Unemployment Insurance
Claims for unemployment insurance benefits can be
filed at any of the seven offices in Region 13. You must meet the following
criteria (IWD will help you determine if you meet this criteria):
- Be totally or partially unemployed;
- Have worked and earned a certain amount of wages
in work covered by unemployment insurance in the last 15 to 18 months;
- Have lost your job through no fault of your own;
and
- Be able and available for work if offered to you.
In some cases, you also must be registered for work at
your local Workforce Development Center, and be actively seeking work.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to take
advantage of Iowa Workforce Development System services. If you are a
person with a disability who requires information in an alternate format or
other accommodation, please contact Mary Lefeber at 712-242-2145 or email us
at Region13.web@iwd.state.ia.us
How To File Your Claim:
There are several methods to file a new Iowa
claim for unemployment insurance benefits.
1. You may file An
Unemployment Insurance Claim Online from your home computer or from
another web-connected computer at public locations. This method is
available 24 hours a day. It's quick and easy.
2. You may file an Unemployment Insurance Claim Online
from a computer in the resource center at your
local Iowa
Workforce Development Center.
3. You may go to your local Workforce Development
Center. Staff there will assist you in the completion of the paperwork
necessary to submit your claim.
Claims filed using either method #2 or #3 are on a
walk-in basis from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday in the Council
Bluffs, Harlan, Atlantic, and Clarinda offices; from 8 a.m.
to noon, Monday through Friday in the Shenandoah office; and from 8 a.m. to
3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday in the Glenwood office.
Whichever way you choose to file your unemployment
insurance claim, you will need the following information:
- Your Social Security number;
- The name of your last employer;
- The address of your last employer;
- The start and end dates of your last job;
- Whether or not you will receive vacation pay,
severance, etc.; and
- If you are leaving military service, you will
need a copy of your DD 214.
In all cases, you will receive a booklet called
“Facts About
Unemployment Insurance.” This booklet is full of information about
unemployment insurance benefits, eligibility requirements, and how to report
your weekly claim.
If all your work during the past 18 months was
performed in a state other than Iowa, you should contact that state. Some
bordering states' phone numbers are listed below. Contact your local Iowa
Workforce Development Center if you need the phone number for some other
state.
Nebraska: 823-2800 (in the local Omaha area) or
1-877-725-9918
Missouri: 1-800-320-2519
Kansas: 1-800-292-6333
Reporting Your Weekly Claim:
Most eligible Iowans can receive unemployment
insurance benefits for up to 26 weeks, and in some cases, 39 weeks. After
you have provided the initial information needed to confirm eligibility,
you’ll be asked to provide additional information to continue to receive
benefits.
Each week you will call this toll-free number, 1 (800) 850-5627 to certify
the following:
- That you are unemployed or working only reduced
hours;
- That you are able and available to work;
- That you have not refused any job offers or
referrals;
- That you are actively looking for work (unless
waived); and
- That you are reporting any pay or pension
received.
A computerized Voice Response Unit will answer, and a
prerecorded message will ask you the eligibility questions one at a time
