Frequently Asked Questions

Paid leave is when you get paid but are not working. It is usually when your employer pays you for the time you get off for holidays, vacation, and sick days. It can also be if you are “on-call” or on “standby.” If you are getting paid leave from your current employer, you must report those earnings in the calendar week for which you were absent from work – either for vacation, during a holiday, or if you were sick. If your employer is paying you to stay away from work or to remain on standby, you should report those earnings on your weekly claim, even if you are not paid during the same week.   

You must report all your earnings each week you file a claim. A calendar week runs from Sunday through Saturday.

If you receive holiday or vacation pay more than 45 days from when you were off work, contact the UI Center here or by calling 1-877-345-3484. 

If you don’t report your earnings accurately, you may cause an overpayment on your claim that you would have to pay back. If you hide information or report wrong information on purpose, that is fraud. FRAUD IS A CRIME and can result in penalties up to and including criminal prosecution. 

You must report all your earnings each week that you file a claim. You can earn up to one-third of your weekly benefit amount (WBA) or 10 times Oregon’s highest minimum wage, whichever is greater, before we reduce your benefits dollar for dollar.  To receive benefits, you must be able, available, and actively seek work each week you file a claim. You also must complete work-search activities each week to receive benefits.  

 You must report your earnings accurately. Even unintentional mistakes can cause an overpayment on your claim that you would have to pay back. If you hide information or report wrong information on purpose, that is fraud. FRAUD IS A CRIME and can result in penalties up to and including criminal prosecution. 

 If you are filing for unemployment insurance benefits and working less than full time, you may be eligible for benefits — as long as you are earning less than your weekly benefit amount. You must report your total hours and exact gross earnings during the calendar week in which you work, even if you have not yet been paid. A calendar week runs from Sunday through Saturday. (Gross earnings are what you earn before taxes and benefits are taken out of your check). 

Other types of pay you must report include paid leave, tips, commissions, self-employment earnings, and bonuses. Contact us here or call the UI center at 1-877-345-3484 for questions about reporting your earnings or instructions for reporting bonus pay, commissions, and self-employment income.  

You do NOT have to report severance pay, accrued leave after separating from your employer, disability that is not paid by your employer, Social Security, jury duty pay, and weekend or annual drill earnings on your weekly claim for benefits.

If you are receiving retirement pay or will be receiving it during your benefit year, you must report that to us, usually on your new claim application. You do not need to report retirement pay as earnings on your weekly claim.  

 Federal and state laws require us to reduce your weekly benefits, dollar for dollar, based on the amount of retirement benefits you receive — if an employer in your claim’s base year or union manages those retirement benefits. In those cases, we will assign an adjudicator to review your claim and determine if that retirement pay affects your benefits. If we find it does affect your benefits, we will automatically apply it to your claim and issue you a decision with the details.

The TUI program lets eligible workers attend school while receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits. It is open to individuals who have lost their jobs and are not likely to return to their previous industries. 

 The program does NOT pay for your school or training; instead, it removes the work search requirements while you attend school full time if you are approved for the program. 

 The TUI program is designed for short-term training (including associate degrees, but not transfer degrees), or it may be used for vocational training. It is NOT designed for higher degree programs such as bachelor’s or master’s degrees. An exception MAY be granted if you are 48 credits from completing your degree. 

 If you are in the Training Unemployment Insurance (TUI) program and have received your notice of approval, the work search requirements do NOT apply to you. If you have applied for TUI but have not received a notice of approval, you must still actively seek work each week and report your work-seeking efforts. 

 Click here to find out more about TUI or call the Special Programs Unit at 503-947-1800. 

You may apply for our Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) program if you are planning to start your own business. If you are approved for SEA, you keep the business proceeds AND get your full weekly benefit payment. We will also waive work-search requirements while you work full time on your self-employment activities. 

 Call the UI Special Programs Center at 503-947-1800 to see if you are eligible. If you are accepted into the program, you will receive a notice of approval and your new weekly SEA requirements.  

