Additional Claim – An additional claim is filed after a break in unemployment claims because of intervening employment within the benefit year.

Address of Record – The address to which all documents are mailed. You must notify the Unemployment Insurance Division in writing of any address changes. Unemployment Insurance Division mail, including checks and determinations will not be forwarded by the U.S. Postal Service.

Base Period – The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the beginning of your claim.

Benefit Week – A calendar week which starts at 12:01 am Sunday and ends 12:00 midnight the following Saturday.

Benefit Year – Your benefit year ends one year from the effective date of your claim.

Benefits – The monetary amount paid to an unemployed or partially unemployed worker.

Calendar Quarter – A period of three consecutive calendar months ending on March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31.

Calendar Week – The seven consecutive days beginning on Sunday and ending on Saturday.

Claim – A new claim is the first claim filed to request a determination of entitlement and eligibility for compensation.

Claimant – A totally or partially unemployed person who files for unemployment benefits.

Claimant Fraud – The willful misrepresentation or nondisclosure of a material fact by a claimant for the purpose of obtaining benefits to which the person is not entitled.

Combined Wage Claim – A claim filed in one state using wage credits earned in two or more states.

Continued Claim – A claim filed every week to receive unemployment compensation once an initial claim has been filed.

Determination – An official decision by the Unemployment Insurance Division regarding the unemployment claim of a person.

Disqualified or Disqualification – A condition, as defined in the Wyoming Statutes, which may disqualify a claimant from receiving benefits.

Effective Date -The effective date of your initial claim is the Sunday prior to the day that you first file your claim for unemployment insurance.

Exhaustion of Benefits or Exhausted Benefits – This results when all of the benefits for which you are eligible have been paid.

Filing Date – The date you file via telephone or online and complete your claim for unemployment compensation.

Fraud – The willful misrepresentation or nondisclosure of a material fact by a claimant for the purpose of obtaining benefits to which the person is not entitled.

Full Time – Full time work is 35 or more hours worked in a particular week.

Highest Quarter – The quarter in your base period in which you earned your highest wages. Total wages for the base period must equal or exceed 1.4 times the highest quarter of earnings for you to be eligible for benefits.

Initial Claim – A new or an additional claim, according to Wyoming law.

Internet Claims Filing – Unemployment Insurance initial, additional, reopened claims and continued claims can all be filed online at wyui.wyo.gov. (wyui.wyo.gov)

Interstate Claim – A claim filed after you have moved to a new state against the state where you had earned wages.

Issue – An act, circumstance, or condition which could potentially disqualify you from receiving benefits.

Job Attached – If you expect to be recalled to your job within twelve weeks from an employer who paid 50% or more of your base period wages, you will not be required to contact other employers or register for work until after the expiration of the twelve weeks. This must be confirmed with the employer and starts from the effective date of the claim. If you are not recalled within the twelve weeks, you must begin an active work search and register for work to continue to receive benefits.

Lag Quarter – The quarter between the end of a base period and the quarter which includes the effective date of a claim.

Liable State – The state against which a worker files a claim for compensation.

Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA) – The maximum amount of benefits which a person may receive during a benefit year.

Monetary Determination – A written notice issued to inform you whether or not you meet the wage requirements necessary to establish entitlement to compensation. It includes the weekly and maximum benefit amounts you may receive, if entitled, and the beginning and ending dates of your benefit year.

New Claim – The first claim for benefits in a benefit year.

Nonmonetary Determination – A written notice issued to inform you whether or not you are eligible for benefits based on a decision on an issue which is not related to wages.

Overpayment – An amount of benefits paid to an individual to which the individual is not legally entitled.

Period of Employment – The period beginning with the first day an employee works for an employer and extending through the last day he or she works prior to termination.

PIN – A Personal Identification Number that is provided to you when you file an initial claim.

Reopened Claim – A claim filed after a break in filing for weeks during a benefit year. This break could be caused by illness, a disqualification, vacation, or failure to report for any reason other than employment. It is not a break resulting from other employment.

Requalification – A process by which a claimant may establish eligibility for unemployment insurance through reemployment following a determination of ineligibility and a period of disqualification.

Unemployment – Any week in which you perform no services and receive no wages, or work less than full-time and wages payable for that week are less than your weekly benefit amount.

Unemployment Insurance (UI) or Unemployment Compensation – A program under which a person, who is unemployed through no fault of his or her own, is paid weekly benefits based upon his or her past wages in employment covered by state or federal laws.

Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) – The federal program that provides benefits to former federal employees.

Unemployment Compensation for Former Military Personnel (UCX) – The federal program that provides benefits to former military personnel.

Union Attached – Union attachment means that you are in good standing with the union hiring hall, with your dues paid in full, and on the union’s out-of-work list. If the union does not recall you within twelve weeks, you must register for work and make two active work searches per week to continue to receive benefits. Union status is confirmed with your union.

Voice Response System (IVR) – Phone service which allows you to file your continuing claims by calling (307) 473-3789. The system will note for which weeks you may file. Then you will be asked to respond to questions corresponding to that week.

Wage Credits – Wages earned by a person working in employment which is covered by unemployment compensation. In Wyoming, you must have worked at least two quarters of your base period, and earned a minimum of $4,000 during your base period to be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits. You must also have a total base period earnings of 1.4 times your highest quarter.

Wage Credit Freeze – If you had a continuous period of sickness or injury resulting in a temporary total compensation under the Workers’ Compensation law, you may be able to claim unemployment benefits based on earnings prior to your injury date.

Wage Protest – The right to protest a monetary determination if a person feels that it does not accurately portray his or her wages. This protest must be filed prior to the claim’s benefit year ending date.

Weeks Compensated – The number of weeks of unemployment for which benefits are paid.

Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) – The amount payable to a claimant for a compensable week of total unemployment.