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Louisiana Unemployment Eligibility

To be eligible for Louisiana unemployment benefits, you must meet the following requirements:

Non Monetary Eligibility

  • You must be no longer working through no fault of your own OR your work hours MUST have been reduced.
  • You must be registered for work through your local Business & Career Solutions Center
  • You must file a weekly claim to receive benefits
  • You must be able, available and willing to work
  • You should not have employment specifically excluded by the Act
  • You must be disqualified in accordance with provisions of the law, such as misconduct connected with the employment

Monetary Eligibility

To have a monetarily eligible claim, the wages you earned during your base period must be at least $1,200 and total at least 1.5 times your wages in the base period quarter when you earned the most money (also called the high quarter).

The weekly benefit amount of unemployment compensation that you may receive is fixed by law. The amount of money you could receive each week will be at least $10 and no more than $247. The weekly benefit amount is figured based on how much money you earned in covered employment.

Eligibility Questions

Can I draw benefits if I am fired from job?

When an employee is discharged for misconduct related with the employment, he/she may be disqualified for benefits. If the employee is guilty of willful disregard of your interest, a deliberate violation of your rules, disregard of standards of behavior which you have the right to expect of your employee, negligence in such degree (or recurrence) as to manifest culpability, wrongful intent or evil design, or an intentional and substantial disregard for your interest or of his duties and obligations to you, and if the employee is discharged, the discharge would be considered to be for misconduct connected with the work, and a disqualification for benefits will be assessed.

What happens if I am laid off?

When the workload drops to such a degree that your company cannot afford to retain you or if you are laid off at the company’s convenience and not for misconduct, you would be eligible for benefits, if all other qualifications are met.

When you get laid-off, it is not your fault. In almost all cases, this means that if you get laid-off, you are eligible to collect unemployment benefits. After you get laid-off from your job, you should immediately apply for unemployment benefits.

Am I eligible to collect unemployment benefits if I quit voluntarily?

When an individual voluntarily leaves employment with your company, that individual will be disqualified for benefits unless it can be shown that the leaving was for good cause attributable to a substantial change made to the employment by the employer.

If you are disqualified from benefits for voluntarily leaving, the disqualification will continue until you can demonstrate that you have been paid wages for work in covered employment equivalent to at least 10 times your weekly benefit amount following the week in which the disqualifying separation (or act) occurred and you have not left your last work under disqualifying circumstances.

Can I work and still claim UI benefits?

An individual who is jobless for a portion of a week may file for unemployment benefits. All wages must be reported when the week is claimed. Amounts over 50% of the weekly benefit amount, or $50, whichever is lower, will be deducted from the weekly benefit amount. The Agency uses a cross-match system to detect violators by using the Separation Notice Alleging Disqualification, Form 77 (also known as a pink slip), the New Hire Registry, and Quarterly Wage Reports.

What type(s) of documentation is needed by the Agency to make a decision when a person quits or is fired?

Depending upon the circumstances of the separation, the Agency might need and request any or all of the following:

  1. Copy of the hiring agreement
  2. Copy of handbook
  3. Signed statements from any eye witnesses
  4. Copy of written warnings
  5. Copy of documentation of verbal warnings
  6. Copy of payroll records which indicate amounts of severance, vacation, or bonus pay

Want to know about how much you will receive?? —–>Calculate your benefits here

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