 Learn more about SEA here or call the Special Programs Unit at 503-947-1800. 

Work Share is a program your employer can request for their employees when they are facing layoffs. With Work Share, instead of reducing staff, an employer reduces the hours of work for a group of workers. Partial Unemployment Insurance benefits are then paid to supplement workers' reduced wages.  

 Find more information about Work Share here or call the Special Programs Unit at 503-947-1800. 

An overpayment happens when you were paid benefits for which you were not eligible. Overpayments can occur for many reasons. Here are some of the common causes of overpayments: 

Incorrectly reported earnings on a weekly claim 

Unreported or incorrectly reported retirement pay 

An administrative decision allowing you benefits was reversed on appeal 

A payment made before we learned about an issue with your claim 

Misrepresented or withheld information to receive benefits for which you were not eligible 

The benefit amount changed due to a correction on base-year wages 

Administrative error on your claim 

Unintended mistake when filing 

 If you have been overpaid, we will mail you an administrative decision. It states the reason for the overpayment and the total amount you owe. It will also include instructions for how to request a hearing if you disagree with the amount overpaid. After that, we will send you a billing statement. The billing statement will let you know that you must pay by a certain date or active collections will begin. The statement might sound alarming, but it will give you options on how to respond to the notice of the debt. 

If you want to pay the debt in full, follow the instructions on the statement to make a payment. You can also make payments through Frances Online. If you have questions or need to set up a payment plan, call us at 503-947-1710 to discuss your options.  

If you cannot afford to repay it, you may apply for a waiver so you don’t have to pay back the debt. Not all overpayments are eligible to be considered for waiver. Find out more about waivers. 

If you received an overpayment notice, you may not have to pay it back. We encourage you to request an overpayment waiver if repayment of that overpayment would be a financial hardship. You can request a waiver by completing and submitting the waiver form that was included with your overpayment decision.  

 If you did not receive a waiver form with your decision, you can complete the form online: 

If you were overpaid state benefits – which is regular unemployment insurance – you should use the state waiver form. 

If you were overpaid federal benefits, such as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), or Lost Wages Assistance (LWA), you should use this federal waiver form. 

 If you don't have your overpayment notice or need help figuring out which waiver to use, use our online Contact Us form or call 503-947-1995. 

Unemployment insurance fraud is the intentional misreporting or withholding of information to get benefits. If you intentionally hide or report wrong information, it is fraud. FRAUD IS A CRIME and can result in penalties up to and including criminal prosecution. 

 Some examples that could be fraud: 

Not reporting a job refusal or employment while claiming benefits 

Providing false information or withholding information to get benefits 

Failing to report all your earnings when filing for weekly benefits 

Not reporting your job separation accurately 

Filing a claim using another person's identity 

 Penalty Weeks 

If we find you have committed fraud, we may assign up to 52 penalty weeks you must serve before receiving future benefits, in addition to repaying any overpaid benefits. To apply a penalty week, you must file a weekly claim for a week that would otherwise be eligible to be paid. Benefits will be offset and applied toward the overpayment if there is still a balance. The claimant won’t receive benefits until after the penalty weeks are served and the overpayment has been paid in full. 

Overpayments from UI Fraud 

If you were overpaid because of fraud, you will have to pay back the benefits you received. You will also have to pay a penalty fee of 15-30% of your total overpayment. We may take action to collect your overpayment, including penalty and interest through distraint warrants, property liens, wage garnishments, offset of benefits you are otherwise eligible to receive, and interception of your state and federal tax refunds. You may also be prosecuted. 

Criminals use stolen identities to collect benefits fraudulently across many states. The scammers behind UI fraud appear to use Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information to apply for and receive UI benefits. 

Your identity may have been stolen if: 

You receive a letter from us about your unemployment claim and you have not filed a claim. 

You receive an unemployment benefit check and you have not filed a claim for UI benefits. 

Your employer informs you that they received notice from the Employment Department that you have filed a claim and you have not filed a claim. 

