The following letter is for members and their families that are currently eligible for Unemployment benefits. If you have additional question’s please see the links below for additional resources. For the fastest response from the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) please first apply online here. 

If you do need to call DEED, please be aware that because of the increased volume of calls they are receiving that they are asking that everyone use the following schedule when calling.  

Please apply on the day that corresponds to the last digit of your social security number: 

Schedule 

If the last digit of your SSN is:	Day of week you should apply online:
0, 1 or 2	Monday
3, 4 or 5	Tuesday
6, 7, 8 or 9	Wednesday
Any number	Thursday
Any number	Friday

 

Who is currently eligible if your employment has been affected by COVID-19? 

• You have temporarily or permanently lost your job or had your hours reduced because of COVID-19. 

• A healthcare professional or health authority recommended or ordered you to avoid contact with others due to COVID-19. 
• You have been ordered not to come to their workplace due to an outbreak of COVID-19. 
• You have received notification from a school district, daycare, or other childcare provider that either classes are canceled or your ordinary childcare is unavailable, provided that you made reasonable effort to obtain other childcare and requested time off or other accommodation from your employer and no reasonable accommodation was available. 

My work hours have been reduced, am I eligible? 

UI provides  partial wage replacement benefit payments to workers who lose their job or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own. Workers who are temporarily unemployed due to COVID-19 and expected to return to work with their employer within a few weeks should stay in touch with their employer and be prepared to return to work as soon as it is available again. 

If your hours have been cut below 32 hours a week you can apply for unemployment insurance. 

Through my employer, I have sick and or PTO available, do I need to exhaust that before I can apply? 

DEED is no longer requiring a delay in benefits for people who are taking vacation, sick pay or personal time off when they apply for unemployment insurance under Executive Order 20-29. 

If you had to quit your job due to a lack of child care, you may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits.  

If you made reasonable efforts to find alternative child care and you requested time off/other accommodations from your employer, but your employer denied those requests, you should  apply for Unemployment Insurance benefits. am currently unable to work because I need to care for children at home, am I eligible? 

I was already on UI and am nearing the end of my benefit period, will I continue to receive the benefit after it expires because I am still unable to return to work?  

The State is still seeking guidance from the federal government on how to implement the CARES Act, which will extend unemployment benefits up to 13 additional weeks.  

What about the 600 dollars from the federal government? How will that be dispersed? 

If you are eligible for any unemployment benefit program, you will automatically receive the $600 additional compensation after you submit your weekly payment request. You do not have to submit a separate payment request to receive the additional $600. The first week for which you can get the additional $600 is the week beginning March 29th (which you could request on or after April 5).  

Payments may take a few days to reach your bank/debit card. The additional payment will be a separate deposit from your regular UI deposit. 

Additional resources for members living in Minnesota 

Video on how to apply for benefits  

Working Partnerships – Assistance for Union members in the West Metro and Minneapolis. 

Saint Paul Labor Resource Center 

Duluth Superior AFL Community Services   

 

North Dakota Members

Job Service is working as quickly as possible to implement these critical income support programs. At this time, as we await federal guidance and rules, we are not able to provide specific timeline guidance to individuals with questions. Understanding there will be questions, Job Service will update the FAQ document on their website as information becomes available. When the technology changes are in place, Job Service will be posting this information on their website, jobsnd.com, and on all of our social media platforms. Please refer to these sources on a daily basis for updates rather than call with questions. If you are an employee who does not fall into the employee types noted for PUA and PEUC, you can file an unemployment insurance claim immediately at ND Job Service.  

I was receiving Unemployment Insurance benefits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. I have now used up all benefits from my claim and am still not back to work. Are there any extensions of benefits available for me?

With the passage of the CARES Act those who have current Benefit Year Ends and have exhausted their benefits would most likely be eligible to receive the PEUC extension of 13 additional weeks of regular UI. Other regular claims would be potentially eligible for PEUC at the point they exhaust. We are awaiting guidance on claims where the benefit year has expired and how they might be processed 

Would I be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits if I am quarantined and cannot work? 

Yes, if you are quarantined and physically able to work but cannot work from the quarantine location do to other reasons, you would be eligible to receive benefits based upon recent federal guidance relating strictly to COVID-19 

I have a claim and I was required to do four work search contacts each week. Do I have to do my work search during the pandemic? 

No. Governor Burgum signed an Executive Order on Friday, March 20th that temporarily waives the work search requirement for all claimants. Job Service has adjusted our systems so that you will not be asked to enter any work searches you have completed when you certify your weekly eligibility. 

South Dakota Members 

A new “last name” filing system is being implemented Monday, March 30, for claimants who want to file by telephone. Based on the first letter of your last name, claimants should file by phone on the day assigned to their last names: 

Filing Schedule by Last Name
A-F	G-N	O-Z
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
If you missed your day, you can file Thursday or Friday.

 

Please follow this link for an explanation of benefits for South Dakota Members Only