[MomOfToo]

Does anyone know if you were laid off and received your severance in one lump sum on your last day or work, can you still collect unemployment benefits?

[KH02]

Hmmm. not sure, but i don't see why not.

[MomOfToo]

Someone mentioned that in Colorado you can't and was just wondering what the deal was is in CT.

[Rich Lee]

I thought that you could. It was when you elected to take the severance pay over in installments that posed the problem.

In any event, try consulting: Connecticut Law About Unemployment or http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/progsup...employment.htm.

[Slipperman]

when you first open a claim they ask about any severance pay or unpaid vacation that you have coming to you because they consider both as income. they do this so they can estimate approximately when you're eligible to start collecting. eg: if you're getting 2 months severance, you're not eligible until after those 2 months are up. i don't think it matters how you receive that severance (lump sum or over a period of time) - they figure your covered for a while. but i could be wrong. best to double check the web site.

[bibit612]

I think terminology makes a difference. When I got laid off at Cingular and it was a lump sum severance, I was able to collect immediately as I recall. In Aetna, they call it Continuation of Employment, given over several months. I had to wait to collect then. The paperwork that your employer gives you should provide some guidelines, or so I hope.

[seymourct]

When Caldor Corp. offices closed, the severance was subject to the class action lawsuit the corp filed on behalf of its employees vs. the investors that forced the closing. My severance was paid in dribs and drabs over the course of 2+ years, often accompanied by letters from the bankruptcy courts in NY. Caldor had informed CT Labor Dept that this would be the case for hundreds of workers, and so we were told to file the day after closing and the benefits started almost immediatly.