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Reopen your claim

If at any time you stop filing your weekly claims (even for one week), your unemployment claim becomes inactive. If you want to start claiming again, you must first reopen your claim. You can reopen your claim any time during your benefit year. If your benefit year has ended, you must apply for a new claim.

A reopened claim takes effect the week you call. You must reopen your claim during the first week you want to begin claiming benefits, even though you cannot claim the week until it ends. So once you reopen your claim, remember to start filing your weekly claims the following week.

If you want to reopen your claim for a previous week, you must call the telecenter and speak with a claims specialist. You must show good cause for failing to reopen on time or we may deny your benefits.

How you reopen depends on whether you use the Internet or phone.

Internet:

  • If it has been more than four weeks since you last filed a weekly claim, you can use the Internet to reopen your claim.
  • If it has been four weeks or less since you last filed a weekly claim, call the telecenter and select Option 7 to speak to a claims specialist to reopen your claim.

Phone:

  • If you want to reopen your claim for the current week, call the telecenter and select Option 2 to reopen your claim.
  • If you want to reopen for a previous week and it is during normal business hours, call the telecenter and select Option 7 to speak to a claims specialist. We may deny your request unless you show good cause for failing to reopen on time.

If it is after 3 p.m. on Friday, you must call the telecenter to reopen your claim. The weekly claims line and Internet reopen options are available 24 hours a day beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m. through 3 p.m. of the last business day of the week (usually Friday, unless it is a state holiday).

If you are late filing your weekly claim or you missed a week and want to bring your claim up to date, you must call the telecenter - or you can download a claim form and mail or fax it in.

The system will not give you the option to reopen if you have already filed a weekly claim or reopened your claim during that week.