UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE (UI)

The federal and state governments created this program to provide financial benefits for a period of time after being laid off from work, typically 26 weeks but regulations change as tot he duration. The amount received by the unemployed person is based upon the amount of former pay and is considerably less than that salary. It is to help the unemployed person deal with the significant financial change until new employment is found. It is called unemployment compensation and usually requires a minimum amount of money made at work and a period of time of consecutive employment (usually 6 months.)