108.04(1)(a)2.
2. More than 16 hours of the work available for the week, the employee is ineligible for benefits for that week.
108.04(1)(b)1.1. Except as provided in
subd. 2. and
s. 108.062 (10), if an employee's employment is suspended by the employee or the employee's employer or an employee is terminated by the employee's employer, due to the employee's unavailability for work or inability to perform suitable work otherwise available with the employee's employer, or if the employee is on a leave of absence, the employee is ineligible for benefits while the employee is unable to work or unavailable for work.
108.04(1)(b)2.
2. If an employee is absent from work for 16 hours or less in the first week of a leave taken under
subd. 1. or in the week in which a suspension or termination under
subd. 1. occurs, the employee's eligibility for benefits for that week shall be determined under
par. (bm).
108.04(1)(bm)
(bm) For purposes of
par. (a) 1. and
(b) 2., the department shall treat the amount that the employee would have earned as wages for a given week in available work as wages earned by the employee and shall apply the method specified in
s. 108.05 (3) (a) to compute the benefits payable to the employee. The department shall estimate wages that an employee would have earned if it is not possible to compute the exact amount of wages that would have been earned by the employee.
108.04(1)(f)
(f) If an employee is required by law to have a license issued by a governmental agency to perform his or her customary work for an employer, and the employee's employment is suspended or terminated because the employee's license has been suspended, revoked or not renewed due to the employee's fault, the employee is not eligible to receive benefits until 5 weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the suspension or termination occurs or until the license is reinstated or renewed, whichever occurs first. The wages paid by the employer with which an employee's employment is suspended or terminated shall be excluded from the employee's base period wages under
s. 108.06 (1) for purposes of benefit entitlement while the suspension, revocation or nonrenewal of the license is in effect. This paragraph does not preclude an employee from establishing a benefit year using the wages excluded 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 paid during a benefit year otherwise chargeable to the account of an employer that is subject to the contribution requirements of
ss. 108.17 and
108.18 from which base period wages are excluded under this paragraph if an employee qualifies to receive benefits for any week in that benefit year using wages that were excluded under this paragraph.
108.04(1)(g)
(g) Except as provided in
par. (gm), the base period wages utilized to compute total benefits payable to an individual under
s. 108.06 (1) as a result of the following employment shall not exceed 10 times the individual's weekly benefit rate based solely on that employment under
s. 108.05 (1):
108.04(1)(g)1.
1. Employment by a partnership or limited liability company that is treated as a partnership under this chapter, if a one-half or greater ownership interest in the partnership or limited liability company is or during such employment was owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the individual's spouse, or by the individual's parent if the individual is under age 18, or by a combination of 2 or more of them.
108.04(1)(g)2.
2. Employment by a corporation or limited liability company that is treated as a corporation under this chapter, if one-half or more of the ownership interest, however designated or evidenced, in the corporation or limited liability company is or during such employment was owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the individual or by the individual's spouse, or by the individual's parent if the individual is under age 18, or by a combination of 2 or more of them.
108.04(1)(g)3.
3. Except where
subd. 2. applies, employment by a corporation or limited liability company that is treated as a corporation under this chapter, if one-fourth or more of the ownership interest, however designated or evidenced, in the corporation or limited liability company is or during such employment was owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the individual.
108.04(1)(gm)
(gm) Paragraph (g) does not apply if the department determines that the individual whose base period wages are being computed was employed by an employer which is a family corporation and the individual's employment was terminated by the employer because of involuntary cessation of business of the family corporation under one or more of the following circumstances:
108.04(1)(gm)1.
1. Dissolution of the family corporation, due to economic inviability, under
ch. 180 or the analogous applicable laws of the jurisdiction in which the corporation is incorporated or organized;
108.04(1)(gm)2.
2. Filing of a petition in bankruptcy by the family corporation;
108.04(1)(gm)3.
3. Filing of a petition in bankruptcy by all owners who are personally liable for any of the debts of the family corporation; or
108.04(1)(gm)4.
4. Disposition of a total of 75% or more of the assets of the family corporation using one or more of the following methods:
108.04(1)(gm)4.c.
c. Sale, due to economic inviability, if the sale does not result in ownership or control by substantially the same interests that owned or controlled the family corporation. It is presumed unless shown to the contrary that a sale, in whole or in part, to a spouse, parent or child of an individual who owned or controlled the family corporation, or to any combination of 2 or more of them, is a sale to substantially the same interests that owned or controlled the family corporation.
