DAR File No. 37877

Workforce Services, Unemployment Insurance

Section R994-403-108b

Deferral of Work Registration and Work Search

Notice of Proposed Rule

(Amendment)

DAR File No.: 37877
Filed: 08/01/2013 04:18:33 PM

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

The purpose of this amendment is to clarify when work search deferrals will be granted.

Summary of the rule or change:

The current rule allows for a job attached work deferral with a date of recall within ten weeks. This change would allow a deferral, if requested by the employer, if the recall is more than ten weeks.

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

• Subsection 35A-4-502(1)(b)
• Subsection 35A-1-104(4)
• Section 35A-1-104
• Subsection 35A-4-403(1)

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

This is a federally-funded program so there are no costs or savings to the state budget.

local governments:

This is a federally-funded program so there are no costs of savings to local government.

small businesses:

There are no costs or savings to any small businesses as there are no fees associated with this program and it is federally funded.

persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities:

There are no costs or savings to any persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local government entities as there are no fees associated with this program and it is federally funded.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

There are no costs or savings to any affected persons as there are no fees associated with this program and it is federally funded. These changes will not impact any employer's contribution rate.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

There are no compliance costs associated with this change. There are no fees associated with this change. There will be no cost to anyone to comply with these changes. There will be no fiscal impact on any business. These changes will have no impact on any employer's contribution tax rate.

Jon Pierpont, Executive Director

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Workforce Services
Unemployment Insurance
140 E 300 S
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84111-2333

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

• Suzan Pixton at the above address, by phone at 801-526-9645, by FAX at 801-526-9211, or by Internet E-mail at spixton@utah.gov

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

09/16/2013

This rule may become effective on:

09/23/2013

Authorized by:

Jon Pierpont, Executive Director

R994. Workforce Services, Unemployment Insurance.

R994-403. Claim for Benefits.

R994-403-108b. Deferral of Work Registration and Work Search.

(1) The Department may elect to defer the work registration and work search requirements. A claimant placed in a deferred status is not required to actively seek work but must meet all other availability requirements of the act. Deferrals are generally limited to the following circumstances:

(a) Labor Disputes.

A claimant who is unemployed due to a labor dispute may be deferred while an eligibility determination under Subsection 35A-4-405(4) is pending. If benefits are allowed, the claimant must register for work immediately.

(b) Union Attachment.

(i) A claimant who is a union member in good standing, is on the out-of-work list, or is otherwise eligible for a job referral by the union, and has earned at least half of his or her base period earnings through the union, may be eligible for a deferral. If a deferral is granted to a union member, it shall not be extended beyond the mid-point of the claim unless the claimant can demonstrate a reasonable expectation of obtaining employment through the union.

(ii) If the claimant is not in deferred status because the claimant did not earn at least 50 percent of his or her base period wage credits in employment as a union member, or the deferral has ended, the claimant must meet the requirements of an active, good faith work search by contacting employers in addition to contacts with the union. This work search is required even though unions may have regulations and rules which penalize members for making independent contacts to try to find work or for accepting nonunion employment.

(c) Employer Attachment.

A claimant who has an attachment to a prior employer and [a date of recall]reasonable assurance of returning to full-time employment within ten weeks of filing or reopening a claim may have the work registration requirement deferred to the expected date of recall. [The deferral should not extend longer than ten weeks.]A claimant is presumed to have reasonable assurance of employment if he or she previously worked for the employer and there has been no change in the conditions of his or her employment which would indicate severance of the employment relationship. The deferral should generally not extend longer than ten weeks. To extend beyond ten weeks, the claimant must have earned at least half of his or her base period earnings with the employer in question and the employer must submit a request to the department.

(d) Three Week Deferral.

A claimant who accepts a definite offer of full-time work to begin within three weeks, shall be deferred for that period.

(e) Seasonal.

A claimant may be deferred when, due to seasonal factors, work is not available in the claimant's primary base period occupation and other suitable work is not available in the area.

(f) Department approval.

If Department approval is granted under the elements of R994-403-202, the claimant will be placed in deferred status once the training begins and will not be required to register for work or to seek and accept work. The deferral also applies to break periods between successive terms as long as the break period is four weeks or less. A claimant must make a work search prior to the onset of training, even if the claimant has been advised that the training has been approved.

(2) Deferrals cannot be granted if prohibited by state or federal law for certain benefit programs.

 

KEY: filing deadlines, registration, student eligibility, unemployment compensation

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: [October 1, 2012]2013

Notice of Continuation: May 16, 2013

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 35A-4-403(1)