Guidance for La. workers seeking to make unemployment claims because of COVID-19 pandemic

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You can file a claim at www.louisianaworks.net/hire or by calling 866-783-5567.

Be sure to answer “yes” to the question, “Are you filing for Unemployment Insurance benefits for reasons related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus)?” This will provide needed information to the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) to help process your claim.

If your work hours have been reduced, partial benefits could be available to you up to a maximum of $247 a week. You must report any earnings for the week that you work, even if you’ve not yet been paid. Include all income, commissions, tips and gratuities.

Report the gross amount before deductions. These earnings would be factored into the amount of unemployment benefits paid to you for that week. A number of factors determine eligibility for benefits.

The LWC reviews each case separately. At the present time, all normal processes used to determine unemployment eligibility are in place.

It normally takes up to 21 days to receive needed documentation from both the claimant and employer and to make a determination of eligibility.

The maximum number of weeks that unemployment benefits can be paid per claim is 26 weeks in a 12-month period. You may have sick leave and/or annual leave available to you through your employer.

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