Can someone "pause" unemployment benefits while traveling abroad?

[Joe Palouza]

Jurisdiction

Massachusetts

Hi,

The person in question is a Massachusetts resident who has been approved for receiving 6 months of unemployment benefits starting in December 2018.

She has been receiving benefits for over a month but she found out that she must travel abroad for two weeks for family reasons in February 2019.

Q1 - Can she stop collecting benefits on uionline.detma.org for these weeks and restart collecting when she gets back?

Q2 - If so, are these two weeks lost or can she claim benefits for two more weeks past the date when benefits would have ran out without any travel time?

Best

 

[cbg]

This is not a big deal. She simply does not apply for benefits for those two weeks. Since she is not available for work at that time she doesn't qualify for them anyway. When she returns, she will have to re-open the claim but that's simply a formality - there won't be any problem with it. If she lives near one of the career centers she can do it in person very quickly. She can also do it by phone. The last time I was dealing with unemployment that was still one thing that you couldn't do online, but I believe you may be able to do so by now. She will not have lost any benefits; a claim is good for a year and the same about of money will be available regardless of how many weeks it takes her to claim it.

 

[mightymoose]

Agreed.
She simply won't receive anything for those two weeks since she is not actively looking for employment during that time and has nothing to report. She can still submit her weekly information online, but her answers to the questions will disqualify her from benefits for that period.

 

[army judge]

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!





New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions > Unemployment Insurance > UI Information > What You Should Know About UI > Common Mistakes

Collecting Unemployment Benefits in New Mexico

Collecting Unemployment: Are You Able, Available, and Actively Seeking Work?


New Mexico Unemployment Eligibility


New Mexico Unemployment Eligibility

New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions > Unemployment Insurance > UI Information > What You Should Know About UI > 10 Things


Not actively searching for work
You must actively look for work each week that you file a claim for benefits. If you do not search for work during a week in which you file a claim, benefits may be denied until you show that you have started to look for work.


Not being available to accept a new job
In order to collect benefits, you must continually verify that you are able, available, and willing to accept suitable work. Report any possible conflicts like attending school during work hours or problems with child care or transportation that could limit your work availability and impact your eligibility for benefits. If you have a question, visit our website at............. www.dws.state.nm.us ............. or call 1-877-664-6984.

 

[cbg]

Except that the poster is in Massachusetts, not New Mexico, and I have personal, hands-on experience with the exact situation in the OP's state.