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I recently learned that my 12-month fellowship at a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization will not turn into a full-time staff position nor will the fellowship be extended. I work in Michigan as my company has several full-time employees working remotely nationwide. I will be unemployed in a few weeks, unless I get an offer soon.
A user on another forum or thread said if MI's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) info is on my paycheck, that means my employer pays into that fund and I would be eligible for benefits.
I don't think this is accurate for many reasons. For example, no such information is listed on paychecks from my previous employer, a Michigan-based company. I was at that job for three years and would have been eligible for unemployment benefits if I had been laid off (I resigned to take a much better job). It was a "regular" permanent staff position, not a internship, fellowship or contractor role. I had benefits, 401K, etc.
My Questions:
1) I'm having a hard time finding info on the state's unemployment website regarding eligibility for workers such as myself.
I assume I am NOT eligible, but I'd like to get feedback from folks familiar with Michigan and/or unemployment for workers. Anyone know? I will likely apply just to see what happens. Worst they can say is "No."
2) I have considered moving to my parents home in May temporarily but I'm not sure if I should do this. Would benefits be based on my current rent?
Some more background:
This was a one year fellowship. And I want to stress this was not an academic-fellowship.
A significant portion of the staff started as fellows and converted to regular staff. A couple weeks ago, I received indication I'd be staying on longer after being invited to all expense paid staff meeting in D.C. later this spring AFTER my first anniversary. Since they gave that indication, I suspended my back-up job search. A supervisor apologized to me this morning and said there was a miscommunication among managers and that I should not have received the invitation.
I don't think I'll be eligible because I was not laid off nor was I fired through no fault of my own; my fellowship just ended.
However, I think the misinformation I received due to what was called "management miscommunication" may allow me to collect. I suspended my job search because I received indication I would be employed after my fellowship end date. This put me at a disadvantage in my job search.
Edited to add:
I meet the following requirements: "With wage record, a person must receive at least one and a half times the high quarter wages in four quarters to qualify. The Alternate Earnings Qualifier (total base period wages of at least $17,868.00, when an individual's total base period wages do not equal or exceed 1 ½ times the high quarter wages ) continues as an alternate means of qualifying, but wages must have been paid in at least two quarters."
You don't understand unemployment at all, and you take that "no fault of your own" too seriously.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonMDA
I will likely apply just to see what happens.
Would benefits be based on my current rent?
If you're not eligible it will be because there is something about "fellowships" in the law, and even if you are denied, then you appeal it.
Your rent has nothing to do with your benefits. Go move in with the parents and stem the bleeding. You'll think UI is great if you can live on it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonMDA
I don't think I'll be eligible because I was not laid off nor was I fired through no fault of my own; my fellowship just ended.
That's exactly what being "laid off" means. If you want to work, and the employer won't let you, go collect. Doesn't matter if they ran out of money. That's the employer's problem, don't make it yours.
Your employer doesn't have to say, "you've been laid off" or "you've been fired." Fast food places tell workers, "we're not putting you on the schedule this week, but you still work here." Guess what, they were just "laid off."
Your UI is calculated from ALL your work in the base period, not just this job. You don't want to use alternate just because you think it's what it says.
Because of your ignorance, when you get laid off, do a dry run through the app and comeback here to get the "correct" answers so you don't overthink yourself into problems that you unnecessarily made for yourself.
FYI, MI has a crappy UI system. Washington, D.C.'s is MUCH better. Because this is a non-profit, you're working remote and may be a lone MI remote worker, and because non-profits tend to be "direct reimbursing" employers, you might want to apply in D.C. first and give it a go. It could put a lot of extra money in your pocket if you have a protracted stretch of joblessness.
You don't understand unemployment at all, and you take that "no fault of your own" too seriously.
If you're not eligible it will be because there is something about "fellowships" in the law, and even if you are denied, then you appeal it.
Your rent has nothing to do with your benefits. Go move in with the parents and stem the bleeding. You'll think UI is great if you can live on it.
That's exactly what being "laid off" means. If you want to work, and the employer won't let you, go collect. Doesn't matter if they ran out of money. That's the employer's problem, don't make it yours.