108.04(1)(h)
(h) Each employer shall inform the department in its report under
s. 108.09 (1) whenever an individual claims benefits based on employment to which
par. (g) applies. Each employee who claims benefits based on employment to which
par. (g) applies shall so inform the department when claiming benefits.
108.04(1)(hm)
(hm) The department may require any claimant to appear before it and to answer truthfully, orally or in writing, any questions relating to the claimant's eligibility for benefits or to provide such demographic information as may be necessary to permit the department to conduct a statistically valid sample audit of compliance with this chapter. A claimant is not eligible to receive benefits for any week in which the claimant fails to comply with a request by the department to provide the information required under this paragraph, or any subsequent week, until the claimant complies with the request. Except as provided in
sub. (2) (e) and
(f), if a claimant later complies with a request by the department within the period specified in
s. 108.09 (2) (c), the claimant is eligible to receive benefits as of the week in which the failure occurred, if otherwise qualified.
108.04(2)
(2) General qualifying requirements. 108.04(2)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b) and
sub. (16) (am) and
(b) and as otherwise expressly provided, a claimant is eligible for benefits as to any given week only if:
108.04(2)(a)2.
2. Except as provided in
s. 108.062 (10m), as of that week, the individual has registered for work as directed by the department;
108.04 Note
NOTE: Subd. 2. is shown as affected by
2013 Wis. Acts 20 and
173 and as merged by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (2) (i).
108.04(2)(a)3.
3. The individual conducts a reasonable search for suitable work during that week, unless the search requirement is waived under
par. (b) or
s. 108.062 (10m). The search for suitable work must include at least 4 actions per week that constitute a reasonable search as prescribed by rule of the department. In addition, the department may, by rule, require an individual to take more than 4 reasonable work search actions in any week. The department shall require a uniform number of reasonable work search actions for similar types of claimants. This subdivision does not apply to an individual if the department determines that the individual is currently laid off from employment with an employer but there is a reasonable expectation of reemployment of the individual by that employer. In determining whether the individual has a reasonable expectation of reemployment by an employer, the department shall request the employer to verify the individual's employment status and shall also consider other factors, including:
108.04(2)(a)3.b.
b. Any information that the employer furnished to the individual or the department concerning the individual's anticipated reemployment date; and
108.04(2)(a)3.c.
c. Whether the individual has recall rights with the employer under the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreement; and
108.04(2)(a)4.
4. If the claimant is claiming benefits for a week other than an initial week, the claimant provides information or job application materials that are requested by the department and participates in a public employment office workshop or training program or in similar reemployment services that are required by the department under
sub. (15) (a) 2.
108.04(2)(ae)
(ae) A claimant is not available for work under
par. (a) 1. in any week in which he or she is located in a country other than the United States, as defined in
s. 108.02 (15) (do) 2., or Canada for more than 48 hours unless the claimant has authorization to work in that other country and there is a reciprocal agreement concerning the payment of unemployment insurance benefits between that other country and the United States.
108.04(2)(b)
(b) The requirements for registration for work and search for work shall be prescribed by rule of the department, and the department may by general rule waive these requirements under certain stated conditions.
108.04(2)(bm)
(bm) A claimant is ineligible to receive benefits for any week for which there is a determination that the claimant failed to conduct a reasonable search for suitable work and the department has not waived the search requirement under
par. (b) or
s. 108.062 (10m). If the department has paid benefits to a claimant for any such week, the department may recover the overpayment under
s. 108.22 (8).
108.04(2)(c)
(c) Each employer shall inform his or her employees of the requirements of this subsection in such reasonable manner as the department may prescribe by rule.
108.04(2)(e)
(e) Each claimant shall furnish to the department his or her social security number. If a claimant fails, without good cause, to provide his or her social security number, the claimant is not eligible to receive benefits for the week in which the failure occurs or any subsequent week until the week in which he or she provides the social security number. If the claimant has good cause, he or she is eligible to receive benefits as of the week in which the claimant first files a claim for benefits or first requests the department to reactivate an existing benefit claim.
108.04(2)(f)
(f) A claimant is ineligible to receive benefits for any week for which benefits are paid or payable because the claimant knowingly provided the department with a false social security number.
108.04 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See also chs.
DWD 126,
127, and
128, Wis. adm. code.
108.04(2)(g)1.1. Each claimant shall create security credentials in order to engage in transactions with the department, including the filing of an initial or continued claim for benefits. The security credentials may consist of a personal identification number, username, and password, or any other means prescribed by the department.
108.04(2)(g)2.
