To qualify for unemployment in Kentucky, applicants must meet the state’s eligibility requirements.
Kentucky Unemployment Eligibility Calculator
If you live in the state of Kentucky and are out of work, you may be eligible to collect unemployment benefits. But collecting UI benefits is not something to take for granted. First, you need to meet certain eligibility requirements.
Eligibility Requirements for Kentucky Unemployment Benefits
- You must be a U.S. Citizen or a resident alien authorized to work in the U.S.
- Have earned enough money to establish a valid claim
- Be unemployed or working less than full-time
- Be unemployed through no fault of your own
- Be able to work, available for work, and looking for work
- Register for work with the Kentucky Career Center
- Complete a Welcome Orientation and Assessment
- File a biweekly claim
Every Kentucky resident collecting unemployment compensation must demonstrate to the unemployment office that they are eligible for unemployment assistance. Once eligibility for their unemployment claim is established, claimants will be able to receive Kentucky unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks while they search for suitable employment.
Kentucky Unemployment Eligibility Guidelines
Finding suitable work is not the only requirement for collecting a weekly Kentucky unemployment benefit. Kentucky unemployment eligibility is based on a number of other factors as well, which include your previous earnings as a worker at your old job, your availability for new work, and registering with the Kentucky Career Center.
Have earned enough money to establish a valid claim
Unemployment benefits are meant to assist claimants who are temporarily unemployed. Kentucky residents will have to show that they contributed to the Kentucky workforce by showing sufficient earnings during their base period.
In Kentucky, the base period is the first four complete calendar quarters prior to the quarter in which you applied for benefits. To determine your weekly benefit amount, the Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance will take the total amount of gross wages you earned in this base period, multiply it by 1.1923%, and round it to the nearest dollar. This will result in a WBA (weekly benefit amount) that is at least $39 and no more than $626 (as of 2022, and the maximum WBA is reassessed annually).
There are some additional requirements regarding the base period. Claimants must have made at least $1,500 in their highest earning quarter. The wages in the remaining three quarters must total at least $1,500. The total base period wages must add up to at least 1.5 times the amount they made in their highest earning quarter. And the wages earned in the last two calendar quarters of the base period must total up to at least 8 times their weekly benefit amount. If this sounds like a lot of hoops to jump through, it’s only because the Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance wants to make sure that jobless claimants were gainfully employed. For individuals who are unable to work, there are other programs like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Be unemployed or working less than full-time
The next requirement is that the claimant must be unemployed. However, a claimant may also be working part time—for example, in the case of someone who had their hours severely reduced.
To be unemployed means that you were discharged from your employer, so full time students do not qualify for collecting unemployment. However, there are some instances where a claimant enrolled in an approved training program or vocational rehabilitation program may still collect unemployment.
Regarding partial employment, it’s important to keep the following in mind: You must report all earnings and wages you earn while collecting unemployment insurance. Your weekly benefit amount will be reduced by 80% of these earnings. For example, if your weekly benefit amount is $400, and you work part time to earn $200 one week, $160 will be deducted from your WBA for an end payout of $340.
According to the typical information provided on a labor law poster, 40 hours a week is considered full time. However, part time workers will not be able to collect benefits if their earnings exceed more than what their WBA would be. Remember that unemployment benefits are meant for those who are out of work or whose reduced workload is making it impossible to cover their expenses.
Be unemployed through no fault of your own
You must be unemployed through no fault of your own. That means you won’t qualify for unemployment if you were fired for willful misconduct. If you quit your job for no good cause (e.g. you just don’t like the job) you are also ineligible.
Claimants who are participating in a labor dispute (e.g. a strike) are also not eligible for collecting unemployment. However, claimants who are part of a temporary layoff (whether it’s complete or a partial reduction of hours) with a promise to return to work within 12 weeks of filing their initial claim may collect UI benefits.
Here are some examples of willful misconduct:
- Getting fired because you falsified your job application
- Excessive patterns of tardiness or absence during assigned shifts
- Known violation of a legal, reasonable, and universally enforced policy of the employer (e.g. refusing to wear your uniform, smoking or drinking on the job).
- Damaging property through negligence or willingly
- Endangering yourself, coworkers, or customers through your conduct (e.g. threats or violence)
- Refusal to obey reasonable instructions (such as those that adhere to your job description), or incarceration—meaning, it is reasonable for your employer to fire you, even for a misdemeanor resulting in at least 5 days of missed work
Note that if your most recent employment lasted less than 10 weeks, and you meet this requirement, you must also meet it from your second most recent employer.
Be able to work, available for work, and looking for work
You need to be able and available for work. Able means you are physically and mentally able to perform a job. It does not, however, mean you are required to perform a job to which you are not suited. However, if you have some sort of medical condition that totally impairs your ability to retain any kind of gainful employment, you should explore other options like SSI, SSDI, or workers compensation.
