Additional Information

Table of Contents

REEMPLOYMENT SERVICES

Studies completed by the U.S. Department of Labor found that people who received reemployment services returned to work earlier than people who did not receive services.

We use profiling to select individuals who are required to look for work to participate in Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA). We look at a variety of factors such as occupation, industry, education, length of employment, wages, etc. Participants are selected within the first five paid weeks of their claim.

RESEA is designed to assure that you are registered for work and to provide customized reemployment services. If selected, participation is mandatory and is a condition of eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. If you do not participate, it could result in a denial of benefits.

You will receive a letter informing you where to report and what documents to bring. You must contact your RESEA Advisor prior to your scheduled appointment if you are unable to attend.  Appointments may be rescheduled for justifiable cause.

This program is an overall eligibility assessment review of your unemployment insurance claim. You meet one-on-one with a RESEA Advisor to:

  • Discuss benefits and requirements of the RESEA program, including how non-participation can affect your unemployment insurance benefits
  • Assess your unemployment insurance eligibility and address any possible issues
  • Review your work searches and discuss your work search process
  • Provide you with Labor Market Information (LMI)
  • Review your resume and provide feedback                           
  • Review your registration in IowaWORKS to ensure that it is properly completed
  • Schedule you for an IowaWORKS Center Orientation workshop
  • Schedule you for one additional workshop of your choice to be completed within 30 calendar days of RESEA assessment
  • Refer you to additional reemployment services/activities such as: resume writing, Future Ready Iowa, WIOA, ex-offenders services, etc. when employment barriers exist
  • Develop or revise Initial Service Plan (ISP) that will include work search activities, accessing services provided through IowaWORKS, and self-service tools

 Contact your local IowaWORKS Office for additional information.

TRAINING EXTENSION BENEFITS

If you are attending school or a training course, you may apply for Training Extension Benefits (TEB) to receive an additional 26 weeks of benefits. TEB is available if you:

  • Meet the eligibility requirements for unemployment insurance benefits
  • Are separated for one of the following reasons:
    • Laid-off
    • Voluntarily separated from a full-time position in a declining occupation
    • Involuntarily separated from a full-time position due to a permanent reduction of operations at the last place of employment

In addition to the above requirements, the school or training course must be one of the following:

  • For a high demand occupation as defined by IWD
  • For a high-tech occupation or training approved under the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

​TEB is only payable after all other unemployment benefits are exhausted. The TEB application can be found at this link and lists of high demand and declining occupations are available at this link.

You must submit an application for TEB within 30 days of the last week you receive benefits.

DEPARTMENT APPROVED TRAINING

If you are attending school or a training course, you may request to waive the work search requirement for each semester of school you attend. You should submit an application for Department Approved Training (DAT) to IWD with the following information:

  • Name of the school
  • Type of training
  • Class schedule
  • Beginning and ending dates of training

You will receive a decision in the mail approving or denying your request for DAT. The decision will include appeal rights. If you are approved for DAT, even though the work search requirement is waived, you must continue to be able and available to attend school. You must also file a weekly claim to receive payment while you are in school. If training stops for any reason, you must notify IWD and begin making work search contacts immediately. To be eligible for a continuing DAT each semester, you will need to submit a new application for DAT including your schedule and prior semester’s grades so we can determine your progress.

 

VOLUNTARY SHARED WORK PROGRAM

The Voluntary Shared Work (VSW) program offers an alternative to layoffs of five or more workers and is an effective tool for Iowa businesses experiencing a decline in regular business activity. Under VSW, work reductions are shared by reducing employees’ work hours and Unemployment Insurance (UI) partially replaces lost earnings. By avoiding layoffs, employees stay connected to their jobs and employers maintain their skilled workforce for when business improves.

