Unemployment Benefits and Free Worker Retraining

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An unprecedented number of people are receiving unemployment insurance right now. What a large portion of these people are unaware of are the many different opportunities that are available to them that go far beyond the normal weekly paycheck. Two benefits to unemployment insurance that many people are aware of but rarely know of are Commissioner Approved Training and Training Benefits.

Commissioner Approved Training (CAT) is an option that allows you to continue receiving unemployment insurance, without having to fill out your weekly job search logs. This option is meant for those who are attending an institute of higher education, who would not necessarily be able to accept a job offer should they be offered one (during their time of training). Commissioner approved training requires going through an eligibility process and it does have a time stamp on it-talk to your employment security department about CAT as soon as you start claiming unemployment benefits.

Training Benefits are also delegated by the employment security department in your state and they are also time sensitive; talk to your ESD contact about your interest in Training Benefits immediately in order to get the paperwork process started as soon as you start receiving unemployment.

When you apply for Training Benefits, you are also applying for CAT in the sense that if you get accepted and once you enter your training program, you do not have to continue your weekly job search. The difference, and added benefit, however, is that if you get accepted into a training program and into Training Benefits, your unemployment insurance will be extended to cover the majority of the time that you are in training. That's right; while you are in school, you can keep receiving unemployment checks without even having to do your job search logs. Both of these programs are usually available to those receiving unemployment insurance, but you must have a strong case in place in order to be determined eligible for either of these opportunities.

It is good to be proactive in getting all of these necessary paperwork done to apply to either one of these programs, and it is also crucial that you have a short term, in-demand training program in mind when you start the application.

One of the best pieces of advice that I can give is to thoroughly read your unemployment benefits packet. It will come in the mail shortly after (or sometimes even before) you get your first unemployment check or payment. In the first couple of pages of your unemployment benefits claim packet, there will be specific details about how to claim unemployment training benefits within your particular state. Make sure to read everything thoroughly and make sure that you get everything done in a timely manner; everything is always much easier when you are within the timelines.

Talk to your employment security department about whether or not Commissioner Approved Training or Training Benefits are programs that may be able to help you during your time of layoff. Just remember to do it in a timely manner so that your window of opportunity doesn't close.