Regarding availability, you cannot use excuses like lack of transportation or child care to avoid taking a new job. However, this does not include sick dependents who require your care (in which case you should also look at SSDI benefits). While searching for suitable employment, you will be required to take a job that is comparable to your previous work in terms of job description and pay. However, unlike other states, Kentucky does not spell out specific percentages of how the new potential salary must compare to your old salary.
Kentucky unemployment work search requirements are relatively simple. You are required to apply for one job every week. However, you must document details of your application (whether you applied in person, by phone, or by emailing an application) and report them when you file your weekly request for benefits payment.
Register for work with the Kentucky Career Center
Another thing jobless claimants must do is register with the Kentucky Career Center on the Focus-Career website. This website is a career resource for finding a new job in your same line of work, or perhaps exploring other options. Registering with Focus-Career is not an optional way of conducting your required job search, but it is a required step in filing your initial claim before you begin logging on to collect your Kentucky unemployment weekly claim (which is actually filed bi-weekly).
If you need assistance navigating the Focus-Career website, contact: this email ([email protected]) or simply call 502-564-0871, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, EST. Remember to gather the information you need when filing your initial claim, which includes details like your social security number, along with information about your previous work history for a time period spanning up to the last 18 months you were employed before requesting Kentucky unemployment assistance.
Complete a Welcome Orientation and Assessment
As part of your reintroduction into the workforce, you will be assigned a career coach through the Kentucky Career Center. This coach will conduct what is called a WOA: welcome, orientation, and assessment. This is a one-on-one consultation, conducted in person.
The career coach will take a look at your resume if you have one, and discuss compiling one if you don’t, reviewing your skills and experiences. They will discuss the overall labor market and present some possible avenues for pursuing a new job. This is your opportunity to get some personalized guidance around finding new employment. The coach is not there to do everything for you, but to help you get organized for your job search.
Remember that you can only collect unemployment benefits for 26 weeks in Kentucky. There is generally no Kentucky unemployment extension except in certain economic downturns. You will be helping yourself find economic security by taking the WOA seriously and kicking off your work search with enthusiasm.
File a biweekly claim
Once you have met all the above requirements and completed all the above steps, you are ready to file your biweekly claim. You will log on to your portal through the Kentucky Career Website beginning 13 days after you file your initial claim. Certain individuals may file a weekly claim, such as those whose employers filed on their behalf. Otherwise, you will need to remember and keep track of logging on to file your claim every other week. The system is only available Sunday through Friday, weekdays from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
As part of the request benefit payment process, you will need to answer a few questions about the previous two weeks, such as whether you worked and whether you searched for work. Your answers to these questions will prompt additional requests for details such as monetary amounts and information about how you made contact with potential employers. Answer all the questions honestly and to the best of your ability, otherwise, your responses might fall into the category of Kentucky employment fraud.
It would be of great benefit to you before you begin filing your biweekly claims to make sure that the WBA listed on your Monetary Determination Letter matches what you believe you should be receiving as your weekly benefit. This amount will be based on your base period wages (as explained above) but there are times when the Kentucky Labor Cabinet could miscalculate that amount. Take nothing for granted and check a Kentucky unemployment calculator. If you are not receiving the correct amount, you have the right to file an appeal.
Eligibility Questions
Can a person draw UI if they quit?
Assuming the claimant has sufficient wage credits to establish a claim, he or she may be qualified to receive benefits if they voluntarily left their employment with good cause attributable to the employment and there are no other eligibility issues present.
In Kentucky, if you quit your job, you must have done so for just cause. When you apply to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training (OET), it will verify that you quit your job and request information proving the situation falls under the just cause requirement.
What happens if I am laid off?
In a tough economic climate, many employers have to make tough choices about their staff, including who is necessary to the company and who to let go. If laid off from a Kentucky state employer, you can collect unemployment benefits from the state’s Department of Labor. However, if there is any question as to whether you were laid off or fired, you may have to show proof of the reason for your job separation.
If I fire an employee for absenteeism is he or she eligible for UI benefits?
If an employee’s absences amount to misconduct connected with the work, they will be disqualified. Generally, good cause for missing work is not misconduct. Simple numbers of days or percentages of lost time cannot show a worker is guilty of misconduct.
Am I eligible for Worker’s Compensation?
If you missed at least seven weeks of earnings due to injury in any quarter during your base period and were eligible for Workers’ Compensation (whether or not you drew it), you may be able to use wages earned before your injury to qualify for unemployment benefits. To qualify, you must file your claim within the first four weeks that you are unemployed following the period covered by Workers’ Compensation. Contact your nearest Kentucky Unemployment office for more information.
More Questions?? —-> Read Kentucky Unemployment Questions
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