Unemployment Insurance (Vermont Department of Labor)

Vermont unemployment insurance gives short-term weekly payments if you lost your job through no fault of your own. It comes from the Vermont Department of Labor. You cannot start a claim until you have actually separated from your job, so wait until your last day has passed to file.

You can file in two main ways. File your claim online through the Claimant e-Services portal, which needs a myVermont account. Or file by phone at 1-877-214-3330, Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to 4pm and Friday from 9am to 4pm. If you have a problem with an existing claim, the Claimant Assistance line is 1-877-214-3332.

Your weekly amount comes from your past wages. For a worker who qualifies, the weekly benefit amount is found by taking your total wages in your two highest quarters of the base period and dividing by 45. The state uses four methods to decide if you qualify based on your wages, so even an unusual work history is checked more than one way.

There is a cap and a limit on weeks. The current maximum weekly benefit amount is 705 dollars, and that cap is adjusted each year starting July 1. The most weeks you can get in a benefit year is 26 times your weekly amount, so a full claim can stretch across many weeks if your amount is lower.

You have to stay active to keep benefits. You must be able and available for work, do a work search if you are told to, and accept an offer of suitable work if one is made. Keep records of your job search, since these can be checked.

Because a claim runs out, stack other help. 3SquaresVT can cover food, Green Mountain Care can keep your family insured, and 2-1-1 knows which local funds can bridge rent between jobs. File your weekly claims on time so your payments keep coming.