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Unemployment Compensation

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     The Connecticut Unemployment Compensation Act provides financial benefits to workers who become partially or fully unemployed. The Act is administered by the Employment Security Division (ESD) of the Connecticut Department of Labor.

     Most employers are required to contribute to the unemployment compensation fund through a system of payroll taxes. Employer "charge rates" are established on a yearly basis and are determined by an employer's payroll and past liability for benefits. An experience account is maintained for each employer against which benefits paid are allocated and charged.

     To be eligible for benefits, an individual must (1) timely file a claim for benefits and register for work; (2) be physically and mentally able to work; and (3) be available for full-time work and make reasonable efforts to obtain work. Employees may be disqualified from receiving unemployment compensation benefits for the following reasons:

  • Failure to apply for or accept suitable work

  • Termination for inability to perform job duties due to failing a drug test required under state or federal law

  • Leaving suitable work voluntarily and without good cause attributable to the employer (with few exceptions)

  • Discharge for felonious or larcenous conduct

  • Discharge for willful misconduct, which is defined to include:

    1. Deliberate misconduct in willful disregard of the employer's interest; or

    2. A knowing violation of a reasonable and uniformly enforced rule or policy of the employer, when reasonably applied, provided such violation is not a result of the employee's incompetence; or

    3. Absent without notice or good cause for three separate instances within an 18-month period

  • Discharge for just cause (a single act of willful misconduct that seriously endangers the life, safety, or property of the employer, co-workers, or the general public) Note: As of Oct. 1, 2001, the just cause provision will be eliminated. (Public Act 01-37)

  • Termination as a result of a labor dispute

Click here for more information on the eligibility requirements for unemployment compensation.

For additional information on unemployment compensation in Connecticut, including helpful publications from the Unemployment Compensation division of the Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL), click on the specific topics below:

Unemployment Compensation Decisions: At the administrative level, the Board of Review decides appeals of unemployment compensation cases. Certain decisions of the Board of Review are designated as "precedent cases". These are cases that the Board considers important, and are viewed as controlling authority in future cases. Board cases cover a variety of issues under the Unemployment Compensation Act and can be useful authority when appealing a claim.
Click here to see copies of recent board decisions, (including precedent decisions.) Once there, click on the ADLIB Appeals Decision Library.

Federal Unemployment Compensation: For federal information concerning unemployment insurance, click on the following link: Federal UI Information.