How do I get started?

VEC offers three filing options:

• Internet filing is the best bet: www.VaEmploy.com.
• To file by phone, call the Customer Contact Center at 1-866-832-2363. Getting through can be challenging.
• File in person at a VEC Workforce Center.

Information required to file:

Social Security number, address and phone number; your most recent employer's name, address and phone number; and the reason you are no longer employed. If you file a claim in person, take proof of your Social Security number.

What will my benefit be?

It depends on your earnings.

The VEC examines your earnings during the first four of the last five quarters or, essentially, your most recent year of employment. It totals the earnings from the two quarters when your earnings were highest and then calculates weekly benefit amounts and how long they might last.

An example:

Let's say that during the first four of the last five quarters, you earned $20,000 and that your highest earnings reached $5,000 during each of two quarters for a total of $10,000. According to VEC’s formula, you would be eligible to receive weekly payments of $200 for 25 weeks, a total of $5,000 (or 50 percent of the total of the two highest quarters).

The VEC's benefits chart can be found online.

The highest weekly payout, regardless of income, is $378. Benefits are subject to federal income tax.

Now what?

The payout.

Benefits are paid in one of two ways: deposit to a Virginia Debit Card, or direct deposit to a checking or savings account. The first week a person qualifies for benefits is a nonpayable week known as a "waiting week" period. So once a claim is approved, it typically takes about two and a half weeks to receive the first payout.

Keep looking for work.

You must "actively seek employment." The commission has a host of related mandates. The commission's work force centers offer job seekers access to computers, telephones and fax machines and information ranging from job openings to resume writing, from training opportunities to interviewing techniques. Job searches can also be performed online at www.vaworkconnect.com.