After My Claim Is Filed

You will receive a Monetary Determination by mail.

A Monetary Determination is a letter that lists the employers you worked for and the wages reported by these employers during the base period of your claim. It also shows the Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA) available on your claim, and your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA). Please review your wages carefully. If you think they are wrong, fill out the appeal form enclosed with the Monetary Determination so an investigation of your wage credits can be made.

Once filed, a 52 week benefit year is established. You cannot file another new claim in North Dakota until that year is over. Your benefits, however, may not last the entire year. Unemployment insurance generally allows for 12 to 26 weeks of benefits.

Unemployment Insurance Claimant Guide

The Unemployment Insurance Claimant Guide contains important information about your responsibilities as a claimant and what you are required to do in order to receive benefit payments. The Unemployment Insurance Claimant Guide is available on www.jobsnd.com under Resources for Individuals - Claimants.

You will need to certify each week of unemployment that you wish to receive benefit payments, Weekly certifications are completed:

• Online at Job Service North Dakota's UI ICE internet site under “My To Do List”, or;

• By telephone using our automated voice response system at 701-328-4995.

  You will need your PIN number to complete the certification process. Your PIN will be assigned to you when you file your claim for unemployment insurance. If you have not established a PIN number, you must log into UI ICE and select the Reset PIN link from the main menu.

Complete your weekly certification for each week that you wish to receive unemployment insurance benefits.

• The claim week runs from Sunday through Saturday midnight. You may certify each week of benefits any time after Saturday midnight, but you must certify your week within two weeks of starting your claim or within two weeks of the last week that you certified
• You must certify each week that you wish to claim benefits
   

Whether you certify online or by phone, you will be required to answer questions about your previous week's work activities. Questions include:

• The amount of your gross earnings for that week
• Were you able and available for work
• Did you complete your required number of work search contacts 

Note: The first week you certify and are determined eligible for benefits is called your waiting week. You must certify the week to get credit for your waiting week, even though you will not receive payment for that week.

"IMPORTANT: If you knowingly collect benefits based on false or inaccurate information that you intentionally provided when you filed your claim, you are committing fraud.  Read What is Unemployment Insurance Fraud to learn the penalties."

Now that I have filed my claim how do I receive benefits?

Direct Deposit

• If you would like to receive unemployment insurance benefit payments by direct deposit, visit the Job Service North Dakota’s UI ICE Internet site and select “Payment Option” on the Main Menu or select Change Payment Option on the phone. Read Direct Deposit FAQs to learn more.

Prepaid Card

• If you do not choose direct deposit you will be automatically enrolled in the ReliaCard Visa prepaid card program and a card will be sent to you. Read the Way 2 Go Card FAQ to learn more. Visit Way 2 Go Card account to access your account.

In order to be eligible to receive benefit payments Job Service must find that the reason(s) you are no longer working are not disqualifying and that you meet all other eligibility requirements of the unemployment insurance program. Examples of other eligibility requirements include:

• You are able and available to accept work
• You are actively seeking work
• You have an active resume on file with Job Service
• You have completed all re-employment related activities as directed by Job Service

If we have questions about your eligibility for benefits:

• Your ability to receive benefit payments will be stopped
• We will either send you a letter requesting information or conduct a telephone interview to obtain the necessary information to make a decision
• You must continue to certify each week you wish to receive benefit payments until a decision on the issue is made
• We will send you a written decision about your eligibility for benefits
• If you disagree with the determination it may be appealed. How to appeal a determination can be found in the Guide to Unemployment Insurance Appeals

When you initially file your claim, a benefit year is established for you. Your claim is available for you to access during this year. If you quit certifying for more than two consecutive weeks, your claim becomes inactive and you must reopen it before any further benefits can be paid.

Your claim is available to be reopened should you become unemployed again during the benefit year. In order to receive benefits after your claim has gone to inactive status, you must first reopen your claim.

• To prevent missing a week of potential eligibility you should file your claim during the week you are laid off.
• Your claim becomes effective the Sunday of the week you reopen your claim. Please note that for unemployment insurance purposes, the week always starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday.

If you do not complete your weekly certifications in a timely manner, you will be required to reopen your claim prior to receiving any further benefits. In order to ensure that your certifications are timely, you should stay within the following time frame when certifying:

• Certify within 13 days of the Saturday of the week in which you started your claim; or
• Certify within 13 days of the Saturday of the last week you had previously certified.

You can reopen your claim online through our UI ICE website.