News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
As the number of people furloughed or laid off rises across the Upper Cumberland grows, knowing how to access unemployment benefits is an important tool.
Chris Cannon, Assistant Administrator of Communications for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said being prepared is critical when beginning the process.
“They need all of their employment information,” Cannon said. “They will need their monetary wages they have earned over the last 18 months. They will need the names and addresses of those employers, and if you choose to have those benefits directly deposited into a bank account, you need to have accurate banking information that we can put onto your claim so we can send those benefits to that bank account.”
In the last two weeks, Cannon said unprecented numbers of Tennesseans have applied for unemployment, with over 250,000 people filing new claims statewide including more than 4,800 in the Upper Cumberland.
Cannon said the easiest way to file is through the state’s website, jobs4tn.gov.
“Applicants can go there to file their claim,” Cannon said. “If someone doesn’t have good internet service, don’t have a computer, or are not very good on a computer, they can also call (844) 432-0969, but tens of thousands of people are calling in, so the most efficient way is to find someone with a computer to help you file that application online.”
Cannon said it was also very important to do keep up with the weekly unemployment requirements even before they are approved.
“Many people probably haven’t had to file for unemployment before,” Cannon said. “What we are trying to remind everyone of is that each person needs to do their weekly certifications. As soon as you apply, even before you are approved, you need to the next week do your weekly certification. It’s very important each person does their weekly certifications each and every week even if you haven’t been approved yet. Once you are approved, we will look back to see if you did those weekly certifications telling the state that you are still eligible for unemployment, and we will pay you for those weeks even before you were approved.”
Cannon said failure to complete weekly tasks will make you ineligible for your unemployment benefits.