You receive a 1099G form for a tax year and you did not receive unemployment insurance benefits during that year. If this is the case, contact us immediately. If we confirm ID theft has taken place, you won’t need to report the 1099G income. 

 If you believe you are a victim of ID theft, report it as soon as possible by completing this form, or by calling the Oregon Employment Department at 503-947-1995 (toll-free 877-668-3204). A member of our team will contact you regarding your identity theft claim. 

 You can find additional information on what to do if you experience identity theft here. 

If you know or suspect someone who may be collecting unemployment insurance benefits illegally, report it to us immediately. The form to report fraud is available in English and Spanish. You may also call us at 503-947-1995 or toll-free 877-668-3204. 

 We review all tips, regardless of how much information you provide. The more details you can give when reporting unemployment fraud, the better it will assist our investigation. 

 In addition to the name of the individual and the fraudulent activity, details such as address, age or date of birth, and Social Security number will help us better identify the person in our claim records. 

 If you are reporting someone who is working while receiving benefits, providing details such as the name and address of the employer and how long the individual has been working for them will help us determine fraudulent activity. 

 We will keep the information you provide confidential, and you can ask to remain anonymous when reporting UI fraud. However, due to confidentiality laws, we are unable to provide the results of any investigation based on the information you provide. We appreciate your help.

Unemployment insurance eligibility has two main parts. First, you must have enough work and earnings in your base year to be able to have a valid claim with a weekly benefit amount available.  

Your base year typically is a 12-month period that falls within the prior 18 months. Within your base year, you must have worked for a covered employer for at least 500 hours or have earned at least $1,000. 

Your weekly benefit amount is 1.25% of your total base year gross earnings. Under Oregon law, it will not be less than the minimum or more than the maximum amounts you can receive.​  

 Then, you must meet weekly eligibility criteria to receive benefits on the claim. We look at the reason you are out of work or not working full time. We confirm if you are able to work, available for work, and actively seeking work. And lastly, you must be considered unemployed based on your weekly work and earnings, if any.  

A valid claim is good for 52 weeks before it expires and can pay up to 26 weeks of benefits during that time. Once it expires, you must file a new claim application to see if you again qualify for benefits.  

If your claim is not expired but you have used all the benefits available on it, you cannot file a new Oregon claim until it has expired. If you have worked in another state in the most recent 18 months, you may be eligible to file a new claim application in that state. Contact the other state to learn more about eligibility and benefits. 

 To learn more about base years and the hours and earnings required for a valid claim, here are some available resources: 

Read more details about the base year and the earnings and hours needed to establish a valid claim.  

Find out how much you could receive in benefits from our online Benefit Estimator tool.  

Read the Claimant Handbook, which contains more details about the base year and the earnings and hours needed to establish a valid claim. 

Base Year 

The base year is a one-year period made up of the first four of the last five completed quarters. It’s based on the date you file your claim application, not the date you become unemployed. If you don’t qualify for a claim using a regular base year, we will automatically review your claim to see if you qualify for an alternate base year. An alternate base year uses the four most recently completed quarters. 

A calendar quarter is a three-month period ending March 31, June 30, Sept. 30, or Dec. 31.​ 

Wages and Hours Needed 

There are two ways to qualify for a valid claim: 

You’ve been paid at least $1,000 in subject wages in your base year, and 

Your total base year wages are at least one and a half times the wages paid in the highest calendar quarter of the base year, 

OR 

You’ve worked at least 500 hours and were paid some subject wages in employment during the base year. Subject wages are earnings on which your employers paid UI taxes. 

 If you don’t meet the required hours and earnings to qualify, your claim will be non-valid. You can file again at the beginning of the next quarter to see if you may qualify for benefits at that time.​

Your claim is effective the week you apply, so be sure to file your claim through Frances Online during the calendar week you want it to start. A calendar week is Sunday through Saturday. 

When you apply, be prepared to provide the following: 

Name  

Contact information  

Social Security number  

Birthdate  

Complete employment history for the past 18 months, including temporary or part-time work, work outside of Oregon, or work for the federal government. 

