Applying for Unemployment Benefits

[EagleandBear]

We have been full timing for 7 years. Two years ago we had some unexpected expenses and decided to work camp. We work camped for Xanterra in Yellowstone for two seasons. When we left Yellowstone last September we thought we had a job in Oregon but the start up date got pushed back to sometime in April or May of this year. A friend recommended that we apply for unemployment benefits.
Since I am getting SSI my wife applied for unemployment benefits and was accepted on December 9th. Two weeks later my she was audited for the week before December 9th and what would have been her first week. She has been actively looking for a job and fulfilled all of the requirements of the unemployment program but there were no jobs in late December and all the businesses were laying people off after Christmas. January has been dry especially because there has not been enough snow for the ski lifts to operate (it is a big deal in this area).
We received notice that they would no longer pay her unemployment benefits. We were told that they could not find certain documents in her file. We sent duplicate copies to them via USPS and Fax along with the requisite protest. Two weeks ago the unemployment office called to say that everything was OK but yesterday we got a notice that we have to teleconference with their “tribunal” next week.
I am 65 and neither of us has ever applied for unemployment benefits. My questions are: How common is it for work campers apply for unemployment? Do the unemployment offices provide a service or do they purposely run rough shod over the applicants? If I want to challenge the unemployment office in Wyoming who do I contact? Is there an office at the Federal level that has oversight responsibilities for Wyoming’s unemployment insurance program?
Thank you for any help in this matter.

[Executive45]

Seems like an audit of their income tax filings would substantiate their employment history.....Dennis

[westernrvparkow]

Personally, as a taxpayer in one of those evil western states, I want my government agencies protecting my tax dollars. I don't want carte blanche given to every unemployment application sent in. In Montana, and most other states there are employment requirements that must be met before a person is eligible for unemployment benefits. Apparently, Wyoming does not have the information necessary to start paying any benefits. It would be irresponsible for the state to pay out benefits until they had determined that a claim was valid. One of the biggest rules to a valid claim is the job must have ended and you must not have quit or been dismissed for cause. You could make an argument that when you accept a seasonal position, you have actually agreed to quit the job at the end of the season. So it is possible the claim could be denied simply because your position was seasonal.
As a general rule, you need to have worked for a certain number of hours for a certain number of employment quarters. The obvious reason for this is no reasonable person would expect the state to pay 26 weeks of unemployment benefits for someone who only worked a couple of days or weeks in the state. If you were only in the state for a few months, Wyoming may need to check with previous employment states to see if you actually have accumulated enough recent work hours and quarter to qualify for benefits. And since benefits are tied to income, I would doubt that even a qualified claim would result in a large amount of money being paid to the claimant.

[EagleandBear]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. So far we have not gotten any wind of Xanterra being involved. She got a call from them in January wanting her to return for the 2015 season.
I am still unsure how the system works. The Feds subsidize the States in some way or another but I do not understand the employer's relationship with the State that is allocating the benefits other than confirming the applicant's employment status and conditions of termination. The people who recommended that she apply for UI had worked several seasons for Xanterra. No one mentioned that Xanterra took exception to their UI applications.

[EagleandBear]

I missed the question about SSI. I do get retirement benefits through social security but she has to wait six more years before she is eligible for SSI. Since this is the first time we have applied for UI benefits I am clueless as to how it affects my eligibility for UI benefits.
We have traveled in WY, ID and MT on and off for the past 40 years. There were times when we felt unwelcome even if we had tourist dollars to spend. Years ago the folks at Salmon ID were outright hostile and some of the signs in WY threaten to shoot you if you fish in their rivers. Things have improved some in these states but I feel much more accepted in most of the other states. Sorry to say but even if I am eligible it may be easier for us to hunker down and wait out the dry spell rather than get into a brawl with a government worker who has an attitude.

[puttd]

Second on checking if WY excludes seasonal employment. In some states, the employer can challenge payment of benefits (ie, benefits payable only if you were fired, not for cause and not if you quit) and can't imagine Xanterra wants lots of people filing unemployment after a summer job ends. The rate of claims can affect the premium charged the employer.

[EagleandBear]

This is our first time dealing with UI in any state but I think that Wyoming depends on seasonal workers in many ares and provides UI services to get people through the transition.
In our case, the job offer she had fell through. She applied for UI benefits to help us until she gets a job. What seems to have triggered her letter of disqualification is that the staff in Wyoming could not find the documents we sent to them. Thus far we have sent in three copies of everything. Two claims of lost documents seems to indicate that the problem is due to something more than ineptness - but maybe my experience in investigating government agencies in California compels me to think about such things.
The bottom line is that Wyoming allocates a little over $100 per week to UI claimants. The process has taken up over 20 hours of her job hunting time and I would guess will involve at least 10 - 12 combined hours of their staff time when the process is finished. At best their process is flawed. If someone were scamming the UI system he/she would have plenty of time to play footsie with the State staff but the time spent fulfilling the UI process measures winds up by encumbering the applicant who is serious about finding a job.
Anyway, I wanted to see if anyone else felt as though the State staff created problems rather than help solve them.

[TCW]

EagleandBear wrote:
...Since I am getting SSI my wife applied for unemployment benefits...

Do you mean you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments or Social Security Retirement Benefits? If you are actually receiving SSI, if she is denied unemployment insurance payments, she and or both of you may be elligible for other types of public assistance such as actual payments, Medicaid, food stamps, utility bill assistance, etc. If you are collecting Social Security Retirement payments you still may be elligible for unemployment benefits and it may not affect your Social Security payments.

[HappyKayakers]

I think the program varies by state. Here in FL (and probably many other states) you're automatically disqualified from unemployment if you only work seasonal jobs. I suppose the rationale behind that is you knew going in that the job would end on X date. Have you checked the state website for their requirements?

[ScottG]

I've never worked camped but I was audited twice during the time I was on UEI, I never considered it any kind of harassment. Just the opposite really, I appreciate them auditing people to keep them honest and to cut benefits to those that just want a free ride.