How2Day: Kansas Unemployment Laws

As of September 2010, the unemployment rate in Kansas was 6.6 percent. The Kansas Department of Labor works with local and national organizations and employers to help displaced workers in the state gain employment. Employers in the state and displaced workers are governed by unemployment laws administered by the department. Purpose of the laws is to ensure that unemployment insurance (UI) benefits are paid for and received equitably.

To open an unemployment claim in Kansas you must provide your Social Security number, names and mailing addresses of employers you worked for during the last 18 months, the name of the county where you live and your driver's license number. You are required to open your claim over the telephone by calling the Kansas Department of Labor if you received unemployment benefits from another state within 12 months of your filing with Kansas. You also have to file over the telephone if you lived in another state during the previous 18 months. Other claimants are permitted to open a claim via the department's website.

The amount of unemployment benefits you can receive are based on the total wages that you earned during the base period (first four of the last five completed calendar quarters). Weekly benefit amounts are equal to 4.25 percent of highest quarterly wages earned during the base period. For example, if you earned $9,580 during your highest quarter, you would receive a weekly unemployment payment of $407. Unemployment claims remain open for 52 weeks. However, payments only cover 26 weeks.

You are permitted to work part-time and continue to receive the full amount of your unemployment benefits in Kansas if you earn 25 percent or less of your weekly unemployment benefit amount. If you receive more than 25 percent of your weekly benefits while working part-time, the Kansas Department of Labor will deduct the difference that exceeds the 25 percent. For example, if your weekly benefits are $100, you could earn 25 percent of that amount ($25) a week while working part-time. If your part-time wages exceeded this, (e.g. $60 a week), you would have the difference ($35 in this case) deducted from your weekly unemployment check.

You must file a weekly certification through the Kansas Department of Labor in order to continue to receive unemployment benefits. Claims become inactive if you do not file a certification every 17 days. To file your weekly certification you will need a PIN number (which you create when you file your initial claim) and your Social Security number.

Kansas will deny your unemployment claim if you are self-employed, you have an existing medical condition that prevents you from seeking work or actually working, you are on a paid leave of absence from work, you are not a legal United States citizen or you are involved in a strike. Your claim will also be denied if you lost your job for cause (e.g. were terminated for stealing). As soon as you return to work, you must notify the Kansas Department of Labor so it can deactivate your claim.

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