	Unemployment Compensation Benefit Eligibility for Former Military Personnel

Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX) provides income support to former active duty military personnel or reservists, who were recently released from active duty, while they search for work. The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991 ( P.L. In general, based upon each state's law, only the amount of the benefit that is attributable to military service would be charged to the agency. After active duty, if the former servicemember is unemployed, the former servicemember would qualify for UCX benefits based on military service. Military service of business owners or employees may impact the tax rate that certain employers face. These states do not charge UC benefits to employer accounts when workers voluntarily quit their jobs to accompany a transferred military spouse. States may choose to create provisions that remove or limit these tax increases in certain situations. 114-92 . In addition to many other actions, the law altered certain conditions for individuals to receive UCX. In addition, the law doubled the number of days (from 90 to 180 continuous days) a reserve member of the Armed Forces would have to be on active duty to qualify for UCX. Two earlier proposals had similar provisions, but did not include exceptions to the prohibition of concurrent receipt. Section 535 of S. 1376 includes a provision that would prohibit the concurrent receipt of unemployment benefits for former military servicemembers (UCX) and Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance.
The Unemployment Compensation (UC) program contains several provisions relevant to current and former military service personnel and their families. The UC program does not provide benefits for military servicemembers on active duty. However, former active duty military personnel (and certain reservists) recently separated from active duty may be eligible for Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX).
Spouses of military service personnel who voluntarily quit a job to accompany their spouses on account of a military transfer may be eligible for UC benefits, based on the laws of the state where the civilian spouse was employed.
Military service of business owners, employees, and employees' spouses may impact the state unemployment tax rate that certain employers face. States may choose to create provisions that remove or limit these tax increases in certain situations.
In addition to many other actions, P.L. 114-92 alters certain requirements for individuals to receive UCX. The new law prohibits the concurrent receipt of UCX and Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance but does provide exceptions. In addition, the law doubles the number of days (from 90 to 180 continuous days) a reserve member of the Armed Forces would have to be on active duty to qualify for UCX.
Two proposals earlier in the 114th Congress, H.R. 1735 and S. 1376, had similar provisions, but did not include exceptions to the prohibition of concurrent receipt.
Individuals should contact their state's unemployment agency to obtain information on how to apply for and receive unemployment benefits based upon military service. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a website with links to each state's agency at http://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/map.asp.