 Once you submit a claim, you cannot make changes to your application. It’s important that you enter all the information completely and correctly when filling out your application. Entering incomplete or wrong information could delay your benefits. 

 If you indicate that you earned wages in multiple states during your base year, you may have a choice of which state to file your initial claim, regardless of where you live. You will receive information about your choices when your claim is processed. 

 New initial claim applications that we receive electronically are typically processed within a week. 

 We will send you important information after we process your initial claim application. Be sure to review the Claimant Handbook and any information we send you, as it will include your Wage and Potential Benefit Report and any next steps you will need to take for claim eligibility. 

Unemployment compensation received during the year is considered taxable income. You may choose to have 10% of your weekly benefit amount withheld for federal income taxes or 6% withheld for state income taxes, or both for a total withholding of 16%. All withheld taxes are immediately transmitted to the Internal Revenue Service and the Oregon Department of Revenue.  

 Changing your tax status after filing your initial claim requires you to complete the Authorization for Tax Withholding (1040WH) form. If you cannot download the online form, call the UI Contact Center at 877-345-3484 to have one sent to you. 

 After filing your initial claim, you will receive a Wage and Potential Benefit Report. Review your reported wages and hours carefully. If the information in your base year is wrong, you can request a redetermination of your claim. This statement will show you: 

Your weekly benefit amount and the maximum benefits payable – these numbers represent the most you may receive in a week and total amount potentially available on your claim. 

Employers you worked for, and the wages and hours they reported each quarter for you in the base year of your claim. The initial notice may only include Oregon employers. Any federal employment or work done outside of Oregon may not be included. 

Your benefit year begin and end dates – you can only claim benefits on this claim for weeks falling between these dates. 

Whether this statement is an initial determination or a redetermination. 

 This form may also provide other information about your claim. It may include a message about why your claim is non-valid (not enough wages or hours). It may also say we are requesting wages and hours if you had federal employment, performed active duty for the military, or you told us you worked in another state in the last 18 months.  

If your Wage and Potential Benefit Report shows your claim is non-valid because we are missing some of your base- year work, you can contact us and we will investigate your missing wages. If we are able to add wages to your claim, it will be redetermined and we will send you a new Wage and Potential Benefit Report with the updated information.

Seeing that your claim has been processed does not necessarily mean you are eligible for benefits. There could be issues holding up payment.  

 To check on your claim, use Frances Online. 

 If you see your claim was processed, check the next day to see if payments were sent. If payments did not process, wait for a notice from us that tells you why before contacting us. The notice will let you know the reason your claimed week wasn’t paid and if more information is needed. 

You can update your address by using Frances Online and selecting the option “Change your address.” If you are unable to update your address online, call the UI Contact Center at 877-File-4-U (877-345-3484).

1099G is a tax form sent to people who have received unemployment insurance benefits. You use it when you are filing federal and state income taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Oregon Department of Revenue. In January of each year, we will send you a 1099G form for your prior year’s benefits paid and any taxes withheld. If you do not receive your 1099G in the mail, you can access it from Frances Online starting in February.  

 There are two reasons why you may not have received a 1099G: 

We send 1099Gs to the address we have on record for each person who received unemployment benefits. If you moved without updating your address, your 1099G went to your old address. 

If all your benefit payments were made after Dec. 31, you won’t get a 1099G for the prior tax year. Instead, you’ll get a 1099G for the next tax year. 

The 1099G form reports the gross amount of unemployment compensation you have received, not the net amount. Once you subtract the federal and state income taxes from your 1099G amount, it should match what you actually received. 

After filing your initial claim application, you must file a weekly claim to request benefits. For each week you want to file for weekly benefits, you must answer questions about your eligibility for that entire week.  

To request waiting week credit, wait until the Sunday after you submit your claim application. Use Frances Online or call the automated phone system to file your weekly claim for benefits between midnight on Sunday and 11:59 p.m. on Saturday. Continue to file for weekly benefits every week you’re unemployed or earning under your weekly benefit amount to request payment. 

