Unemployment Insurance FAQ
Please speak with your Account Manager as you consider your options for furloughs, layoffs and unpaid leaves of absences.
When you recall an employee from furlough, you should send the employee a Return to Work - After Furlough letter - a form letter is available in the Engage Forms Library, here.
In the event the employee refuses to return to work because of the employment benefits he or she is receiving, the employee should be informed that the additional $300 dollars in unemployment benefits will only continue through September 6, 2021. The employee should also be informed that the refusal to return to work will be reported to the state’s division of employment as a resignation and that he or she will be disqualified from continuing to receive benefits and that his or her position will be filled.
If the employee refuses to return to work or refuses to sign the return to work letter within 24 hours, you should send the employee a Confirmation of Verbal Resignation letter, a form letter is available in the Engage Forms Library, here.
Please provide any state agency our unemployment claims phone number (754-701-6666) or forward the message via email to ui@engagepeo.com.
Engage has created two new separation codes for layoffs due to COVID-19. If you have trouble finding the codes, please send our team an email.
• For temporary layoffs, the Leave Employment Status is COVID19 Leave of Absence and the Reason code is COVID-19.
• For permanent layoffs, the separation code is Terminated, and the Reason code is COVID-19. In both instances, enter the last day the employee was actively at work for purposes of disability, workers’ compensation, and unemployment claims.
They may qualify depending on how much they earned in the week in which their hours were reduced. If they earned more than the state weekly benefit amount, then they would not qualify for additional unemployment benefits. Some states have the authority to waive this requirement. Engage is monitoring any changes.
For reduced hours claims, change employee status to: COVID-Reduced Hours, and the Reason code is Reduction in Hours.
The maximum amount of weekly benefit and the number of weeks an employee may receive benefits varies by state. Please contact the Claims team for more information.
A furlough is a leave of absence or temporary layoff. A layoff is a permanent separation of employment.
Except for employers in Georgia, employees should file an unemployment claim for reduced hours pursuant to the state’s standard process. For employers in Georgia, please contact the Engage Claims team for assistance.
Engage processes unemployment claims received as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Engage has no control over the state processing times and is unable to verify the status of a claim once Engage answers the claim.
Severance payments will be considered as pay and employees will not be eligible for unemployment during any week that they receive severance payments.
Engage can assist with the partial unemployment process. The Claims team will provide the information required by the state on a weekly basis for the partial unemployment claims. The state requires a weekly report for each employee impacted. To complete the partial unemployment process, we will need the following items:
• Your Company’s Name
• Employee’s Full Name
• Rate of Pay
• Number of Hours Worked (Saturday to Sunday Format)
• Number of Hours Reduced for the Week (Saturday to Sunday Format)
Always ensure you contact the Engage Unemployment Claims team to confirm we have received the information needed to respond to the state.
In many states, Engage is the employer of record for unemployment purposes. You should advise your employee to use the Engage legal name provided on the employee’s paystub or W2, which will begin with “S2 HR Solutions.” That should resolve the issue. If it does not, please contact your Account Manager