Your employer doesn't have to say, "you've been laid off" or "you've been fired." Fast food places tell workers, "we're not putting you on the schedule this week, but you still work here." Guess what, they were just "laid off."
Your UI is calculated from ALL your work in the base period, not just this job. You don't want to use alternate just because you think it's what it says.
Because of your ignorance, when you get laid off, do a dry run through the app and comeback here to get the "correct" answers so you don't overthink yourself into problems that you unnecessarily made for yourself.
Thank you. All of this was very helpful. And you are right, I don't understand unemployment.
FYI, MI has a crappy UI system. Washington, D.C.'s is MUCH better. Because this is a non-profit, you're working remote and may be a lone MI remote worker, and because non-profits tend to be "direct reimbursing" employers, you might want to apply in D.C. first and give it a go. It could put a lot of extra money in your pocket if you have a protracted stretch of joblessness.
Thanks for this. I should clarify that my company is based in a D.C. area Maryland suburb. I don't know if MD's unemployment system is superior to the District's and/or Michigan.
Thanks for this. I should clarify that my company is based in a D.C. area Maryland suburb. I don't know if MD's unemployment system is superior to the District's and/or Michigan.
I just found this... https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employm...html#movedtomd "3. What if I worked in a state other than Maryland?
An unemployment insurance claim is filed against the state where you worked, not where you live. If all of your work in the last 18 months has been in a state other than Maryland, your claim should be filed against that state. The laws of the state you are filing against govern your claim. In most cases, you will be instructed to contact the state where you worked directly; States' Unemployment Insurance Contact Information or you may call a Maryland Claim Center, Claim Center Telephone Numbers."
You're overthinking it again. Imagine that you're an employer and have only ONE worker working in another state. Do you really want to go through the trouble of doing everything right and paying the taxes in another state just for one person?
Besides that, non profits tend to be "direct reimbursing." They don't pay UI taxes like other companies. They only get a bill for UI claims when you actually get UI benefits, and they only pay what you collected. So if you file in the state where this nonprofit is located and they start reimbursing who ever for your benefits, no one in all probability is going to care, except you, when you get more than you should have because you forum shopped.
The worst that happens is the state you applied in says, "hey, go apply in MI," but if it goes through, you get more money.
UI is a horribly complex system and it doesn't always work the way it's supposed to, and when you know that, you can do things to make it work BETTER for you.
Here's a thread in the reverse. She was a lone employee in TX and the TWC was trying to get her to accept the Louisiana benefits. It would have been easier for her to do that, but she wanted what she was entitled to by law, and got it. I just want you to take advantage of a possibility that might be in your favor even though it's not really the right thing for your employer to do.
I called the Maryland unemployment agency to see if I should apply for benefits through MD. The specialist couldn't find precise info stating if my employer had been paying insurance through MD or MI, but she said she found something in the MD database that suggested I should file with MI.
Well, I went ahead and filed through MI and got approved. I have received two biweekly UIA checks via direct deposit.
I feared submitting an app through MD, being rejected and then waiting even longer to get benefits through MI, if approved. I really needed the money when I applied and I was trying to reduce hiccups. I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to file for benefits through both state agencies simultaneously.
I will say that I did miss out on the first two weeks of benefits because of a miscommunication about registering for MITalent. They said I visited the Michigan Works! date one day after the deadline. Argh!!!
I will be appealing that because the worse they can say is, "No," right?
I have heard nightmares about UIA agencies, but so far so good. No nasty attitudes. The call wait times will have you on "hold" for hours, but luckily they have technology that allows you to hang up and receive a call back when it's your turn in line.
I feared submitting an app through MD, being rejected and then waiting even longer to get benefits through MI, if approved.
I told you you could do it. The worst that MD would have said is, "go file in MI." Then you'd have been able to file in MI, and use the MD disqualification to have your claim backdated. You'd have gotten all your money just like you filed in the right state the first time, but yeah, it would have taken longer. You might find that you lost a couple thousand dollars because you were letting your ignorance make the decisions.
Nonprofits are NOT like other employers. That's why the UI worker couldn't find anything, and I can assure you when she steered you to MI, it wasn't because it was the best thing for you.
Last edited by Chyvan; 05-23-2017 at 07:40 PM..
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