Individuals are eligible to file a VA unemployment claim if they have either been laid off or fired through no fault of their own. Virginia Unemployment insurance is a federally supported program to prevent the cascade of negative effects to individuals and families who have lost income.
Virginia unemployment insurance is a large program with connections to the National School Lunch program, Veterans Assistance programs, and the federal Pell Grant fund that is applicable to job training. Although federal EDD unemployment is available for all states, each state has different policies.
Virginia’s eligibility requirements for unemployment insurance coverage have changed as of 2016, and it is imperative that anyone seeking benefits learn about how they are processed. For example, Virginia had changes in its unemployment benefits rate and eligibility requirements in 2011 and 2014.
The main changes, however, have been a reduced availability of certain programs and the creation of new ones. One unemployment insurance program was created in 2015 to help workers reduce their hours instead of being laid off, helping employers reduce costs and employees keep their jobs.
Under this new program, your employer must tell you if you are going to be fully laid off sometime in the future. VA unemployment coverage has also changed the average weekly benefit rate and wage level, as well as the tax rate for employers. Any weekly benefits you are entitled to are also subject to change if your income changes.
The following pages on this site contain important information about how unemployment insurance benefits are determined, calculated and distributed. You will also find out how to prevent becoming ineligible for unemployment, and what to do if you believe you have been wrongfully denied.
You will also learn about the various workshops and job services available in Virginia. For step-by-step instructions on how the unemployment insurance claims process works in Virginia, please see the following sections:
