West Virginia Unemployment

West Virginia Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Unemployment insurance benefits in West Virginia provide temporary financial assistance to eligible unemployed West Virginians who lose employment through no fault of their own.

West Virginia Unemployment Services

Am I Eligible for Unemployment Benefits in West Virginia?

To qualify for unemployment insurance assistance, a claimant must have earned wages in West Virginia for the 12 to 18 months before the initial claim, along with earning a minimum amount of wages as outlined in West Virginia’s unemployment benefits guidelines. A claimant also must be able and available for employment during every week for which they apply to collect benefits. Eligibility is determined during the process of filing a claim. If you’re not sure if you qualify, you should still apply.

You must be a resident of West Virginia and all of the following must be true:

• You are unemployed through no fault of your own
• You worked in West Virginia during the past 12-18 months
• You earned a minimum amount of wages determined by West Virginia guidelines
• You are actively seeking work each week you are collecting benefits

Benefit Payments and Duration

How To Apply

West Virginia applicants are required to submit an Initial Unemployment Compensation Application for unemployment assistance online. Visit uc.workforcewv.org and select the option to file a new/additional Initial Unemployment Claim. In the case of workers who receive a Low Earnings Report from their employers, applicants may submit the form in person or by mailing it to the nearest unemployment claims office. A directory of those mailing addresses is available on the Workforce West Virginia website for your reference.

How Do I Manage My Unemployment Benefits?

West Virginia makes it easy for benefits recipients to manage their unemployment benefits online. Once approved for assistance, you must file a weekly claim in order to receive unemployment compensation benefits for each week you remain unemployed. You can do so by visiting https://uc.workforcewv.org/Consumer/Login.aspx?app=cc.

You also have the option of calling 800-379-1032 each week to submit your weekly benefit claim. Once you submit the form, your answers are considered final and cannot be changed – so make sure you’re providing complete and accurate information before submitting. You will also be required to certify that the information you are submitting is accurate and free of fraud.

Your weekly benefit claim should be submitted between Sunday at 12:01 a.m. EST and Friday at 5 p.m. EST. Unless you request direct deposit, your assistance will be delivered via a state-issued prepaid debit card, where your assistance payment will be added each week.

How Do I Appeal a Decision?

If you receive a decision that you’d like to appeal, you must do so within eight days of the date your decision was mailed – either the claimant or the employer may initiate an appeal. At that point, you may be asked to participate in a hearing with an administrative law judge – the purpose of this hearing is to determine whether unemployment benefits should be granted or denied. Any appeals of the judge’s decision will need to be submitted to a Board of Review, at which time you will be invited to a Board of Review hearing in Charleston to answer questions and provide evidence for your claim.

Reporting Fraud

Unemployment fraud, including identity theft and fraudulent unemployment claims, is something the state of West Virginia takes very seriously. Any attempt to collect unemployment insurance benefits under untruthful circumstances – including leaving a position without good work-related cause, is considered fraud. You have three different options for reporting instances of unemployment fraud, as outlined below:

• Online: uc.workforcewv.org/Consumer/Fraud.aspx
• Email: reportunemploymentfraud@wv.gov
• Call: 681-313-2711

Penalties related to fraud may include fines, jail time, or the inability to receive future unemployment benefits until all fraudulent claims and fines have been retired.

West Virginia Unemployment Office Locations