In Oregon, there’s a few ‘boxes to check’ as to the ‘Reason for Separation’ when applying for unemployment benefits. One of the boxes reads: ‘Lay-off/lack of work’....meaning, it’s the same box, not an either/or situation. If your hours were cut drastically, or you were laid off outright, you can file a claim. If your hours are reduced, you can still collect benefits, as long as you don’t surpass a certain threshold of gross income per week. You can earn up to a certain amount. Once you pass that amount, they deduct on a dollar-for-dollar basis. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the laws vary from state to state.
