108.04(7)(a)(a) If an employee terminates work with an employing unit, the employee is ineligible to receive benefits until 4 weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the termination occurs and the employee earns wages after the week in which the termination occurs equal to at least 4 times the employee's weekly benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1) in employment or other work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government. For purposes of requalification, the employee's weekly benefit rate shall be that rate which would have been paid had the termination not occurred. This paragraph does not preclude an employee from establishing a benefit year by using the base period wages paid by the employer from which the employee voluntarily terminated, if the employee is qualified to establish a benefit year under
s. 108.06 (2) (a).
108.04(7)(am)
(am) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the suspension or termination of the claimant's work was in lieu of a suspension or termination by the employer of another employee's work. The claimant shall not be deemed unavailable for the claimant's work with the employer by reason of such suspension or termination.
108.04(7)(b)
(b) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the employee terminated his or her work with good cause attributable to the employing unit. In this paragraph, "good cause" includes, but is not limited to, a request, suggestion or directive by the employing unit that the employee violate federal or Wisconsin law, or sexual harassment, as defined in
s. 111.32 (13), by an employing unit or employing unit's agent or a co-worker, of which the employer knew or should have known but failed to take timely and appropriate corrective action.
108.04(7)(c)
(c) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the employee terminated his or her work but had no reasonable alternative because the employee was unable to do his or her work or because of the health of a member of his or her immediate family; but if the department determines that the employee is unable to work or unavailable for work, the employee is ineligible to receive benefits while such inability or unavailability continues.
108.04(7)(cm)
(cm) Paragraph (a) does not apply if an employee is hired to work a particular shift and if the department determines that the employee terminated his or her work as the result of a requirement by his or her employing unit to transfer his or her working hours to a shift occurring at a time that would result in a lack of child care for his or her minor children, provided that the employee is able to work and available for full-time work during the same shift that the employee worked in the employee's most recent work with that employing unit. For purposes of
sub. (2) (a), such an employee is not deemed unavailable for work solely for refusing to work a shift other than the one for which the employee was hired.
108.04(7)(d)
(d) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the employee terminated his or her work to accept a recall to work for a former employer within 52 weeks after having last worked for such employer.
108.04(7)(e)
(e) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the employee accepted work which the employee could have failed to accept with good cause under
sub. (8) and terminated such work with the same good cause and within the first 10 weeks after starting the work, or that the employee accepted work which the employee could have refused under
sub. (9) and terminated such work within the first 10 weeks after starting the work. For purposes of this paragraph, an employee has the same good cause for voluntarily terminating work if the employee could have failed to accept the work under
sub. (8) (d) when it was offered, regardless of the reason articulated by the employee for the termination.
108.04(7)(f)
(f) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the employee terminated his or her work because the employee was transferred by his or her employing unit to work paying less than two-thirds of his or her immediately preceding wage rate with the employing unit, except that the employee is ineligible to receive benefits for the week of termination and the 4 next following weeks.
108.04(7)(g)
(g) Paragraph (a) does not affect an employee's eligibility to receive benefits if the employee:
108.04(7)(g)1.
1. Maintained a temporary residence near the work terminated; and
108.04(7)(g)2.
2. Maintained a permanent residence in another locality; and
108.04(7)(g)3.
3. Terminated such work and returned to his or her permanent residence because the work available to the employee had been reduced to less than 20 hours per week in at least 2 consecutive weeks.
108.04(7)(h)
(h) The department shall charge to the fund's balancing account benefits paid to an employee that are otherwise chargeable to the account of an employer that is subject to the contribution requirements of
ss. 108.17 and
108.18 if the employee voluntarily terminates employment with that employer and
par. (a),
(c),
(d),
(e),
(k),
(L),
(o),
(p),
(q), or
(s) applies.
108.04(7)(j)
(j) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the employee left or lost his or her work because of reaching the compulsory retirement age used by the employee's employing unit.
108.04(7)(k)
(k) Paragraph (a) does not apply to an employee who terminates his or her part-time work consisting of not more than 30 hours per week if the employee is otherwise eligible to receive benefits because of the loss of the employee's full-time employment and the loss of the full-time employment makes it economically unfeasible for the employee to continue the part-time work.
108.04(7)(L)
(L) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the employee terminated work to accept employment or other work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government, and earned wages in the subsequent work equal to at least 4 times the employee's weekly benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1) if the work:
108.04(7)(L)1.
