Laid off education employees can apply for unemployment

As non-instructional education employees across the state have had to cope with the new challenges and demands imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, they also had to worry about making it through the summer months without any income.

That’s why AFSCME launched—and won!—the campaign to change the law that blocked these employees from receiving Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits when they were laid off over the summer.

If you are a non-instructional employee in a school district, university or other educational setting, you should now be eligible to receive unemployment benefits this summer!

You need to act quickly to ensure you receive all the benefits to which you are entitled. Use these resources to help you:

• Click here to read a comprehensive AFSCME fact sheet explaining how the UI system works and what you need to do to qualify for benefits.
• Click here for an IDES flowchart on the claims process.

Please make sure to read the entire fact sheet as it contains vitally important information that will help you to navigate the Unemployment Insurance system. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), which administers unemployment benefits, has been overwhelmed with applicants since the start of the pandemic when tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs. AFSCME members are on the job at IDES helping laid off workers make ends meet for their families.