<p>My mother was laid off while being abroad. She hasn’t returned ever since. It appears that only she can enter her information on the Unemployment Insurance Benefits website; for me to do it would be illegal. Is there a period during which she MUST apply for those benefits to be considered as an applicant? Also, I’m reading all this stuff about having to prove that you’re actively seeking employment. How can that be done if my mother plans to stay in another country for the next couple of months?</p>
<p>She’s not dealing with this herself because she was hospitalized for the past month… Is there even a point in getting her to come here to apply for those benefits, or nothing’s gonna work if she can’t stay here (she’s receiving free med. treatment elsewhere…)?</p>
<p>I would carefully read everything on your state’s employment security website to determine if a person who is currently undergoing medical treatment out of the country is eligible for unemployment benefits (our state’s employment security office states that a person must be physically available for work). I have a suspicion that she can apply for unemployment benefits now, but she would not qualify for any unemployment benefits for the weeks she is not “physically available”.</p>
<p>“Active job search”, according to our state’s office, means at least 3 job search contacts per week: a resume sent in response to a particular job ad, a networking e-mail to a former colleague, a phone call to a company’s HR, etc. All of this can be done form outside of the US, and all of this has to be documented (e.g., by keeping a log of all contacts and printing out everything).</p>
<p>You can try to pay a visit to your local employment security office or call them with your mom’s questions; the people who work there are usually very supportive and helpful.</p>
<p>This is a complicated case. Your mom was employed out of the country, so it is unclear if she is eligible for unemployment benefits here if she was working for an employer that was not contributing towards those benefits. And if she is now ill, receiving medical care, and not actively looking for work in this country, she is also not eligible to collect unemployment. It is a benefit for someone who lost their job through no fault of their own, (cannot be due to a medical illness) and who are able to currently work, but cannot find work.</p>
<p>I’m sorry for being unclear. She was employed in the U.S., but was on a business trip in another country, with which her company regularly does business. She was hospitalized after she was laid off. Maybe she can be actively looking for work through, say, emails, like BunsenBurner suggested? I’ll make the calls after my finals end this week… Thanks for the clarifications!</p>
<p>Does your mother have internet access where she is now? Some states let you file a claim online. You are correct that you absolutely cannot do that for your mother, but she may be able to do it herself, even from overseas.</p>
<p>I think being out of the country would be considered not being able and availalble to work. The illness issue would be separate and I’m not sure how they handle that. It would probably mean applying for disability or another program. Unemployment is for the able to work.</p>
<p>You cannot receive benefits for time you are physically unable to look for work. I was laid off while pregnant and could not receive benefits from when I went into the hospital until the Dr said I could resume looking for work. I don’t know about the out of country issues.</p>