Until you claim at least one week of benefits, NO payments or decisions will be made on your claim, and you won’t potentially satisfy your waiting week.​ File your weekly claims even if you don’t know if your claim has been approved yet. If benefits are allowed, benefits may be granted for all the past weeks for which you were eligible, as long as you filed your weekly claims. 

The telephone Weekly Claim Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Frances Online is available seven days a week with minimal downtime for maintenance (see Frances Online for the maintenance schedule). If you’re unable to use Frances Online due to routine maintenance you can still file your weekly claim by phone.  

You can review the weeks you’ve claimed and those that have been paid on Frances Online. View your claim’s status on Frances Online and select ‘Where is my check?’ 

Weekly Claim Line Numbers 

TOLL FREE: 800-982-8920 

TTY Relay Service 711 www.SprintRelay.com  

The waiting week is the first week you file a weekly claim and meet all requirements. Before you can start receiving benefits, Oregon law requires that you serve one waiting week per claim. You must claim the ‘waiting week’ although you won’t be paid any money for that week. 

You will NOT qualify for waiting week credit if any of the following are true: 

You didn’t meet all eligibility requirements. 

You worked full time. 

You earned more than your weekly benefit amount. 

You didn’t claim the week timely.

In addition to being unemployed (or underemployed) for a qualifying reason, for each week you claim, you must be: 

Able to work. 

Available for work. 

Actively seeking work. 

Able to work means you must be physically and mentally capable of working and doing the work you are seeking. Typically, you must be able to work 40 hours per week, although there are some limited exceptions for people who cannot work full time because of a long-term or permanent illness, injury, or disability. 

To be available, you must be willing to do all of the following: 

Accept full-time, part-time, and temporary work. 

Work during any of the days and hours normal for the type of work you’re seeking (there are some limited exceptions for childcare, remote learning, school, transportation, and care for a family member or someone in your household). 

Accept the normal rate of pay for that type of work. 

Remain in your normal labor market for the majority of the week.  

Accept suitable work opportunities. 

Commute a reasonable distance for the type of work sought. This distance is determined based on normal commuting patterns in the area you live. 

For most people, actively seeking work requires that you are contacting employers who hire people with your experience, training, and skills for work you can do.  Unless otherwise advised in writing by an Employment Department representative, you must continue seeking work each week you claim benefits, even if you’re working part time. 

You must complete and report at least five work-seeking activities for each week you claim benefits.  

You’re required to claim accurately when any condition exists that prevents you from working, accepting work, or seeking work. This may include travel, illness, injury, incarceration, school attendance, self-employment, and the loss of childcare or transportation. You must also report any work you turn down or miss.  

If you stop claiming for any reason (you returned to work or were sick, for example) or claimed a week in which you worked full time or earned your weekly benefit amount or more, you will need to restart your claim to start making weekly claim reports. If your claim has expired (valid claims last for one year), you will need to complete a new claim application.  

If you have previously served your waiting week, you will NOT have to serve another waiting week when you restart your claim. 

 We will let you know through Frances Online or by letter if you need to restart your claim. 

To restart a claim, you will need to have your employer information ready if you recently worked. This includes dates, name, phone number, and address of your work and your gross earnings from those employers. If you stopped claiming for other reasons, you will be required to provide the reason you stopped claiming. 

Once you have restarted your claim, you still must file for benefits every week. 

To restart your regular UI claim, use Frances Online and select “Restart your claim.” If you are unable to restart your claim online, call the UI Contact Center at 877-345-3484 for assistance. 

After claiming a week of benefits (a week runs Sunday through Saturday), you can check the status of your weekly claim. Weekly claims made on a Saturday or Sunday will usually update Monday night and will have an updated status on Tuesday. Weekly claims made on a weekday usually update by the following day. You can check the status of your claimed week through Frances Online at francesonline.com.  