Voluntary Shared Work Program

 

MILITARY WAGES

If you have served on active military duty during the base period, you can file an unemployment insurance claim in any state as long as you are physically present in that state at the time of filing. To add military wages to a claim, you must have served on active duty in the Armed Forces or served at least 180 consecutive days of active service in a US Military Reserve Force and meet all other eligibility requirements. You must provide a copy of your DD–214 (member copy 4) to determine if military wages can be used on the unemployment insurance claim.

The US Military service, not IWD, will determine if the earnings can be used on a claim. If the wages can be used, you will receive a new monetary record in the mail. If your request to add wages is denied, you will receive a decision with appeal rights. The DD–214 may be submitted any of the following ways:

  • At a local IowaWORKS Center
  • By fax to the UI Military Unit at 515-281-4057
  • By mail to:

UI Benefits Bureau
PO Box 10332
Des Moines, IA 50306-0332

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING MILITARY CLAIMS: 

  • Military service and the wages earned for that service are assigned to the state in which an individual is physically present in when filing a military claim. Unused military wages could be used for a later claim.
  •  The Federal findings of the branch of service are final and only that branch of service may issue a corrected DD Form 214.
  • An ex-service member may request a correction of the information contained on the DD Form 214 from the branch of service if it is believed to be incomplete or inaccurate.
  • A lump-sum payment for accrued leave, retirement payments, educational assistance allowances and disability payments and may reduce unemployment insurance benefit amounts. Additionally, subsistence allowance for vocational rehabilitation training or a war orphan’s (or widow’s) educational assistance allowance, payable by the Department of Veterans Affairs, may also reduce unemployment insurance benefit amounts.

Military wages are determined based on the pay grade of the service member at the time of discharge. The schedule of remuneration is issued by the Secretary of Labor and determines the wage credits and wage assignments.

 

FEDERAL WAGES

Federal wages are not assigned to a state until after an unemployment insurance claim is filed.  If you have worked for the federal government during the base period, you must report this employment when filing an unemployment insurance claim. We will send a request to the federal employer to determine if the wages can be assigned to Iowa. Once wages are assigned, you will receive a new monetary record in the mail.

 

COMBINED WAGES CLAIM

If you have worked in Iowa and other states during the base period, you may request to have your out-of-state wages added to your Iowa unemployment insurance claim. Out-of-state wages will only be combined with the Iowa wages if the additional earnings will increase the WBA or MBA. You have the option to file in any state where an employer reported earnings for you during the base period.

 

INTERSTATE CLAIM

If you move out of Iowa, you must immediately notify us of your address change. Mail from Iowa Workforce Development may not be forwarded by the U.S. Postal Service. If you are required to do work searches, you must contact the workforce agency in the state where you reside to register for work. You should still file your weekly claim in Iowa. Benefits will continue to be paid by Iowa until you begin working, exhaust benefits, or your benefit year expires.

 

TRADE ACT

Trade Readjustment Allowance and Trade Adjustment Assistance are programs available if you are unemployed or underemployed due to increased foreign imports. Affected employers must be approved by the US Department of Labor. For more information contact us at 866-239-0843, or contact a local IowaWORKS office.

 

RECORD REQUESTS

In keeping with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Iowa Open Records Act, Iowa Workforce Development is committed to providing assistance to those seeking access to open records created by or in the legal custody of our agency.  Any person may submit their request to examine and copy an open record created by or in the custody of Iowa Workforce Development through this records requests portal. If you still have additional questions, please contact us at uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov or by phone at 866-239-0843, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The department shall hold confidential the information obtained from an employing unit or individual in the course of administering this chapter and the initial determination made by a representative of the department under section 96.6, subsection 2, as to the benefit rights of an individual. The department shall not disclose or open this information for public inspection in a manner that reveals the identity of the employing unit or the individual, except as provided in subparagraph (3) or paragraph “c”. Iowa Code § 96.11(6) (b) (1); 20 CFR 603. To obtain confidential information, a requesting party must show entitlement to such information under Iowa Code § 96.11(6).  All fact-finding records, including audio recordings, are confidential and can only be released to the claimant and employer.