Important Information and Resources for Individuals

Unemployment benefits are available to Wyoming people who have been negatively impacted as a result of the mitigation efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. Eligible individuals include those who have lost their job through no fault of their own, are quarantined by a medical professional or a government agency, laid off or sent home without pay for an extended period by their employer, or caring for an immediate family member who is diagnosed with COVID-19.

PUA claims may be filed now. We are working diligently to implement the PEUC system for those who need the 13-week extension of benefits. Please check this website frequently for updates.

If you have filed a claim for PUA benefits, please note you will first be declined for regular Unemployment Insurance. You will receive a "B9N" form saying your claim has been denied. Please note that your claim is still in the system, and is now being processed as a PUA claim. Within a few days, you should receive a PUA-25 form, which will inform you of your PUA claim status.

You may also receive a BAM-21 form. That form, like the B9N form, can be disregarded.

UI Fraud Consumer Protection Guide From DOL OIG



SICK LEAVE ELIGIBILITY

Please see the following links to determine if you are eligible for sick leave because of COVID-19:

NEW PHONE OPTION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have contracted with an outside call center to assist with Unemployment Insurance claims. You can reach the call center at 888-674-7699. The original UI claims number, 307-473-3789, remains active, as well.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Before applying, it is recommended that you review the Unemployment Insurance Handbook. Additionally, gather the necessary materials with our Unemployment Insurance checklist.

HOW TO APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

The most efficient way to file for unemployment benefits in by filing online. Here is a video tutorial that will walk you through the process. And here is information about the process of filing for Unemployment Insurance, PUA or PEUC

STEPS TO TAKE AFTER FILING YOUR CLAIM

After you submit your Unemployment Claim, your work is not finished! Know the steps you need to take.

Information about US Bank card

DID YOU GET PAID BY YOUR EMPLOYER?

If you filed for unemployment, you need to report all wages you receive while on unemployment when filing your Continued Claim for payment. If you don't report your wages, you will be in overpayment.

If you've been paid by your employer and you have already received unemployment insurance benefits for that time period, you must report those earnings. Please call 307-235-3236 to report those earnings or leave a message.

We will need:

Your name
Your Social Security number
Your contact information
Employer Name
Pay Period Start date
Gross amount paid for each week
Number of hours paid per week

HAS YOUR EMPLOYER ASKED YOU TO RETURN TO WORK?

If your employer offers you hours to return to work, be aware you cannot refuse work to continue receiving unemployment insurance benefits without "good cause." This includes all programs, regular unemployment insurance, PEUC, PUA and FPUC. Work Refusal issues must be adjudicated to determine the cause. Quitting work or refusing work without "good cause" to obtain Unemployment Insurance benefits can be considered fraud. You must honestly report any work refusals on your Continued Claim when filing for weeks in the week you refused work. Your adjudicator will determine whether your reason was good cause.

A NEW PROCESS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS (filing by phone):

In order to help those affected by this pandemic and meet this increased need, we have made some changes to our Unemployment Insurance (UI) filing system. The new process, is meant to reduce the volume of calls to the call center by taking claims on specific days, based on the claimant's last name. This alphabetical sorting system is applicable only to claims called in by phone or in person at the Workforce Centers. Claims filed online at wyui.wyo.gov can be completed at any time, regardless of last name. Here's a video tutorial for online filing.

For claims by phone, people should call 307-473-3789. Please note, however, that filing online should be encouraged as phone wait times are extremely long. For claims by phone:

  • Claimant's last name begins with A-M: file claims on Monday, Wednesday or before noon on Friday
  • Claimant's last name begins with N-Z: file claims on Tuesday, Thursday or after noon on Friday.

RESETTING YOUR PIN

Claimants requiring a password or PIN reset in order to file for benefits should send an email to dwscspui.benefits@wyo.gov.

When requesting a PIN/password reset, claimants should include their name, the last four digits of their social security number, and their phone number. The Unemployment Insurance staff will contact the claimant by phone to reset the PIN or password.

FILE AN UNEMPLOYMENT APPEAL

Unemployment claimants or employers may protest or appeal within 28 calendar days of the date the initial determination notice was mailed to the address of record. All appeals must be in writing, identifying the decision which is being appealed and the reason for the appeal. When appealing, you should be willing to attend a hearing, most likely by telephone. At the hearing, all parties will be given the opportunity to tell their sides of the story. The hearing will be presided over by a hearing officer who will later issue a written decision.

For more information about appealing an Unemployment Insurance claim, visit here.

CARES ACT

The CARES Act includes:

Increased Unemployment Insurance compensation benefits: This emergency benefit provides most individuals an emergency increase in traditional unemployment insurance benefits of $600 per week through July 26, 2020. This increase will be added automatically to claims that qualify. There is no need to apply for this benefit. These payments, and the back-pay for those who qualified between March 29 and the date the benefits are paid, will be processed beginning the end of the week of April 27, if not sooner.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA): This emergency benefit provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits to people not otherwise eligible for regular unemployment, including the self-employed and those who have exhausted their regular and extended benefits.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC): This benefit provides an additional 13 weeks of emergency unemployment insurance for people who remain unemployed after they have exhausted their traditional unemployment benefits.

CARES claimants will be able to file Unemployment Insurance claims online at wyui.wyo.gov as soon as the system is in place.

FOR RELIACARD® HOLDERS

These are new features that US Bank has implemented for claimants and their Debit Card accounts.

Additional Call Centers Added This Week

The planned expansion of our call center partners took another step forward this week. Additional customer service representatives (CSRs) are now taking calls at Teleperformance and WiPro. We've also added additional CSRs to our Elavon centers. Over the past two weeks, we have seen the number of incoming calls starting to decrease and more calls are being addressed by IVR functionality (partially due our expanded IVR, web and mobile capabilities). We will continue to prioritize the addition of more CSRs in order to better serve our cardholders.

ATM Transaction Limits Changing

Now that unemployment benefit payments no longer include the extra federal stimulus payments, we are moving our ATM transaction limits back to their original levels. With the lower load amounts, pre-COVID transaction limits are meeting cardholder needs and allowing us to better limit fraud. I'd be happy to discuss any questions you may have on this topic.

Website and Mobile App Updates:

This weekend we're introducing a few more enhancements to the ReliaCard® website and mobile app that provide expanded functionality. Updates included in this week's release are outlined below.

Website Updates:
  • Self-service card replacement - Cardholders will now be able to replace a lost or damaged card on the website. Please note that cardholders will still need to call our customer service team if the card has been stolen or a name change is required.
  • Card tracker status updates - We have added additional text regarding card tracker timing and fulfillment to help keep cardholders informed.
Card Replacement Previews




Mobile App Updates:
  • Self-Service Card Replacement - Cardholders will now able to replace a lost or damaged card within the app. Please note that cardholders will still need to call our customer service team if the card has been stolen or a name change is required.
  • Mask User ID - As an additional security measure, we will now be masking a cardholder's user id on the login screen.
Card Replacement Previews


Masked User ID on login screen

More ReliaCard® Resources

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