Unscrupulous companies are trying to take advantage of out-of-work Idahoans by sending the workers e-mails claiming their unemployment benefits will be cut off if they fail to pay $10 dollars to ensure the weekly checks continue.
The Idaho Department of Labor administers the unemployment insurance program and does not employ any third parties to work with benefit claimants. The department’s Web site – http://labor.idaho.gov/IW – or consultants in any of its 25 local offices are Idaho’s official source of information about unemployment benefits and the only place to apply for benefits either online or in person. There is no charge for filing a claim or ongoing benefit administration.
“No matter how official another Web site or an e-mail may look, the Idaho Department of Labor is the only agency involved with unemployment insurance benefits,” Benefits Bureau Chief Roger Holmes said.
The Idaho Department of Labor offers a full range of employment services from job search assistance to resume preparation and job interviewing techniques at any of its local offices throughout the state. Idaho law provides workers with a weekly unemployment benefit if they have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and have sufficient earnings during the previous 15 months. The amount runs up to $362 a week for up to 26 weeks as long as the workers are actively looking for new full-time jobs.
In addition, the national recession has triggered a federally financed plan for up to 26 additional weeks of unemployment benefits for workers who have used up their regular state benefits. This week, Idaho triggered up to 13 additional weeks of benefits for workers who are still without jobs after going through both the regular state and federal extended benefits.