2. If a claimant's security credentials are used in the filing of an initial or continued claim for benefits or any other transaction, the individual using the security credentials is presumed to have been the claimant or the claimant's authorized agent. This presumption may be rebutted by a preponderance of evidence showing that the claimant who created the security credentials or the claimant's authorized agent was not the person who used the credentials in a given transaction. If a claimant uses an agent to engage in any transaction with the department using the claimant's security credentials, the claimant is responsible for the actions of the agent. If a claimant who created security credentials or the claimant's authorized agent divulges the credentials to another person, or fails to take adequate measures to protect the credentials from being divulged to an unauthorized person, and the department pays benefits to an unauthorized person because of the claimant's action or inaction, the department may recover from the claimant the benefits that were paid to the unauthorized person in the same manner as provided for overpayments to claimants under
s. 108.22 (8) or under 108.245. If a claimant who created security credentials or the claimant's authorized agent divulges the credentials to another person, or fails to take adequate measures to protect the credentials from being divulged to an unauthorized person, the department is not obligated to pursue recovery of, or to reimburse the claimant for, benefits payable to the claimant that were erroneously paid to another person.
108.04(2)(h)
(h) A claimant shall, when the claimant first files a claim for benefits under this chapter and during each subsequent week the claimant files for benefits under this chapter, inform the department whether he or she is receiving social security disability insurance benefits under
42 USC ch. 7 subch. II.
108.04(2)(i)1.1. There is a rebuttable presumption that a claimant who is subject to the requirement under
par. (a) 3. to conduct a reasonable search for suitable work has not conducted a reasonable search for suitable work in a given week if all of the following apply:
108.04(2)(i)1.b.
b. The temporary help company required the claimant to contact the temporary help company about available assignments weekly, or less often as prescribed by the temporary help company, and the company gave the claimant written notice of that requirement at the time the claimant was initially employed by the company.
108.04(2)(i)1.c.
c. During that week, the claimant was required to contact the temporary help company about available assignments and the claimant did not contact the temporary help company about available assignments.
108.04(2)(i)1.d.
d. The temporary help company submits a written notice to the department within 10 business days after the end of that week reporting that the claimant did not contact the company about available assignments.
108.04(2)(i)2.
2. A claimant may only rebut the presumption under
subd. 1. if the claimant demonstrates one of the following to the department for a given week:
108.04(2)(i)2.a.
a. That the claimant did contact the temporary help company about available assignments during that week.
108.04(2)(i)2.b.
b. That the claimant was not informed by the temporary help company of the requirement to contact the temporary help company or had other good cause for his or her failure to contact the temporary help company about available assignments during that week.
108.04(2)(i)3.
3. If a claimant who was last employed by a temporary help company contacts the temporary help company during a given week about available assignments, that contact constitutes one action that constitutes a reasonable search for suitable work, for purposes of
par. (a) 3.
108.04(3)
(3) Waiting period. The first week of a claimant's benefit year for which the claimant has timely applied and is otherwise eligible for regular benefits under this chapter is the claimant's waiting period for that benefit year.
108.04(4)(a)(a) A claimant is not eligible to start a benefit year unless the claimant has combined base period wages equal to at least 35 times the claimant's weekly benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1), including combined base period wages equal to at least 4 times the claimant's weekly benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1) in one or more quarters outside of the quarter within the claimant's base period in which the claimant has the highest base period wages.
108.04(4)(b)
(b) There shall be counted toward the wages required by
par. (a) any federal service, within the relevant period, which is assigned to Wisconsin under an agreement pursuant to
5 USC 8501 to
8525.
108.04(4)(c)
(c) An employee is not eligible to start a new benefit year unless, subsequent to the start of the employee's most recent benefit year in which benefits were paid to the employee, the employee has performed services and earned wages for those services equal to at least 8 times the employee's latest weekly benefit rate under
s. 108.05 (1) that was payable to the employee in the employee's most recent benefit year in employment or other work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government.
