Iowa Admin. Code r. 871-24.29

Current through Register Vol. 47, No.14, January 8, 2025

Rule 871-24.29 - [Effective 2/12/2025] Payment of benefits to interstate claimants

(1) Section 96.20 of the employment security law of Iowa authorizes the department to enter into reciprocal arrangements with appropriate and duly authorized agencies of other states or of the federal government, or both. In conformity with this section, the department of workforce development prescribes:

a.Applicability. This regulation shall govern the department in its administrative cooperation with other states.

b.Definitions. In addition to terms defined in 17.1, the following definitions apply to this rule unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(1) "Interstate benefit payment plan." The plan approved by the national association of state workforce agencies under which benefits shall be payable to unemployed individuals who do not reside in the state (or states) in which benefit credits have been accumulated.

(2) "Interstate claimant." This is an individual who claims benefits under the unemployment insurance law of one or more liable states. The term interstate claimant shall not include any individual who customarily commutes from a residence in an agent state to work in a liable state unless the department finds that this exclusion would create undue hardship on such a claimant in a specified area.

(3) "State." This includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Canada.

c.Registration for work.

(1) Each interstate claimant will be registered for work as legally required by the agent state. This registration will be deemed to meet the registration requirements of the liable state.

(2) Each agent state will report to the respective liable state whether each interstate claimant meets the registration requirements of the agent state.

d.Benefit rights of interstate claimants.

(1) If a claimant files a claim against any state, and it is determined that the claimant has available benefit credits in that state, then claims will be filed only against that state as long as benefit credits are available there. Thereafter, the claimant may file claims against any other state having available benefit credits.

(2) For the purposes of this regulation, benefit credits shall be deemed to be unavailable whenever benefits have been exhausted, terminated, or postponed for an indefinite period or for the entire period in which benefits would otherwise be payable, or whenever benefits are affected by the application of a seasonal restriction. The department will respect the prior adjudication of a liable state if the department is made aware of the decision and will apply the Iowa requalification criteria, unless the claimant has requalified pursuant to the liable state's requalification criteria.

(3) The effective date of an interstate claim is the Sunday of the week the claim was filed, unless proof is obtained from another state that the claimant should have filed in Iowa.

e.Claim for benefits. Claims for benefits shall be filed by interstate claimants on uniform interstate claim forms or by using the procedures provided by the liable state and in accordance with uniform procedures developed pursuant to the interstate benefit payment plan. Claims shall be filed in accordance with the type of week in use in the agent state. Any adjustments required to fit the type of week used by the liable state shall be made by the liable state on the basis of consecutive claims filed.

f.Determination of claims.

(1) In connection with each claim filed by an interstate claimant, the agent state shall ascertain and report to the liable state in question such facts relating to the claimant's availability for work and eligibility for benefits as are readily determinable in and by the agent state.

(2) The agent state's responsibility and authority in connection with the determination of interstate claims shall be limited to investigation and reporting of relevant facts. The agent state shall not refuse to take an interstate claim unless the liable state has a procedure for taking out-of-state claims.

g.Appellate procedure.

(1) The agent state shall afford all reasonable cooperation in the taking of evidence and the holding of hearings in connection with appealed interstate benefit claims.

(2) With respect to the time limits imposed by the law of a liable state upon the filing of an appeal in connection with a disputed benefit claim, an appeal made by an interstate claimant shall be deemed to have been made and communicated to the liable state on the date when it is received by any qualified representative of the agent state.

(2) Extended benefits interstate claims. When extended benefits are in effect and a claimant is filing for extended benefits, an eligible individual shall be limited to a maximum of two weeks of the extended benefit entitlement if the individual moves from this state, before or during an extended benefit period triggered by this state's "on" indicator, to another state in which an extended benefit period is not in effect.

This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code sections 96.6(1) and 96.29(3).

Iowa Admin. Code r. 871-24.29

Amended by IAB February 22, 2023/Volume XLV, Number 17, effective 3/29/2023

Adopted by IAB January 8, 2025/Volume XLVII, Number 14, effective 2/12/2025