I recently got hit with a storm of unemployment compensation claims. I have one guy that didn't show up for work twice because he was drunk. Another became unavailable on Saturdays counter to the agreement plus failed to call in as required. You guessed it. They both qualify for unemployment.

It would seem that you get a trophy on this soccer field for just showing up. Where does this end?

In addition, my on line notices give me 7 days to get my information together. The NH Unemployment Security varies between dysfunctional and brain damaged.

Anyone else out there experiencing these things?

I have offices and employees in MO, IL, and IA. Each state is different in how this is handled. They all use the same format with notification and your chance to respond. In MO I have won several cases where the employee was terminated. They did not charge me but they still receive the benefit from the pool. In IL I have never won a case. I had one where an employee lit a barrel on fire and it blew up and I had to paint several cars. The trash barrel even had warnings and signs on it not to burn. I let her go and she won, it did not matter what we said. In IA they are eligible for unemployment from the min they start working for you. They all still get unemployment INS from the pool and we all still pay for it in the long run. It’s never been their fault they were fired. I have seen in some places they teach people that they earned the unemployment or that they have been paying for it so they are entitled to it. Its just more government BS.

This is a good and very timely topic and an issue that frequently arises in calls to the NFIB Employment Law Hotline. In case you are not aware, the free Employment Law Hotline allows NFIB members to access free legal advice on basic employment law issues, including unemployment insurance and hearings. The attorneys at the hotline frequently answer questions regarding unemployment insurance claims. To access the hotline, call (866) 678-NFIB and have your NFIB member ID ready. After leaving a message, an attorney will return your call within the next business day.

In addition, the NFIB Small Business Legal Center is offering a free webinar on December 9, 2009, entitled "How to Win an Unemployment Insurance Hearing." We will show you under what circumstances you should challenge an unemployment claim and how to maintain proper records to greatly increase your chances of winning. To register for the webinar go to the NFIB Small Business Legal Center, Compliance Resource Center, 2009 Compliance Webinar Series or cut and paste the following into your browser: http://www.nfib.com/tabid/825/Default.aspx?cmsid=49373&v=1.