Benefits expired, I worked summer 2013. How? (collecting, extension, file, receive)

[kfree321]

Hello all,

First a little background. I have had a seasonal job in the state of New Jersey at the same pool company since 2009. During this time I completed college and work as an area manager and at the end of each September I get laid off and apply for benefits. I have not had an issue until now.

My problem is that at the end of the summer of 2012 I applied for a new claim. However, I still had extensions from a 2009 claim so I was put on that until it expired. It expired in February of 2013 so I was then put on the new claim from working the past summer (2012).

I started work again in May 2013 and worked until the end of September 2013. I filed a claim and it put me on the remaining balance I had from my most recent claim which was for working the summer of 2012. It expired last week and I was expecting to be put on my new claim from working all summer. Instead I have been told that I have to wait until February of 2014 to file my new claim since you only get one claim per year. I had no idea this would happen and don't know what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks for your time

[Ariadne22]

Originally Posted by kfree321

First a little background. I have had a seasonal job in the state of New Jersey at the same pool company since 2009. During this time I completed college and work as an area manager and at the end of each September I get laid off and apply for benefits. I have not had an issue until now.

My problem is that at the end of the summer of 2012 I applied for a new claim. However, I still had extensions from a 2009 claim so I was put on that until it expired. It expired in February of 2013 so I was then put on the new claim from working the past summer (2012).

I started work again in May 2013 and worked until the end of September 2013. I filed a claim and it put me on the remaining balance I had from my most recent claim which was for working the summer of 2012. It expired last week and I was expecting to be put on my new claim from working all summer. Instead I have been told that I have to wait until February of 2014 to file my new claim since you only get one claim per year. I had no idea this would happen and don't know what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Can't figure this out without knowing your EXACT claim history going back to 2009.

Find your old Notices of UI Award - which should list beginning and end dates of each benefit year.

For some reason - even though you worked - you did not have new claim eligibility at the bye of one of these claims - which has skewed your benefit year-end date. Thus, when you filed Sept. 2012, you weren't anywhere near a bye - so NJ put you on EUC from an older claim.

Unbeknownst to you, while collecting benefits in February 2013, NJ established an entirely new claim for you. You should have received a letter on this. New claims are only established at the bye or, if after a bye, when transitioning to an EUC tier - or, if you've worked past your bye.

If you have applied for benefits each year in September since 2009, you should have claims as follows:

9/2009
9/2010
9/2011

But, I don't think you had new claims in September of each of those years, at all, but were, instead, reopening existing claims with varying dates and being paid from those.

Do an audit of your claims. I think you'll find varying benefit year-end dates.

[kfree321]

Thanks for your response. Can I find this information online or do I need to locate the paperwork? I am almost positive you are right. Starting after my first claim in 2009 I was never put directly into a new claim after working the summer since I always had some left over from the previous winter/spring. If this is the case am I out of luck until February of 2014 or is there something I can do? Also, should I continue claiming each week online so that I receive a check for each week until Feb. 2014 or would that just be wasting my time?

Thanks again for your input. I really wish I would have known I was no longer going to be receiving payments sooner...something NJ should fix.

[Ariadne22]

Originally Posted by kfree321

Can I find this information online or do I need to locate the paperwork?
...
If this is the case am I out of luck until February of 2014 or is there something I can do?
...
Also, should I continue claiming each week online so that I receive a check for each week until Feb. 2014 or would that just be wasting my time?
...
I really wish I would have known I was no longer going to be receiving payments sooner...something NJ should fix.

I doubt NJ has your claim history back to 2009 online. Most states don't.

Yes, there is nothing you can do until February 2014.

NJ won't pay you when your benefits are exhausted. You will receive an online message saying something like "there are no benefits payable to you at this time."

None of the states alert people when their claims are nearing exhaustion. It's not like this is a product they're selling and they don't want you run out. They'd rather not be paying you at all. Most learn the hard way they need to pay attention and keep on track of their benefits just like they would wages or other monies owed.