42 U.S.C. 503 - State laws

• Cite as: 42 U.S.C. 503

(a) Provisions required

The Secretary of Labor shall make no certification for payment to any State unless he finds that the law of such State, approved by the Secretary of Labor under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act [ 26 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.], includes provision for-

(1) Such methods of administration (including after January 1, 1940, methods relating to the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards on a merit basis, except that the Secretary of Labor shall exercise no authority with respect to the selection, tenure of office, and compensation of any individual employed in accordance with such methods) as are found by the Secretary of Labor to be reasonably calculated to insure full payment of unemployment compensation when due; and

(2) Payment of unemployment compensation solely through public employment offices or such other agencies as the Secretary of Labor may approve; and

(3) Opportunity for a fair hearing, before an impartial tribunal, for all individuals whose claims for unemployment compensation are denied; and

(4) The payment of all money received in the unemployment fund of such State (except for refunds of sums erroneously paid into such fund and except for refunds paid in accordance with the provisions of section 3305(b) of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act [ 26 U.S.C. 3305(b) ]), immediately upon such receipt, to the Secretary of the Treasury to the credit of the unemployment trust fund ¹ established by section 1104 of this title; and

(5) Expenditure of all money withdrawn from an unemployment fund of such State, in the payment of unemployment compensation, exclusive of expenses of administration, and for refunds of sums erroneously paid into such fund and refunds paid in accordance with the provisions of section 3305(b) of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act [ 26 U.S.C. 3305(b) ]: Provided, That an amount equal to the amount of employee payments into the unemployment fund of a State may be used in the payment of cash benefits to individuals with respect to their disability, exclusive of expenses of administration: Provided further, That the amounts specified by section 1103(c)(2) or 1103(d)(4) of this title may, subject to the conditions prescribed in such section, be used for expenses incurred by the State for administration of its unemployment compensation law and public employment offices: Provided further, That nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit deducting an amount from unemployment compensation otherwise payable to an individual and using the amount so deducted to pay for health insurance, or the withholding of Federal, State, or local individual income tax, if the individual elected to have such deduction made and such deduction was made under a program approved by the Secretary of Labor: Provided further, That amounts may be deducted from unemployment benefits and used to repay overpayments as provided in subsection (g): Provided further, That amounts may be withdrawn for the payment of short-time compensation under a short-time compensation program (as defined in section 3306(v) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986): Provided further, That amounts may be withdrawn for the payment of allowances under a self-employment assistance program (as defined in section 3306(t) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986); and

(6) The making of such reports, in such form and containing such information, as the Secretary of Labor may from time to time require, and compliance with such provisions as the Secretary of Labor may from time to time find necessary to assure the correctness and verification of such reports; and

(7) Making available upon request to any agency of the United States charged with the administration of public works or assistance through public employment, the name, address, ordinary occupation and employment status of each recipient of unemployment compensation, and a statement of such recipient's rights to further compensation under such law; and

(8) Effective July 1, 1941, the expenditure of all moneys received pursuant to section 502 of this title solely for the purposes and in the amounts found necessary by the Secretary of Labor for the proper and efficient administration of such State law; and

(9) Effective July 1, 1941, the replacement, within a reasonable time, of any moneys received pursuant to section 502 of this title, which, because of any action or contingency, have been lost or have been expended for purposes other than, or in amounts in excess of, those found necessary by the Secretary of Labor for the proper administration of such State law; and

(10) A requirement that, as a condition of eligibility for regular compensation for any week, any claimant who has been referred to reemployment services pursuant to the profiling system under subsection (j)(1)(B) participate in such services or in similar services unless the State agency charged with the administration of the State law determines-

(A) such claimant has completed such services; or

(B) there is justifiable cause for such claimant's failure to participate in such services; and

(11)

(A) At the time the State agency determines an erroneous payment from its unemployment fund was made to an individual due to fraud committed by such individual, the assessment of a penalty on the individual in an amount of not less than 15 percent of the amount of the erroneous payment; and

(B) The immediate deposit of all assessments paid pursuant to subparagraph (A) into the unemployment fund of the State.²

(12) A requirement that, as a condition of eligibility for regular compensation for any week, a claimant must be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work.

(b) Failure to comply; payments stopped

Whenever the Secretary of Labor, after reasonable notice and opportunity for hearing to the State agency charged with the administration of the State law, finds that in the administration of the law there is-

(1) a denial, in a substantial number of cases, of unemployment compensation to individuals entitled thereto under such law; or

(2) a failure to comply substantially with any provision specified in subsection (a);

the Secretary of Labor shall notify such State agency that further payments will not be made to the State until the Secretary of Labor is satisfied that there is no longer any such denial or failure to comply. Until he is so satisfied he shall make no further certification to the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to such State: Provided, That there shall be no finding under clause (1) until the question of entitlement shall have been decided by the highest judicial authority given jurisdiction under such State law: Provided further, That any costs may be paid with respect to any claimant by a State and included as costs of administration of its law.

(c) Denial of certification; availability of records to Railroad Retirement Board; cooperation with Federal agencies

The Secretary of Labor shall make no certification for payment to any State if he finds, after reasonable notice and opportunity for hearing to the State agency charged with the administration of the State law-

(1) that such State does not make its records available to the Railroad Retirement Board, and furnish to the Railroad Retirement Board at the expense of the Railroad Retirement Board such copies thereof as the Railroad Retirement Board deems necessary for its purposes;

(2) that such State is failing to afford reasonable cooperation with every agency of the United States charged with the administration of any unemployment insurance law; or

(3) that any interest required to be paid on advances under subchapter XII of this chapter has not been paid by the date on which such interest is required to be paid or has been paid directly or indirectly (by an equivalent reduction in State unemployment taxes or otherwise) by such State from amounts in such State's unemployment fund, until such interest is properly paid.

(d) Disclosure of unemployment compensation information; coordination with supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits agencies; non-compliance of State agency

(1) The State agency charged with the administration of the State law-

(A) shall disclose, upon request and on a reimbursable basis, to officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture and to officers or employees of any State supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits agency any of the following information contained in the records of such State agency-

(i) wage information,

(ii) whether an individual is receiving, has received, or has made application for, unemployment compensation, and the amount of any such compensation being received (or to be received) by such individual,

(iii) the current (or most recent) home address of such individual, and

(iv) whether an individual has refused an offer of employment and, if so, a description of the employment so offered and the terms, conditions, and rate of pay therefor, and

(B) shall establish such safeguards as are necessary (as determined by the Secretary of Labor in regulations) to insure that information disclosed under subparagraph (A) is used only for purposes of determining an individual's eligibility for benefits, or the amount of benefits, under the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 [ 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.].

(2)

(A) For purposes of this paragraph, the term "unemployment compensation" means any unemployment compensation payable under the State law (including amounts payable pursuant to an agreement under a Federal unemployment compensation law).

(B) The State agency charged with the administration of the State law-

(i) may require each new applicant for unemployment compensation to disclose whether the applicant owes an uncollected overissuance (as defined in section 13(c)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 [ 7 U.S.C. 2022(c)(1) ]) of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits benefits,³