W-2 forms and any other proof of wages that you have.

Remember, you must contact DUI within 15 days for your protest to be accepted. Have your "Determination of Monetary Eligibility" with you when you call. In addition, you must continue to file timely bi-weekly continued claims (request for payment) while you await the result of the protest.

In addition to being monetarily eligible, you must be unemployed through no fault of your own, able to work, available for work, looking for full-time work, and willing to accept a job for which you are qualified in order to collect benefits.

Your base period is the first four of the last five calendar quarters completed before you file your new claim for benefits. If you worked full-time during all four quarters, your WBA will be approximately one-half of your gross weekly wage up to the maximum weekly benefit amount in effect at the time. You must have earnings in at least two of the four quarters of the base period. View the Maryland Schedule of Benefits (HTML or PDF, 212KB, download Adobe Acrobat for free).

Example:
If you file your claim in March, your base period will be the 12-month period from October 1st through September 30th before you filed your claim. The table below shows the base period for a new claim filed in any month of the year:

If you have worked outside of Maryland or for the Federal government or served in the Armed Services during your base period, you must report this information when you file your claim. Under certain circumstances, these wages can be combined with your Maryland wages to give you a higher weekly benefit amount. If you have no Maryland wages during the base period, you may be required to file a Federal claim or an interstate claim. DUI staff will help you with this process.

At the end of your benefit year, you may be eligible to establish a new benefit year, if you have been employed during the current benefit year and earned at least 10 times the weekly benefit amount for which you would be eligible during the new benefit year. Call the Claimant Information Service for further information on establishing a new benefit year.

It is your responsibility to keep track of the weeks for which you are requesting payment and to file those continued claims by telephone or internet timely. Failure to file your continued claims timely causes a delay in benefits and may result in denial of benefits. If your continued claims are filed properly and have been accepted over the telephone or internet, you will receive a processing number. If you do not get a processing number, the continued claim has not been accepted. If this occurs, you must contact the Claimant Information Service immediately in order to ensure continued payment of benefits. Don't wait. To be considered timely, your continued claim must be filed within 14 days from the Saturday of the most recent week for which you are requesting benefits.

Example:
In order to file a timely continued claim for the weeks ending October 3, 2009 and October 10, 2009, you must file by telephone or internet by October 24, 2009. If you do not, when you file you will receive a message that says: "Our records show that you are attempting to file an untimely claim. Please call an Unemployment Insurance Claim Center if you feel that you should be filing a claim."

Benefits for weeks that are not filed on time will be denied according to unemployment insurance law and regulations. Any claims for weeks between the first untimely week and the date you contact DUI to reopen your claim will also be denied.

It is very important that your responses to the questions on the continued claim are complete, correct and honest. Your responses to these questions become a part of your Unemployment Insurance record and will be retained. Remember it is a criminal offense to make any false statements or fail to disclose any wages or other material facts in order to obtain or increase benefits.

• You first become unemployed and wish to file your initial claim for unemployment insurance benefits;
• You are filing for benefits, work and earn wages equal to or more than your weekly benefit amount during any week, and are now totally or partially unemployed and wish to resume filing for UI benefits; or
• You are requested, either by telephone or by receipt of a written notice, to do so by any DUI staff.

You may also occasionally receive a notice asking you to report in-person or by telephone for an appeal hearing. Have your notice with you. Failure to be available for this hearing could result in a delay or denial of benefits.

On occasion, you may receive notification to report for some form of service provided by the Division of Workforce Development such as registration, job referral or an Early Intervention Workshop. The notice will tell you when and where to report. You must report in-person on the date and at the time shown on the notice. Whenever you report you should be prepared to accept an offer of suitable work and be ready to work immediately. Do not bring children, guests or pets to the office with you. Dress appropriately for a job interview. Bring the notice with you.

Any correspondence should always include your name, address and Social Security number. If you have any questions, call the Claimant Information Service. Failure to be available by telephone or report in-person as instructed may delay payment and may result in denial of your benefits.

