By Peter G. Christian |
We’ve found – through years of advising individuals dealing with the end of an employment relationship – that a common and fundamental misunderstanding regarding Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance program prevents many from exhaustively pursuing unemployment benefits: most individuals we talk to in these situations believe that benefits are paid from employers directly to their former employees. These individuals are often hesitant to apply for benefits or intimidated at the prospect of applying because they believe that their former employer will “fight” their access to benefits “tooth and nail” in order to avoid having to pay.
The reality, however, is that unemployment compensation in Minnesota (and most states) is paid from the state’s unemployment compensation fund to the beneficiary, not directly from the former employer. It is an insurance plan funded by tax dollars and administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). In other words, it’s your insurance plan.
Accordingly, if you find yourself partially or totally unemployed “through no fault of your own” – which is the basic eligibility standard spelled out by Minnesota law – you likely have a right to take advantage of your insurance. It’s in your interest to talk to an experienced employment attorney about how to exhaustively pursue your benefits under Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance Law and the attorneys at Schaefer Halleen specialize in representing individuals at all stages of the unemployment compensation process.
Peter is an employment litigator at Schaefer Halleen, LLC committed to protecting the rights of individuals in the workplace. As an advocate who takes pride in representing a wide range of employees – from top level executives to blue collar laborers – Peter has secured significant victories for an array of clients in many areas of employment related litigation, and against some of the biggest corporations in the world. For his advocacy on behalf of employees, he was named a Rising Star by Minnesota Super Lawyers, Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine, and Twin Cities Business.
