Notice of possible unemployment ineligibility
Hi Terry. I have been receiving IL unemployment benefits and they were recently extended. I started receiving a $350 pension which I understand will reduce my unemployment benefits. When I marked that on my certification, I answered “No” to the question about whether the benefit amount had changed; guess I should have answered yes. After noticing that I didn’t receive my latest payment, I called the IDES Monday and haven’t received a callback after signing up for that. I got a letter in the mail yesterday, “Notification of Possible Ineligibility,”and attempted to contact the State again. Since one is only able to leave one callback request I was directed to the automated system which was totally unhelpful. I don’t know what to do at this point. I need the unemployment benefits ASAP as my severance has run out. Are you able to help? Thanks, Dru
Terry Says
If you begin to receive a pension from the employer where you lost your job, you are suddenly ineligible for further unemployment benefits. That’s true even if the pension is small compared to the unemployment benefits. But if the pension came from another employer, then it wouldn’t impact your unemployment benefits. Sadly, this is something you’ll have to work out when you finally get your callback.
Here is the specific wording on the topic from the IDES website:
50% of the amount you receive may be deducted from your weekly benefit amount (WBA) if you paid into the pension, or 100% will be deducted if your employer paid the full amount. If you received a lump sum amount and did not have the option to receive monthly payments, a deduction will be made only for the week in which you received the payment. If it has been more than 18 months since you worked for the employer, the pension you are paid is not disqualifying income and will not be deducted from your benefits.