In today’s rough economy many people are finding themselves without jobs. Every state of our great nation is facing record unemployment. Even the “First State” of Delaware is facing tough times. As tough as it may be just remember to try to keep a positive attitude.
Collecting unemployment benefits in Delaware can be tricky. The first step in collecting unemployment benefits is to determine your eligibility. According to the official Delaware department of labor’s website:
“There are certain wage requirements based on the amount of money that you were paid while you were employed. The amount of money you were paid during your base period (the first four of last five completed calendar quarters) determines your “weekly benefit amount (WBA)”. In addition, you must be unemployed through no fault of your own, able to work, available for work, looking for work and willing to accept a job for which you are qualified.
If you find yourself unemployed in the state of Delaware one of the first things you should do after determining your eligibility is to contact your local office and obtain the necessary paperwork:
Wilmington
4425 North Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19802
(302) 761-8446
Newark
Pencader Corporate Center
225 Corporate Blvd., Suite 108
Newark, DE 19702
(302) 368-6600
Dover
1114 South Dupont Highway
Suite 103
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 739-5461
Georgetown
600 N. Dupont Highway
Suite 205
Georgetown, DE 19947
(302) 856-5611
UI Information Hotline:
New Castle County: (302) 761-6576
Kent & Sussex Counties: (800) 794-3032
It also helps if you have your former employer’s identification number. Delaware state law requires all employers to post their identification number in a “public place. These are usually located on small posters with the official state seal on them. If you cannot find your employers’ identification number please contact your local human resources department.
Just keep in mind that once you are approved for unemployment in the state of Delaware that you must contact your local office every week to file a Weekly Pay Authorization or use their new “Telebenefits” system.
Upon keeping up with your Weekly Pay Authorizations you must actively pursue employment. In the state of Delaware one can only collect unemployment benefits for only 26 weeks. These 26 weeks are called a “benefit year”. Now as of April 4th 2009 unemployed Delawareans can collect an addition 13 weeks of unemployment under the new Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008. However, keep in mind that this may only be a temporary measure.
As already stated on must be active in searching for employment. The internet itself can be used a valuable resource such as sites like monster.com, careerbuilder.com, and hotjobs.com. The official Delaware job bank website (https://joblink.delaware.gov/ ) usually has a lot of up to date job listings that are current for the state of Delaware. Also remember to brush up on those interview skills! There are several good articles located on Associated Content that can be used for this.
Sources:
State of Delaware – Division of Labor
http://www.delawareworks.com/default.shtml
