Milwaukee Unemployment Compensation Attorney
Have you been denied Wisconsin unemployment benefits which you believe are rightfully yours? Does the source of the problem seem to be a false or exaggerated allegation of wrongful conduct toward your employer? Losing your job was bad enough. Having to fight for well-deserved unemployment compensation heaps insult upon injury. A free initial phone consultation with an experienced employment lawyer is available to Wisconsin workers to discuss unemployment compensation challenges. Contact the Milwaukee area law firm of Alan C. Olson & Associates, s.c., to schedule a phone discussion of your situation.
The State of Wisconsin provides weekly payments of benefits to workers who have been laid off from their jobs. By statute, the maximum benefit you may receive during a 52-week year is equal to:
- 26 times your weekly benefit rate; or
- 40% of your total covered base period wages, whichever is less.
The lowest weekly benefit rate is $54 and the highest weekly benefit rate is $363. Unemployment benefits are not paid indefinitely, but recent unemployment benefit extensions for employees in these tough economic times entitle jobless workers to additional weeks of benefit payments which may exceed one year in some cases. If your benefit entitlement ends, the law requires that you earn at least 8 times the weekly benefit rate of that claim before you can apply for and collect benefits again.
An application must be made each time you want to start receiving benefits; however, for any employment within the state of Wisconsin, you may file you claim either on the Internet or by telephone, regardless of the state you now live in.
As with any compensation, you may not get the benefits you think you have coming to you. You may be denied benefits based on:
- proof that you voluntarily quit your job
- failure to have earned enough wages in your previous job
- evidence that you were discharged because of serious misconduct on your part, such as stealing from your employer or not showing up when scheduled
- refusal to apply for work or accept suitable offers of employment
If you are denied unemployment benefits that you believe you qualify to obtain, you may appeal. Especially if the reason is related to job performance or allegations of wrongful conduct towards your employer, more than just your benefits may be at stake. We’re talking about your reputation and even your ability to obtain new employment.
While you may have an attorney represent you, this is not like a criminal matter, and you will not automatically receive the services of an attorney like a criminal defendant does. The law does provide some restrictions on attorneys that assist in unemployment appeals in that an attorney may not charge a client more than 10% of the entire amount of benefits at issue without approval from the department.
When you have been denied your Wisconsin unemployment compensation, please contact us right away at 262-785-9606 to discuss how we can help.
