Introduction

Table of Contents

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IS THE LAW

It is against the law for this recipient (IWD) of Federal financial assistance to discriminate on the following basis:

  • Against any individual in the U.S, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief; and
  • Against any beneficiary of programs financially assisted under Title 1 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) or the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA) of July 2015, on the basis of the beneficiary’s citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States, or his or her participation in any WIA or WIOA Title 1 - financially assisted program or activity.

If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, you should contact the Equal Opportunity Officer located at:

Iowa Workforce Development
1000 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319

Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. For deaf or hard of hearing, use Relay 711.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

Unemployment Insurance is a tax paid entirely by employers who are covered by the Iowa Employment Security Law. You do not pay any part of this cost.

Unemployment Insurance is not based on need; it provides temporary benefits if you are:

  • Unemployed or working reduced hours through no fault of your own
  • Able to work and available for work
  • Actively looking for work (unless this requirement is waived)

You are not automatically qualified for unemployment insurance benefits.  We will determine your eligibility based on information received from the employer that you worked for in the last 18 months. You must meet all eligibility requirements set by law to receive unemployment insurance benefit payments.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER USE

Social Security Numbers (SSN) are used to:

  • Verify your identity with the Social Security Administration
  • Verify your eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits
  • Report unemployment insurance benefit payments as taxable income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to the Iowa Department of Revenue
  • Detect fraud in federal and state programs
  • Enforce child support orders

Confidential unemployment compensation information pertaining to the claimant may be requested and utilized for other governmental purposes, including, but not limited to, verification of eligibility under other government programs.

WARNING: Do not provide your SSN or other personal information unless the representative can verify they are an IWD employee or an assigned third party agent.

EVERYONE OWNS INTEGRITY

Everyone is responsible for upholding unemployment insurance integrity. Individuals, employers and IWD staff are expected to act honestly and in good faith. Integrity helps us prevent errors, fraud, and abuse by those who do not follow the unemployment insurance rules.

We can help you with any questions about your responsibilities and requirements for receiving unemployment insurance benefits. Contact us if you think you have made a mistake in filing your claim. We can be reached by email at uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov or by phone at 866-239-0843, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FRAUD

Fraud is knowingly providing false information or withholding information to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Fraudulently collecting benefits is a serious offense. It can lead to severe penalties, including:

  • Criminal prosecution, fines, and imprisonment
  • An overpayment of fraudulently collected unemployment insurance benefits that you must repay, plus a fifteen percent misrepresentation penalty and daily interest
  • Wage garnishments and liens
  • Withholding state and federal tax refunds to be applied to an outstanding overpayment
  • Denial of benefits by administrative penalty, meaning you will be ineligible to receive future unemployment insurance benefits for anywhere from four weeks to the end of your benefit year, even after the overpayment and penalty is paid in full
  • Denial of unemployment insurance benefits while you have an outstanding fraud debt, including penalty, interest, and lien fees.
    • Unemployment insurance benefits cannot be used to offset your debt
    • No benefits will be paid for weeks in which you have an outstanding fraudulent overpayment

We use automatic wage crossmatch programs, claim audits, and additional investigative tools to detect fraud. We also compare state and federal new hire reports to unemployment insurance claims. We do this to ensure that if you have returned to work full time, you are no longer collecting benefits or, if you have returned to work part time, you are correctly reporting your earnings. Claim audits are also conducted to confirm work searches were completed for each employer listed on your work search record.

If you think you may have mistakenly reported incorrect information, you should contact us to correct the situation before an investigation begins. Contact us by email at uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov  or by phone at 866-239-0843, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

QUALITY CONTROL REVIEWS

We randomly select and review claims each week to determine if unemployment insurance benefits were accurately paid or denied. You must participate in the review if you are selected in order to remain eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.  If selected, you will receive a Notice of Selection letter by mail containing the date and time of the telephone interview. You will also receive a questionnaire to complete prior to the telephone interview. You must have a record of your work searches made for the week in question, as we will verify the work search information with the employers. Refusal to cooperate in the review will result in a denial of unemployment insurance benefits.