1. Offered average weekly wages at least equal to the average weekly wages that the employee earned in the terminated work;
108.04(7)(L)2.
2. Offered the same or a greater number of hours of work than those performed in the work terminated;
108.04(7)(L)3.
3. Offered the opportunity for significantly longer term work; or
108.04(7)(L)4.
4. Offered the opportunity to accept a position for which the duties were primarily discharged at a location significantly closer to the employee's domicile than the location of the terminated work.
108.04(7)(m)
(m) Paragraph (a) does not apply to an employee who terminates his or her work with a labor organization if the termination causes the employee to lose seniority rights granted under a collective bargaining agreement and if the termination results in the loss of the employee's employment with the employer which is a party to that collective bargaining agreement.
108.04(7)(n)1.
1. Terminated work in a position serving as a part-time elected or appointed member of a governmental body or representative of employees;
108.04(7)(n)2.
2. Was engaged in work for an employing unit other than the employing unit in which the employee served under
subd. 1. at the time that the employee terminated work under
subd. 1.; and
108.04(7)(n)3.
3. Was paid wages in the terminated work constituting not more than 5% of the employee's base period wages for purposes of benefit entitlement.
108.04(7)(o)
(o) Paragraph (a) does not apply to an employee who terminates his or her work in one of 2 or more concurrently held positions, at least one of which consists of more than 30 hours per week, if the employee terminates his or her work before receiving notice of termination from a position which consists of more than 30 hours per week.
108.04(7)(p)
(p) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that an employee, while claiming benefits for partial unemployment, terminated work to accept employment or other work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government, if that work offered an average weekly wage greater than the average weekly wage earned in the work terminated.
108.04(7)(q)
(q) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that an employee, while serving as a member of the U.S. armed forces, was engaged concurrently in other work and terminated that work as a result of the employee's honorable discharge or discharge under honorable conditions from active duty as a member of the U.S. armed forces for a reason that would qualify the employee to receive unemployment compensation under
5 USC 8521.
108.04(7)(r)
(r) Paragraph (a) does not apply if the department determines that the employee owns or controls, directly or indirectly, an ownership interest, however designated or evidenced, in a family corporation and the employee's employment was terminated by the employer because of an involuntary cessation of the business of the corporation under one or more of the conditions specified in
sub. (1) (gm). In this paragraph, "family corporation" has the meaning given in
s. 108.02 (15m) and also includes a corporation or a limited liability company that is treated as a corporation under this chapter in which 50% or more of the ownership interest is or was owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more brothers or sisters of a claimant, or by a combination of one or more brothers or sisters and one or more of the persons specified in
s. 108.02 (15m) (a).
108.04(7)(s)1.a.
a. "Domestic abuse" means physical abuse, including a violation of
s. 940.225 (1),
(2) or
(3), or a threat of physical abuse by an adult family or adult household member against another family or household member; by an adult person against his or her spouse or former spouse; or by an adult person against a person with whom the person has a child in common.
108.04(7)(s)1.b.
b. "Family member" means a spouse, parent, child or person related by consanguinity to another person.
108.04(7)(s)1.c.
c. "Household member" means a person who is currently or formerly residing in a place of abode with another person.
108.04(7)(s)2.a.
a. Terminates his or her work due to domestic abuse, concerns about personal safety or harassment, concerns about the safety or harassment of his or her family members who reside with the employee or concerns about the safety or harassment of other household members;
108.04(7)(s)2.c.
c. Demonstrates to the department that the order has been or is reasonably likely to be violated.
108.04(7m)
(7m) Voluntary reduction in hours of employment. An employee whose employer grants the employee's voluntary request to reduce indefinitely the number of hours of employment usually worked by the employee voluntarily terminates his or her employment within the meaning of
sub. (7). The wages earned by the employee from that employer for any week in which the reduction requested by the employee is in effect may not be used to meet the requalification requirement provided in
sub. (7) (a) applicable to that termination if the employer has notified the employee in writing, prior to the time that the request is granted, of the effect of this subsection. The department shall charge to the fund's balancing account benefits paid to such an employee that are otherwise chargeable to the account of an employer that grants an employee's request under this subsection, for each week in which this subsection applies, if the employer is subject to the contribution requirements of
ss. 108.17 and
108.18.
