Persistence pays off in unemployment benefits process

Scott Kennedy has one piece of advice for people beginning the unemployment benefits process: Be persistent.

Kennedy is the program chief in the Employment Security Division at Nevada's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Even if a judge is still processing an unemployment claim, Kennedy said it is important to keep filing each week.

"If they keep filing and adjudication rules in their favor, they might get paid for those claims. If not, they may not get paid," he said. "They need to make sure they're filing these weekly claims."

Congress voted Jan. 2 to continue the federal emergency unemployment compensation program for another year, which allowed nearly 25,000 Nevada residents to continue receiving their extended benefits, said Kennedy's colleague, Renee Olson, in the same division. Those covered under this program will not see a break in payments. There are nearly 38,000 people on regular unemployment benefits program in the state.

Congress first enacted the benefits package in 2008. Those claiming the benefits currently qualify for a maximum of 73 weeks, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. The state-extended benefits program ended in July, and the number of weeks dropped from 99 to 79.

In September, another six weeks were cut, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, dropping the limit to 73.

Filing a weekly claim means confirming that in the previous week, the unemployed person sought employment. If that person is made a genuine job offer , he is expected to accept. If he does not, someone from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation will look into whether the position was suitable, and if it was, that unemployed person could be denied his benefits.

But not everyone is eligible for unemployment benefits if they lose their job.

"They need to have worked four of the last five quarters and separated from employment at no fault of their own," Kennedy said.

For those who qualify, however, Kennedy said the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation tries to make the process as easy as possible. Once a person reaches the end of his unemployment benefits period, he is advised to check in with area JobConnect offices and seek assistance and training. Benefits last up to 26 weeks, depending on the amount of earnings in the base period, said Mae Worthey, spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Worthey said current call wait times for benefits hot lines were about one hour as of Jan . 2.

"This varies during the week, and wait times tend to be higher on Monday and Tuesday and lower Wednesday through Friday," she said.

Callers do not need to stay on hold, however . The department uses a virtual hold feature that calls people back when their place in line arrives.

Although Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, Worthey said that neither the state nor Las Vegas requires unique handling of unemployment insurance benefits payments. Nevada's unemployment rate in November dropped to 10.2 percent from 10.9 percent the previous month, according to Dave Schmidt, Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation economist .

The data, which is not seasonally adjusted, also showed a drop from 11.5 percent to 11.1 percent in Las Vegas and a drop from 13.1 percent to 12.2 percent in North Las Vegas.

"The impacts of high unemployment in those areas are not unique from any other area of high unemployment in other states or cities, but many varying factors impact the health of the local or state economy," Worthey said . "Nevada, and in particular, Las Vegas, lost thousands of jobs that have yet to be replaced. Thousands of those jobs are construction jobs that will not come back."

For those seeking to maintain their health insurance after losing work, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) benefits provisions can provide certain former employees, retirees and family members with the temporary continuation of coverage, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Similar to unemployment benefits, however, health coverage is available only when it is lost due to certain circumstances. COBRA insurance tends to be more expensive than coverage provided by employers but often is less expensive than individual coverage, according to the department.

Looking forward, Worthey said job seekers need to work on diversifying their skills.

"The growth of the economy, the diversity of the economy and our ability to prepare workers for new industries and new jobs will be the path to a lower unemployment rate, but that's not necessarily unique to Nevada," she said.

For more information on unemployment benefits, visit detr.state.nv.us. For information on COBRA, visit dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/cobra.htm.

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Laura Phelps at lphelps@viewnews.com or 702-477-3839.