Claiming a week does not necessarily mean you are eligible for benefits. There could be issues that must be resolved before you can receive waiting week credit or payment. If your circumstances have the potential to conflict with meeting the eligibility requirements for benefits, we must review your claim and may request additional information from you. If you have a potential claim issue that is stopping your benefits, we will send you a notice. Be sure to review the notice and respond to all requests for information immediately.  

This does not necessarily mean your claim is denied. To protect your benefit rights, you must continue to claim each week timely while your claim is being reviewed. 

If your business is an LLC or other corporation, you are considered an employee of your business. You must make efforts to resume your business full time but must also seek other work unless you are on a short-term lay off. You can report your business as one of your employer contacts on your weekly claim.  

 If you are an independent contractor, you must actively seek work as an employee. You can still look for self-employment work as long as it does not interfere with your availability for work as an employee. 

 You may also apply for our Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) program. This program is only open to people getting regular UI benefits. If you are accepted into the program, we will send you a notice of approval and your new weekly SEA requirements. If you apply for AND are approved for the Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) program, you must follow the SEA program requirements instead of seeking other work. Until you are approved for the SEA program, you will need to follow the regular UI work search requirements. Call the UI Special Programs Center at 503-947-1800 to see if you are eligible.

You are required to seek and accept suitable work. Suitable work means work that takes into account your prior training and experience, location, and the pay for similar work in your area. 

Most people are required to seek the type of work they normally do. Along with your usual work, you can also seek other types of work as long as you are qualified and willing to accept the normal hours and rate of pay for that work.  

If the work you normally do is not readily available or you cannot do that work any longer, you must look for other types of available work that you have skills or experience to do. 

For example, if you were working as a travel agent and there are not a lot of opportunities for that type of work in your area, you must also look for other types of work that exist in your area that you can do. 

 As a travel agent, you may have skills managing an office, scheduling, customer service, or even accounting related to your prior work. You should seek opportunities that would allow you to use your current skill set in a different (but perhaps similar) line of work. 

 If you are considering a career change or training opportunities, WorkSource Oregon offers a variety of services, including career planning, workshops, and information on training and financial aid. You can also visit Qualityinfo.org for information on jobs, careers, salaries, and other employment information in your area.  

 If the Employment Department has determined you are a ‘displaced worker,’ meaning you are unlikely to return to your previous industry, you may be eligible for the Training Unemployment Insurance (TUI) Program. Learn more on our TUI webpage.

If you do not meet the conditions for a short-term layoff or hours reduction, you must actively seek work each week.  

Accepted Job Offer  

If you have accepted a job offer, you still have to report work-seeking activities until you are working full time. This could include seeking temporary work you can do until your new full-time job starts. The new job offer could be delayed or canceled, or you might get other job offers to choose from. 

 Telework Only  

You must be available for the type of work you are qualified for and seeking. Many jobs cannot work remotely (a grocery clerk, for example). You can focus your work search on jobs that can be done from home if you are qualified to perform the work. But if only looking for remote work substantially limits your opportunities to get back to work, you may not be eligible for benefits. You may also be denied benefits if you turn down work that is otherwise suitable and that requires you to work at a location outside of your home.  

 Gig Workers 

Gig workers are typically employees of the business and are not independent contractors. If your gig employer does not have full-time work available, you must seek other work as well. This can include work with other gig employers or part-time work you can do while continuing your gig work. 

 Working Part Time 

If you are currently working part time and requesting weekly unemployment benefits, you must perform the required work-seeking activities. You can focus your work search on more part-time work or for a full-time job.  

There are many reasons a claim may have stopped. Here is a list of some of the reasons your claim may not have processed benefits: 

You skipped a week of claiming and need to restart your claim. 

Your earnings for the week are your weekly benefit amount or more. This requires that you restart your claim to resume benefits.  

