• Full-time workers in Minnesota are covered by Unemployment Insurance Law.employ?? de voierie image by Philippe LERIDON from Fotolia.com
  
  The laws related to Unemployment Insurance in Minnesota are maintained by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and have been in existence in some form since 1936. The claim for unemployment is not a claim against the employer, but rather an application for benefits from the trust fund. The trust fund is comprised of tax money paid by employers. The laws outlined here are found in Minnesota Statues section 268.029 to 268.23 and 268.068 to 268.192.
  
  

General Requirements

• According to section 268.069, employees must be paid benefits from the trust fund if they have filed an application and established a benefit account, if they have not been fired or have quit, if they do not have an outstanding penalty or overpayment of unemployment benefits, and have met all of the eligibility requirements.
  
  

Eligibility Requirements

• In order to receive employment benefits for a specific week, an employee must file a continued request for benefits, be legally unemployed, must be currently seeking employment, and has been participating in some sort of reemployment program such as resume writing classes. Applicants may not be receiving vacation pay, severance pay, pension payments or retirement benefits. In addition, business owners as well as their immediate family members may not collect unemployment. Those not authorized to work in the United States also may not collect unemployment benefits. Employees suspended due to conduct or those on voluntary leave may not collect unemployment benefits. Additionally, employees that have left work to strike and those who have been offered suitable employment are not eligible for unemployment insurance.
  
  

Definition of Unemployment

• Applicants employment status is considered on a week-to-week basis. Unemployed applicants are those who, normally employed full time, work less than 32 hours in a week or whose earnings are less than the applicants unemployment benefit amount. Some types of employment are not covered. they include military personnel, employees of states other than Minnesota, employees of foreign governments, church employees, members of legislative bodies and elected officials, domestic employees, inmates and others.