BENEFITS FOR LAID OFF EMPLOYEES

SUB-PAY

You must make application for SUB no later that the week following the week for which such a benefit is payable, at a time and place designated by the Company.  If the reporting location is an unreasonable distance from your residence or if you leave the area to seek work, you may request the Company (in person) for permission to report and apply by mail.  However, in all cases you will not receive SUB  until you show that you receive a state unemployment benefit for the week, or failed to receive a state unemployment benefit for a reason which does not disqualify you for SUB.  Receipt of a state unemployment benefit may be established by showing a state check or by some other reasonable method of proof.

BENEFIT WEEKS

The duration of weekly SUB is dependent upon the number of benefit weeks for which you are eligible and the length of your continuous service.  Depending on the length of your continuous service on the date you are laid off, you will be placed in one of the following Tiers:

  If on the date you were laid off
you have continuous service of:		 You are in Tier  
    2 but less than 10 years   I - 52 weeks  
    10 but less that 20 years   II - 78 weeks  
    20 or more years   III - 104 weeks  

SUB pay will be 28 times your average straight time hourly earnings, minus the amount of the full state employment benefit, whether or not it was actually paid to you for that week.

HEALTH CARE

Continuous Service
At Commence of		      
Absence   Layoff  
Less than 2 years of
continuous service.		   Company pays until end of month following
the month in which the layoff occurs.
Employee may continue for balance of
2 years at employee cost.		  
Two years but less
than 10 years of
continuous service.		   company pays for 12 months from the date
of layoff.  Employee may continue for additional
12 months at employee cost.		  
Ten or more years of
continuous service.		   Company pays for 24 months from the date of
layoff.		  

Important Information for Laid Off Steelworkers:
 Key Changes Make COBRA Health Care Continuation
More Accessible  

Healthcare is a critical issue for anyone in a job loss situation, and finding affordable coverage is often incredibly difficult.  Federal law allows workers who experience certain types of job loss – including a layoff – the right to continue an employer’s group health benefits under a program called COBRA.  Individuals normally have to pick up the cost of the entire premium.  For this reason, COBRA is often out-of-reach for people getting by on an unemployment check.  A new change in the law is making COBRA more accessible.

Key Change in Recently-Passed Economic Recovery Act Makes COBRA More Affordable

The federal government will pay 65 percent of COBRA premiums for individuals (and their eligible dependents) who (1) are eligible due to an involuntary job loss occurring between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009, and (2) make less than $125,000 a year. Those who elect COBRA must pay the remaining 35 percent (the employer collects) and include the value of the 65 percent subsidy in their taxable income. The subsidy will last nine months, ending sooner if the individual becomes eligible under another group plan or Medicare. 

How Do Individuals Take Advantage of the Subsidy?

Employers must notify eligible individuals who lose or lost their jobs between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 of the new COBRA information and provide eligibility forms.  Notices should be sent out before mid-April.  Individuals who did not elect COBRA coverage when they first lost their jobs or who stopped making premium payments and lost coverage will be given another 60-day period to elect COBRA after the notice arrives. 

Are There Any Special Circumstances?

Yes.  For instance, if an employer went out of business and terminated the health care plan, leaving employees ineligible for COBRA, those individuals still would not be eligible. Or, if a laid-off individual’s spouse has family coverage, the individual could still elect COBRA, but would not be eligible for the subsidy.  For more information on these circumstances and other details on the subsidy, please see the “COBRA Subsidy Info” section on the Make Our Future Work site at www.makeourfuturework.org.

Other Resources Available for Laid Off Workers

For an updated version of the Resource Guide for Laid Off Steelworkers click HERE or visit the Make Our Future Work site at www.makeourfuturework.org.   

 

USW
District 8

Local 5668
RR 1 Box 96K
Ravenswood WV 26164
304-273-9319
local5668@charterinternet.com  


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