Kentucky Office of Employment and Training

[ Layout and positioning for Unemployment Insurance ]

CLAIM YOUR WEEKS AND CHECK YOUR PAYMENT BY TELEPHONE

The Office of Employment and Training, Division of Unemployment Insurance, is pleased to introduce its Voice Response Unit (VRU). By using a touch tone telephone, you may claim your weeks or request the status of your last week claimed. Week Claiming is available on Sunday from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM Eastern time and Monday - Friday from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM Eastern time. Last Week Claimed Inquiry is available Tuesday through Friday from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM Eastern time.

This system offers you the availability of a faster payment. In about the same amount of time it takes you to fill out your pay order card, address it, and take it to the mail box, you can enter your weeks for payment over the telephone. It’s that simple and that fast!

The system is easy to use. It will talk you through the step-by-step process. In most cases, you will get three (3) attempts to enter the correct information. To further assist you, a brief outline is shown below.

WEEK CLAIMING

PLEASE HAVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE BEFORE YOU PLACE YOUR CALL TO THE VOICE RESPONSE UNIT.

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

YOUR PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN)

THE DATE YOU RETURNED TO FULL-TIME WORK

THE NUMBER OF HOURS YOU WORKED, IF YOU WERE PAID OR WILL BE PAID FOR THE WORK

THE AMOUNT YOU EARNED BEFORE ANY DEDUCTIONS WERE MADE

1-866-291-2926

1.	Dial the telephone number listed above, then choose option 1 from the menu to claim your weeks. FOR ALL QUESTIONS REQUIRING A "YES" OR "NO" RESPONSE, PRESS 1 FOR YES, 9 FOR NO, OR 7 TO REPEAT THE QUESTION.
2.	Enter your Social Security Number. The system will repeat your Social Security Number. If it is correct, press 1. If it is NOT correct, press 5 and re-enter your Social Security Number.
3.	Enter your four (4) digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). This is a number YOU CHOOSE and enter. It will be used each time you call. The first time you call, the system will repeat the PIN to confirm it.
4.	Did you return to full-time work during this week? If yes, the system will ask for the date you returned to work. Enter dates as in this example: February 6, 1996 would be entered as 2696*. Press the star key after the month, after the date, and after the year.
5.	Did you perform any work for which you were paid or will be paid? If yes, enter the number of hours you worked, followed by the star key; for example twenty-four (24) hours would be entered as 24. If you worked a portion of an hour, but LESS than one hour, enter 1. If you worked a portion of an hour, but MORE than one hour, round down and show full hours. For example, 1/2 hour would be entered as 1, while 23 1/2 hours would be entered as 23.
6.	Enter the amount you earned before any deductions were made. Dollars and cents must be followed by the star key; for example $85.50 would be entered as 8550. Remember, HOLIDAY and VACATION PAY, SELF-EMPLOYMENT INCOME, ARMED FORCES RESERVE AND NATIONAL GUARD DRILL PAY, AND TIPS are EARNINGS which must be reported AS WAGES.
7.	Did you refuse work or quit a job, or were you fired from a job?
8.	Did you begin receiving or did you have an increase in the amount of your Social Security, retirement, or other pension?
9.	Were you physically and mentally able to work each day?
10.	Were you available for permanent, full-time work each day?
11.	Were you actively seeking permanent, full-time work?
12.	Do you certify that your answers were complete and truthful?

If you are claiming 2 weeks, the system will take you through this set of questions TWICE; once for the first week and again for the second week.

NOTICE
A.	When you file an initial or re-opened claim, you must wait 13 days after you file your claim before calling the VRU System. One phone call certifies both weeks you are claiming. DO NOT call the system back to claim your weeks again, unless there was a system problem and you were advised by the computer to call back later. When you call more than once a day it will kick your payment out as a duplicate, you will get a call from your local office to certify your weeks again, and YOU WILL DELAY YOUR BENEFITS.
B.	THERE’S NO WAY AROUND IT! If during your telephone call via VRU the system tells you to REPORT TO YOUR LOCAL OFFICE, you must report as instructed before the weeks can be paid. Calling the system again will not issue a payment.
C.	Please do not use a cordless or cellular telephone. The system may not recognize the tone.
D.	ANSWERS TO ALL QUESTIONS MUST BE PERSONALLY ENTERED BY YOU AND MUST BE TRUTHFUL. FALSIFICATION IS PUNISHABLE BY FINES AND/OR IMPRISONMENT. IF YOU HANG UP THE PHONE BEFORE THE SYSTEM TELLS YOU TO, YOUR CLAIM WILL NOT PROCESS. PLEASE FOLLOW THE SYSTEM’S INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY.
E.	ONCE YOUR CLAIM HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE SYSTEM, YOU DO NOT NEED TO MAIL YOUR PAY ORDER CARD TO THE UI OFFICE.

LAST WEEK CLAIMED INQUIRY

1.	Dial one of the telephone numbers listed above, then choose option 2 from the menu to inquire about your last week claimed.
2.	Enter your Social Security Number. The system will repeat your Social Security Number . If it is correct, press 1. If it is NOT correct, press 5 and re-enter your Social Security Number.
3.	Enter your four (4) digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). This is a number YOU CHOOSE and enter. It will be used each time you call . The first time you call , the system will repeat the PIN to confirm it.
4.	If a check has been issued, the system will give you the week ending date(s), the date the check was mailed, the amount of the check, and the balance of the claim. If more than one check was mailed on the same date, the system will give you information for each check. Press 1 if you need the information repeated. Press 9 if you do not.
5.	The system will tell you if you’ve been given credit for claiming the weeks, but no payment was issued.