A brief guide to South Carolina unemployment benefits
People who lose their job should be hasty in making sure they take all possible steps to avoid financial danger. You may be eligible for a regularly scheduled South Carolina unemployment benefit plan, but it is your responsibility to initiate the process by which these payments are administered.
As soon as you lose your job, your first step should be to file a claim with the South Carolina Department of Employment and workforce. All South Carolina unemployment benefits are issued by this state agency rather than through a federal program. Before undertaking this process, you should make sure you are eligible for such relief. To initiate a South Carolina unemployment benefit arrangement, make sure that:
• You are unemployed. While this may seem obvious, note that this does not necessarily mean that you cannot be working in any capacity. People who are working part-time but receive less for their work than they would in financial aid are eligible for South Carolina unemployment benefits.
• Your unemployment cannot be your fault. If an employer fires you for failure to perform your job properly or other reasons, you are not eligible for a South Carolina unemployment benefit payment plan.
• You must be able to perform work. If you are rendered incapable of taking a job because of health issues or other concerns, you will not be granted South Carolina unemployment benefits. People in such a position should see if they are eligible for relief from a program such as Medicaid or Social Security.
• You must be willing to accept any job offer. Failure to accept a job offer will jeopardize your South Carolina unemployment benefit plan.
• You must report once a week to a Workforce Center. If you will not be able to make this visit, you must inform the center in advance or risk losing your South Carolina unemployment benefits.
• To prove that you are taking steps to find employment, you must apply for at least four jobs a week. At least one of these applications must be made through the state's SCWorks.org website. If you fail to maintain this application process, you may have your South Carolina unemployment benefit plan terminated.
Several other responsibilities are incumbent upon anyone seeking this kind of relief. When applying for South Carolina unemployment benefits, you must specify whether you wish to have your federal and state taxes withheld from payments. If you do not do so, it is your responsibility to make these payments. Failure to do so is a violation of the terms of your South Carolina unemployment benefit plan.
It is important to immediately report any change in your employment status. Failure to do so may lead to allegations of fraud. Not only will this put an end to your South Carolina unemployment benefits, you risk having criminal charges brought against you. Immediately inform your Workforce Center of any developments in your employment status.