108.04(8)(a)(a) If an employee fails, without good cause, to accept suitable work when offered, the employee is ineligible to receive benefits until 4 weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the failure occurs and the employee earns wages after the week in which the failure occurs equal to at least 4 times the employee's weekly benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1) in employment or other work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government. For purposes of requalification, the employee's weekly benefit rate shall be that rate which would have been paid had the failure not occurred. This paragraph does not preclude an employee from establishing a benefit year during a period in which the employee is ineligible to receive benefits under this paragraph if the employee qualifies to establish a benefit year under
s. 108.06 (2) (a). The department shall charge to the fund's balancing account any benefits otherwise chargeable to the account of an employer that is subject to the contribution requirements under
ss. 108.17 and
108.18 whenever an employee of that employer fails, without good cause, to accept suitable work offered by that employer.
108.04(8)(c)
(c) If an employee fails, without good cause, to return to work with a former employer that recalls the employee within 52 weeks after the employee last worked for that employer, the employee is ineligible to receive benefits until 4 weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the failure occurs and the employee earns wages after the week in which the failure occurs equal to at least 4 times the employee's weekly benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1) in employment or other work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government. For purposes of requalification, the employee's weekly benefit rate shall be that rate which would have been paid had the failure not occurred. This paragraph does not preclude an employee from establishing a benefit year during a period in which the employee is ineligible to receive benefits under this paragraph if the employee qualifies to establish a benefit year under
s. 108.06 (2) (a). The department shall charge to the fund's balancing account any benefits otherwise chargeable to the account of any employer that is subject to the contribution requirements under
ss. 108.17 and
108.18 whenever an employee of that employer fails, without good cause, to return to work with that employer. If an employee receives actual notice of a recall to work,
par. (a) applies in lieu of this paragraph.
108.04(8)(d)
(d) An employee shall have good cause under
par. (a) or
(c), regardless of the reason articulated by the employee for the failure, if the department determines that the failure involved work at a lower grade of skill or significantly lower rate of pay than applied to the employee on one or more recent jobs, and that the employee had not yet had a reasonable opportunity, in view of labor market conditions and the employee's degree of skill, but not to exceed 6 weeks after the employee became unemployed, to seek a new job substantially in line with the employee's prior job skill and rate of pay.
108.04(8)(e)
(e) If the department determines that a failure under this subsection has occurred with good cause, but that the employee is unable to work or unavailable for work, the employee shall be ineligible for the week in which such failure occurred and while such inability or unavailability continues.
108.04(8)(f)
(f) This subsection does not apply to an individual claiming extended benefits if the individual fails to provide sufficient evidence that his or her prospects for obtaining work in his or her customary occupation within a period of time not exceeding 4 weeks, beginning with the first week of eligibility for extended benefits, are good.
108.04(9)
(9) Protection of labor standards. Benefits shall not be denied under this chapter to any otherwise eligible individual for refusing to accept new work under any of the following conditions:
108.04(9)(a)
(a) If the position offered is vacant due directly to a strike, lockout or other labor dispute.
108.04(9)(b)
(b) If the wages, hours, including arrangement and number, or other conditions of the work offered are substantially less favorable to the individual than those prevailing for similar work in the locality.
108.04(9)(c)
(c) If as a condition of being employed the individual would be required to join a company union or to resign from or refrain from joining any bona fide labor organization.
108.04(10)(a)(a) An employee who has left or partially or totally lost his or her work with an employing unit because of a strike or other bona fide labor dispute, other than a lockout, is not eligible to receive benefits based on wages paid for employment prior to commencement of the dispute for any week in which the dispute is in active progress in the establishment in which the employee is or was employed, except as provided in
par. (b).
108.04(10)(b)
(b) An employee who did not establish a benefit year prior to commencement of a strike or other bona fide labor dispute, other than a lockout, may establish a benefit year after commencement of the dispute if the employee qualifies to establish a benefit year under
s. 108.06 (2) (a), but the wages paid to the employee for employment prior to commencement of the dispute shall be excluded from the employee's base period wages under
sub. (4) (a) and
ss. 108.05 (1) and
108.06 (1) for any week in which the dispute is in active progress in the establishment in which the employee is or was employed.
108.04(10)(c)
(c) For purposes of this subsection, if the active progress of a strike or other bona fide labor dispute ends on a Sunday, it is not in "active progress" in the calendar week beginning on that Sunday as to any employee who did not normally work on Sundays in the establishment in which the labor dispute occurs.
