Restarting a Claim

You will need to restart your claim if you do not file a weekly claim for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Program. This is common if you are laid off again after returning to work. If you already served a waiting week, you will not have to serve another waiting week when you restart your claim.  

If it has been more than a year since you applied for benefits, your claim may have expired.  

On this page:

Why do I need to restart my claim?

You will need to restart your claim if:

  • You did not file a weekly claim.
  • You stopped filing weekly claims because of illness, a vacation, or another reason.
  • You forgot to file a weekly claim.
  • You worked full-time for a week or more.
  • You earned more than your weekly benefit amount in a week.

You will not be able to file weekly claims until you restart your claim. 

How do I restart my claim?

Frances Online: You can restart your claim in Frances Online any time. Follow this step-by-step guide for more help.

By phone: Call 877-345-3484 to get help from an agent at the UI Center.

What information do I need?

We will ask if you have worked recently or if you are self-employed. 

If you were working, you need information about all your recent employers to restart a claim. This includes:

  • The dates you worked.
  • The name, phone number, and address of your employer.
  • Your wages and earnings from that employer.
  • The reason you are not employed or working full-time.

If you stopped claiming for other reasons, you will be required to provide the reason you stopped claiming.

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What do I do after restarting my claim?

Every week, you must complete certain tasks to be eligible for benefits: 

  •  Most claimants must look for work to be eligible for benefits.
  • You must file a weekly claim to show you are eligible.
  • Learn more on the Weekly Claims page.  

Respond to questionnaires about your application, work history, or other information we need to decide if you are eligible for benefits. Check Frances Online and your mail regularly and respond to any messages immediately. Learn more on the Status Messages page.  

What if my claim expired? 

Valid claims for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Program last for one year before they expire. If your claim has expired, you need to apply again to see if you are eligible for benefits. 

Learn about how to apply for benefits on the How Do I File? page.