• Meeting Reporting Requirements
• Filing Proper Claims
• Able and Available
• Active Search for Work
• Second Benefit Year Eligibility
• Voluntarily Quit Employment
• Discharged from Employment
• Refused Job or Job Referral
• Labor Dispute
• Railroad or Other State Eligibility
• Overpayment
• Fraud Overpayment
• Less common issues

You must continue to file timely continued claims bi-weekly. You will not be eligible to receive benefits for any week(s) that was not filed timely, even if you win the appeal.

More information about appeals.

If a Notice of Benefit Determination involves one of your employers, that employer also has the right to appeal the decision. If either you or your employer files an appeal and you are still unemployed, you must continue to file your timely biweekly continued claims. If you do not, you will not receive benefits, even if the appeal decision is in your favor.

Any benefits you receive will be paid by the state against which you file and all correspondence will be with that state. You must meet all the requirements of that state's laws in order to be eligible.

Since the laws of each state are different, it is possible that your base period, benefit year and payment amount will be different from that of a Maryland worker. The laws of the state against which you file govern your claim.

Claims for unemployment insurance benefits may be filed against any of the United States, the District of Columbia (D.C.), Canada, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Different states may also have different penalty periods, rules for dependents' allowances, sick claims, etc.

To determine in which states you may have an option to file, contact the states in which you worked to explore all options. Your combined wage claim may be filed in any state in which you have employment and wages in the base period of the state and you qualify based on combining your wages. These claims cannot be filed using the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Internet Website. For more information, you may call a Maryland Claim Center, "Claim Center Telephone Numbers" or contact the states in which you worked. Other states' telephone numbers are listed at "State's UI Contact Information."

If you move after establishing a Maryland claim, call the Claimant Information Service to have your address changed.

• file for benefits while working and do not report your earnings or
• make false statements or fail to give required information in order to obtain or increase benefits.

If you are found guilty of fraud you will:

• be considered overpaid for all benefits acquired fraudulently, and
• not be permitted to file for benefits for a one year period beginning the date fraud is determined, and
• be required to repay the fraudulently acquired benefits before any future benefits will be paid to you.

In addition to the above, penalties for fraud can include prosecution, which could result in a fine up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to 90 days, or both, plus interest on the fraudulently collected benefits.

To report Unemployment Insurance fraud, call 1-800-492-6804.

DEBIT CARD INFORMATION

• Saves time - Easy and quick access to your payments without waiting in line to cash or deposit a check
• Convenient - Withdraw cash at ATMs 24 hours a day and make purchases everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted
• Saves money - Reduce check cashing and money order fees
• Tracks spending - Free account information and customer service 24 hours a day
• Reliable - Receive your payments timely - no lost or stolen checks

• Access cash through bank tellers at any bank that accepts Visa
• Transfer your unemployment insurance payments to your personal bank account (similar to direct deposit)
• Withdraw cash from an ATM at: Citibank branches, MoneyPass ATM network, STARsf/Allpoint ATM network, and7-Eleven stores
• Get cash back at select retail point-of-sale locations
• Make purchases through signature or pin-based transactions

When you begin to receive benefits, this notice will be discontinued. The claim filing dates will be available on the internet on the unemployment insurance (Webcert) page and on your Citibank account page.

The date and the amount of the last payment issued to you in the last 30 days may be obtained by calling the Claimant Information Service and choosing the payment information option or by accessing mdunemployment.com and selecting "Get Payment Information". DO NOT inquire about your payment until at least 48 hours have passed after filing your continued claim. Payments are processed at night on workdays only. For example, if you file your continued claim on Sunday morning, your payment will be processed Monday night, payment information will be available on the unemployment insurance website Tuesday morning, and the funds will be available on your debit card no later than Wednesday.

The payment information will also be available on the Citibank website. See your Citibank "Maryland Unemployment Insurance Benefit Prepaid Debit Card" guide.