108.04(5)
(5) Discharge for misconduct. An employee whose work is terminated by an employing unit for misconduct by the employee connected with the employee's work is ineligible to receive benefits until 7 weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the discharge occurs and the employee earns wages after the week in which the discharge occurs equal to at least 14 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 the rate that would have been paid had the discharge not occurred. The wages paid to an employee by an employer which terminates employment of the employee for misconduct connected with the employee's employment shall be excluded from the employee's base period wages under
s. 108.06 (1) for purposes of benefit entitlement. This subsection does not preclude an employee who has employment with an employer other than the employer which terminated the employee for misconduct from establishing a benefit year using the base period wages excluded under this subsection 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 from which base period wages are excluded under this subsection. For purposes of this subsection, "misconduct" means one or more actions or conduct evincing such willful or wanton disregard of an employer's interests as is found in deliberate violations or disregard of standards of behavior which an employer has a right to expect of his or her employees, or in carelessness or negligence of such degree or recurrence as to manifest culpability, wrongful intent, or evil design of equal severity to such disregard, or to show an intentional and substantial disregard of an employer's interests, or of an employee's duties and obligations to his or her employer. In addition, "misconduct" includes:
108.04(5)(a)
(a) A violation by an employee of an employer's reasonable written policy concerning the use of alcohol beverages, or use of a controlled substance or a controlled substance analog, if the employee:
108.04(5)(a)1.
1. Had knowledge of the alcohol beverage or controlled substance policy; and
108.04(5)(a)2.
2. Admitted to the use of alcohol beverages or a controlled substance or controlled substance analog or refused to take a test or tested positive for the use of alcohol beverages or a controlled substance or controlled substance analog in a test used by the employer in accordance with a testing methodology approved by the department.
108.04(5)(b)
(b) Theft of an employer's property or services with intent to deprive the employer of the property or services permanently, theft of currency of any value, felonious conduct connected with an employee's employment with his or her employer, or intentional or negligent conduct by an employee that causes substantial damage to his or her employer's property.
108.04(5)(c)
(c) Conviction of an employee of a crime or other offense subject to civil forfeiture, while on or off duty, if the conviction makes it impossible for the employee to perform the duties that the employee performs for his or her employer.
108.04(5)(d)
(d) One or more threats or acts of harassment, assault, or other physical violence instigated by an employee at the workplace of his or her employer.
108.04(5)(e)
(e) Absenteeism by an employee on more than 2 occasions within the 120-day period before the date of the employee's termination, unless otherwise specified by his or her employer in an employment manual of which the employee has acknowledged receipt with his or her signature, or excessive tardiness by an employee in violation of a policy of the employer that has been communicated to the employee, if the employee does not provide to his or her employer both notice and one or more valid reasons for the absenteeism or tardiness.
108.04(5)(f)
(f) Unless directed by an employee's employer, falsifying business records of the employer.
108.04(5)(g)
(g) Unless directed by the employer, a willful and deliberate violation of a written and uniformly applied standard or regulation of the federal government or a state or tribal government by an employee of an employer that is licensed or certified by a governmental agency, which standard or regulation has been communicated by the employer to the employee and which violation would cause the employer to be sanctioned or to have its license or certification suspended by the agency.
108.04(5g)(a)(a) An employee whose work is terminated by an employing unit for substantial fault by the employee connected with the employee's work is ineligible to receive benefits until 7 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 14 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 benefit rate shall be the rate that would have been paid had the discharge not occurred. For purposes of this paragraph, "substantial fault" includes those acts or omissions of an employee over which the employee exercised reasonable control and which violate reasonable requirements of the employee's employer but does not include any of the following:
108.04(5g)(a)1.
1. One or more minor infractions of rules unless an infraction is repeated after the employer warns the employee about the infraction.
108.04(5g)(a)3.
3. Any failure of the employee to perform work because of insufficient skill, ability, or equipment.
108.04(5g)(b)
(b) The department shall charge to the fund's balancing account the cost of any benefits paid to an employee that are otherwise chargeable to the account of an employer that is subject to the contribution requirements under
ss. 108.17 and
108.18 if the employee is discharged by the employer and paragraph (a) applies.
108.04(6)
(6) Disciplinary suspension. An employee whose work is suspended by an employing unit for good cause connected with the employee's work is ineligible to receive benefits until 3 weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the suspension occurs or until the suspension is terminated, whichever occurs first. This subsection does not preclude an employee from establishing a benefit year during a period in which the employee is ineligible to receive benefits under this subsection if the employee qualifies to establish a benefit year under
s. 108.06 (2) (a).
108.04(7)(a)(a) If an employee terminates work with an employing unit, the employee is ineligible to receive benefits until the employee earns wages after the week in which the termination occurs equal to at least 6 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 that the employee terminated his or her work because of the verified illness or disability of a member of his or her immediate family and the verified illness or disability reasonably necessitates the care of the family member for a period of time that is longer than the employer is willing to grant leave; 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)(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 30 calendar days 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 30 calendar days 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)(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),
(e),
(L),
(q),
(s), or
(t) applies.
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 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)(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.