108.04(10)(d)
(d) In this subsection, "lockout" means the barring of one or more employees from their employment in an establishment by an employer as a part of a labor dispute, which is not directly subsequent to a strike or other job action of a labor union or group of employees of the employer, or which continues or occurs after the termination of a strike or other job action of a labor union or group of employees of the employer.
108.04(11)(a)(a) If a claimant, in filing his or her application for benefits or claim for any week, conceals any part of his or her wages earned in or paid or payable for that week, or conceals his or her refusal within that week of a job offer or any other material fact relating to his or her eligibility for benefits, so much of any benefit payment as was paid because of such concealment shall be recovered by the department as an overpayment.
108.04(11)(b)
(b) The department shall also require any claimant to forfeit for an act of concealment the following amount of benefits:
108.04(11)(b)1.
1. Not less than 25% of nor more than 4 times the claimant's benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1) for the week for which the claim is made for any single act of concealment which results in no overpayment or in an overpayment of less than 50% of that benefit rate; or
108.04(11)(b)2.
2. Not less than one nor more than 4 times the claimant's benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1) for the week for which the claim is made for any single act of concealment which results in an overpayment of 50% or more of that benefit rate.
108.04(11)(bm)
(bm) The forfeiture established under
par. (b) may be applied against benefits which would otherwise become payable to the claimant for weeks of unemployment occurring after the week of concealment and within 6 years after the date of an initial determination issued under
s. 108.09 finding that a concealment occurred. If no benefit rate applies to the week for which the claim is made, the department shall use the claimant's benefit rate for the claimant's next benefit year beginning after the week of concealment to determine the forfeiture amount. If the benefits forfeited would otherwise be chargeable to an employer's account, the department shall charge the amount of benefits forfeited to the employer's account and shall credit the fund's balancing account for that amount. Any forfeiture amount of less than $1 shall be rounded up to the nearest whole dollar.
108.04(11)(c)
(c) Any employing unit that aids and abets a claimant in committing an act of concealment described in
par. (a) may, by a determination issued under
s. 108.10, be required, as to each act of concealment the employing unit aids and abets, to forfeit an amount equal to the amount of the benefits the claimant improperly received as a result of the concealment. The amount forfeited shall be credited to the administrative account.
108.04(11)(cm)
(cm) If any person makes a false statement or representation in order to obtain benefits in the name of another person, the benefits received by that person constitute a benefit overpayment. Such person may, by a determination or decision issued under
s. 108.095, be required to repay the amount of the benefits obtained and be assessed an administrative assessment in an additional amount equal to not more than 50% of the amount of benefits obtained.
108.04(11)(d)
(d) In addition to other remedies, the department may, by civil action, recover any benefits obtained by means of any false statement or representation or any administrative assessment imposed under
par. (cm).
Chapter 778 does not apply to collection of any benefits or assessment under this paragraph.
108.04(11)(e)
(e) This subsection may be applied even when other provisions, including penalty provisions, of this chapter are applied.
108.04(12)(b)(b) Any individual who receives, through the department, any other type of unemployment benefit or allowance for a given week is ineligible for benefits for that same week under this chapter, except as specifically required for conformity with the federal trade act of 1974 (
P.L. 93-618).
108.04(12)(c)
(c) Any individual who receives unemployment insurance for a given week under any federal law through any federal agency shall be ineligible for benefits paid or payable for that same week under this chapter.
108.04(12)(d)
(d) Any individual who receives unemployment insurance for a given week under the law of any other state, with no use of benefit credits earned under this chapter, shall be ineligible for benefits paid or payable for that same week under this chapter.
108.04(12)(e)
(e) Any individual who receives a temporary total disability payment for a whole week under
ch. 102 or under any federal law which provides for payments on account of a work-related injury or illness analogous to those provided under
ch. 102 shall be ineligible for benefits paid or payable for that same week under this chapter unless otherwise provided by federal law. A temporary total disability payment or a temporary partial disability payment under those provisions received by an individual for part of a week shall be treated as wages for purposes of eligibility for benefits for partial unemployment under
s. 108.05 (3).
108.04(13)(a)(a) The department shall apply any provision of this chapter which may disqualify a claimant from receiving benefits whether or not the claimant's employing unit questions the claimant's eligibility or files the report required under
s. 108.09 (1).
108.04(13)(b)
(b) If an employer fails to file the required wage report under
s. 108.205 for an employee who has claimed benefits from the employer's account, the department may compute and proceed to pay the benefits thus claimed, based on the claimant's statements and any other information then available.