We are reviewing your claim to determine if you meet the eligibility criteria. We are required to complete an adjudication process for all potential claim issues such as you may:  

Not be working for a reason other than being laid off due to a lack of work  

Not be able to work full time 

Not be available to work full time or during the days and hours normal for your type of work  

Have missed work or turned down a job 

Have been traveling  

Not have sought work as required  

Not have completed your job seeker registration or ID validation requirements  

Not have provided us all of the information we have requested 

 When we become aware of issues that call into question if someone can receive benefits, we are legally required to look into it. While many issues can be resolved with quick follow-up questions, many times it requires a more thorough review through an adjudication process. During the adjudication process, we will gather information from you and any other source needed. If the issue is related to your most recent employment, we typically gather information from your employer as well. We then review the available information, apply the laws and rules for unemployment insurance to your situation, and then make a decision regarding the issue. 

If we determine you are eligible, we will issue payments for all eligible weeks you have claimed. Depending upon the issue, we may issue a decision to deny or reduce benefits for a single week, a group of weeks, or may continue indefinitely. The administrative decision issued to you will explain if benefits are denied or reduced, and will indicate the duration of the denial or reduction.  

If you have questions about your claim, the fastest way to get help is through our online Contact Us form. You also may call the UI Contact Center at 877-345-3484. 

If we deny or reduce your benefits, we will send you a written administrative decision giving the reason for the denial. Read it carefully. It will include instructions on how to file an appeal on time if you do not agree with the administrative decision. 

Failure to file an appeal on time may prevent you from having the original administrative decision changed. 

If we deny your claim due to a work separation issue because you failed to apply for a job referral or refused a job, we may do the following: 

Deny your benefits until you work and earn at least four times your weekly benefit amount in subject (covered) employment. The work must be done after the week you were fired, suspended, quit, or failed to accept or apply for work; AND 

Reduce your maximum benefit amount by eight times your weekly benefit amount. 

If your benefits are denied for other reasons, such as missing a work opportunity, incarceration, illness, etc., the denial lasts for the period stated in the administrative decision or until the condition that caused the denial no longer exists. 

If you were already paid benefits and then receive a denial, you are overpaid. You will receive instructions on how to pay the money back. It is your responsibility to repay any overpaid amount, which may include associated penalties, fees and interest. 

If you disagree with a denial issued on your claim, you can request an appeal.  

Federal and State laws require that we determine if school employee wages can be used in the weekly benefit calculation for weeks claimed during normal break periods between years, terms or periods. This can result in your benefits stopping while we review your individual situation.  

Some types of school employees will be able to qualify during break periods, if otherwise eligible, and may not experience a wage-review delay. These positions include maintenance and janitorial workers, food preparation and service workers, and early intervention and pre-k service support workers. 

Other types of school employees who have reasonable assurance to resume work after the break period may not be eligible for some or all of their benefits during the break period.  

This process can be time consuming, and although we understand you are eager to receive your benefits, you do not need to call us. Complete and return the School Employee Questionnaire as soon as possible. We will contact you if we need additional information. 

If you leave your permanent residence for three or more days, you must state you are “away from your permanent residence” if you claim the week you were gone – regardless of the reason for your travel. This includes if you are traveling within Oregon or if you were still looking for work while you were gone. 

We will request information from you to include the dates you were gone, the reason you left your labor market, and your work search for the claimed week. We will review your information and determine if you are eligible during that time. In most cases, you must be seeking work in the area visited, willing to work, and available for work in that area (and not just for work you could do where you currently reside). 

 If you have moved, the area in which you live is now your new permanent residence. It is important you keep your address current – you can change it using Frances Online. If you have moved out of state, you must register with your home state’s labor exchange system and seek work there. You may be required to provide proof of your registration.

A key piece of your reemployment includes contacting employers who hire people with your experience, training, and skills. Unless otherwise advised in writing by an Employment Department representative, you must continue seeking work each week you claim benefits, even if you’re working part time. 

 You must complete at least five work-seeking activities for each week you claim benefits. Work-search activities include: 

Attending job placement meetings or workshops (including WorkSource Oregon sponsored activities) 

Networking 

Updating your resume 

Reviewing job placement websites or newspapers without responding to a job posting 

Making direct contact with an employer 

At least two of the five work-search activities you complete each week must be direct contact with employers. This means contacting them in person, by phone, by mail, or electronically to inquire about and apply for work. 

Each week you must keep track of your work-search efforts. When you claim a week of benefits, you will be required to provide details on your weekly claim about what you did to find work that week. 

When you file for weekly benefits, you must report the work-search activities you completed AND your direct contact with employers. Your report of direct contact with employers must include all of the following: 

Date of contact 

Company name, phone number and address, or online job posting ID number 

Person contacted (if applicable) 

Type of work or position applied for 

How you made contact (phone, resume, online application, email, etc.) 

Results of your contact (hired, not hired, interview, no response, etc.) 

When reporting work-search activities that are not direct employer contacts, you must include: 

The date you completed the activity 

A description of the activity completed 

 If you need help keeping track of your work search, use our Employment Search Record form. You are not required to use this form, but you are required to keep records of your weekly work-search efforts and report those activities when making weekly claim reports. 

 If you are using Frances Online, enter your work-seeking details there. 

 If you submit your weekly claim by phone on the weekly claim line, you will verbally report your work-search information after answering the weekly claim questions. You will need to provide the date you contacted the employer, employer name, position you applied for or inquired about, employer’s address and phone number, how you contacted them, and if there were any results to report from the contact. 

 For work-search activities that were NOT employer contacts, you must provide a detailed explanation of what you did and when. 

 We may request more details about your work search at any time or verify your employer contacts with the business listed. 

 Your benefits will stop if you do not provide your work-search activities when filing for weekly benefits. If you report an inaccurate work search or work-search exception, you will receive a denial that may result in overpayments and penalties. 

If you are a member in good standing of a dispatching union, you are considered actively seeking work by remaining in contact with your union and available for dispatch to jobs they offer you. 

If you are a federal employee, temporarily unemployed due to a government shut down and expect to return to work for your employer when the shutdown ends, you may not have to seek work with other employers. You are considered actively seeking work if you remain in contact with your employer and are capable of accepting and reporting for any suitable work with your employer. 

In Oregon  

Most people are required to register for employment services and complete reemployment activities in their home state after filing a new initial claim application. If you live in Oregon or near Oregon but regularly commute to work in Oregon, you will need to register in iMatchSkills using your Social Security number and then meet with WorkSource Oregon staff one on one (virtually or in person) to complete a reemployment orientation.  

At your orientation, our WorkSource Oregon staff will review your iMatchSkills registration for potential improvements, review your recent work-search efforts, and discuss strategies for finding new work. We have trained, professional employment specialists who will provide information on local resources and training opportunities available, show you how to access labor market information, and assist with other referrals or information specific to helping you reach your employment goals.  

 The orientation can be done virtually or in person at a WorkSource Oregon office. Schedule your appointment with one of our trained professionals now! 

 Outside of Oregon 

If you live outside of Oregon and do not typically commute to Oregon for work, you must register with your home state’s labor exchange system and provide us proof that you registered. To find an employment services office in your state, go to CareerOneStop.org, select ‘Find Local Help’ on the top menu, and enter your location in the Find an American Job Center search option. Once you have completed your registration, you must send us proof that you have done so.   

If you are required to register for employment services, we will send you a notice that includes the date by which you must complete your requirements. If you do not complete your requirements by the deadline, your claim may be delayed and denied. You do not need to wait to receive your notice to register for work or make an appointment for your orientation or to complete registration in your home state. 

If you completed your registration activities in the past, you may be required to complete them again each time you file a new initial claim application.  

iMatchSkills is Oregon’s online labor exchange system. It provides the state’s largest pool of qualified, job-ready candidates. Once job seekers register and enter their skills and desired occupations into iMatchSkills, they can then match to active job openings. 

Employers also benefit from iMatchSkills by having a huge pool of qualified job seekers at their fingertips to fill their openings. Visit iMatchSkills or call a WorkSource Oregon center to sign up. 

If you need to reset your iMatchSkills password, you can select “Forgot username or password” on the iMatchSkills login screen. If using that link does not work, or you are getting an error message, call your local WorkSource Oregon office for help.