108.04(13)(c)
(c) If an employer, after notice of a benefit claim, fails to file an objection to the claim under
s. 108.09 (1), any benefits allowable under any resulting benefit computation shall, unless the department applies a provision of this chapter to disqualify the claimant, be promptly paid. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, any eligibility question in objection to the claim raised by the employer after benefit payments to the claimant are commenced does not affect benefits paid prior to the end of the week in which a determination is issued as to the eligibility question unless the benefits are erroneously paid without fault on the part of the employer. If benefits are erroneously paid because the employer and the employee are at fault, the department shall charge the employer for the benefits and proceed to create an overpayment under
s. 108.22 (8) (a). If benefits are erroneously paid without fault on the part of the employer, regardless of whether the employee is at fault, the department shall charge the benefits as provided in
par. (d), unless
par. (e) applies, and proceed to create an overpayment under
s. 108.22 (8) (a). If benefits are erroneously paid because an employer is at fault and the department recovers the benefits erroneously paid under
s. 108.22 (8), the recovery does not affect benefit charges made under this paragraph.
108.04(13)(d)1.1. If the department finds that any benefits charged to an employer's account have been erroneously paid to an employee without fault by the employer, the department shall notify the employee and the employer of the erroneous payment.
108.04(13)(d)2.
2. If recovery of an overpayment is permitted under
s. 108.22 (8) (c) and benefits are currently payable to the employee from the employer's account, the department may correct the error by adjusting the benefits accordingly.
108.04(13)(d)3.
3. To correct any erroneous payment not so adjusted that was charged to the account of an employer that is subject to the contribution requirements of
ss. 108.17 and
108.18, the department shall:
108.04(13)(d)3.a.
a. If recovery of an overpayment is permitted under
s. 108.22 (8) (c), restore the proper amount to the employer's account and charge that amount to the fund's balancing account, and shall thereafter reimburse the balancing account by crediting to it benefits which would otherwise be payable to, or cash recovered from, the employee or;
108.04(13)(d)3.b.
b. If recovery of an overpayment is not permitted under
s. 108.22 (8) (c), restore the proper amount to the employer's account and charge that amount to the fund's balancing account unless
s. 108.07 (5) (c) applies.
108.04(13)(d)4.
4. To correct any erroneous payment not so adjusted from the account of an employer which is a government unit, an Indian tribe, or a nonprofit organization and which has elected reimbursement financing, the department shall:
108.04(13)(d)4.a.
a. If recovery of an overpayment is permitted under
s. 108.22 (8) (c), credit to the account benefits which would otherwise be payable to, or cash received from, the employee; or
108.04(13)(e)
(e) If the department erroneously pays benefits from one employer's account and a 2nd employer is at fault, the department shall credit the benefits paid to the first employer's account and charge the benefits paid to the 2nd employer's account. Filing of a tardy or corrected report or objection does not affect the 2nd employer's liability for benefits paid prior to the end of the week in which the department makes a recomputation of the benefits allowable or prior to the end of the week in which the department issues a determination concerning any eligibility question raised by the report or by the 2nd employer. If the department recovers the benefits erroneously paid under
s. 108.22 (8), the recovery does not affect benefit charges made under this paragraph.
108.04(13)(f)
(f) If benefits are erroneously paid because the employer fails to file a report required by this chapter, fails to provide correct and complete information on the report, fails to object to the benefit claim under
s. 108.09 (1) or aids and abets the claimant in an act of concealment as provided in
sub. (11), the employer is at fault. If benefits are erroneously paid because an employee commits an act of concealment as provided in
sub. (11) or fails to provide correct and complete information to the department, the employee is at fault.
108.04 Cross-reference
Cross Reference: See also ch.
DWD 123, Wis. adm. code.
108.04(14)
(14) War-time application of subsection (7) or (8). If the department finds that the official war-time manpower policies of the United States are or may be materially hampered, in any clearly definable class of cases, by any application of
sub. (7) or
(8), so as to interfere with the effective war-time use of civilian manpower in Wisconsin, the department may by general rule, after public hearing, modify or suspend such application accordingly.
108.04(16)(a)(a) The department shall not reduce benefits under
sub. (1) (a), or deny benefits under
sub. (2) (a) or
(d) or
(8) or
s. 108.141 (3g) to any otherwise eligible individual for any week as a result of the individual's enrollment in a course of vocational training or basic education which is a prerequisite to such training, provided the department determines that:
