I worked for the Texas Employment Commission (now called Texas Workforce Commission) for 7 years. Yes, the rules and the pay amounts vary from state to state, but remember that the reason states even offer unemployment insurance (UI) compensation is because Federal law requires it. Some things to know...
1. The poster who entered the quote from the Delaware UI rules about "the worker must have lost their job through no fault of their own"...This is part of the Federal law which every state is required to adopt. It is to prevent people from just getting PO'd, walk off the job, and collect UI for awhile. However, every state may or may not interpret that provision the same way. In Texas, it is pretty much a strict interpretation of both the letter and the spirit of the phrase. Other states are more liberal in their interpretation--i.e., after a penalty period, you can collect even if you quit your job (Be aware that even those states will not tell you this. It's just their policy.) The one common exception is if you quit because your employer was trying to get you to do something illegal or life threatening (and you can prove it). For instance if you are an accountant and the employer is trying to get you to cook the books.
2. You did not pay a dime toward your unemployment insurance fund. Do NOT make the mistake of going into your local UI office and demanding compensation "after all the money you've paid in over the years." Unemployment insurance is paid from a permanent protected government account that is funded through an employer tax on their total payroll. The money does not come from FICA or any other deduction you see on your paycheck--(I have heard that some states supplement the basic UI with an employee payroll deduction, but I don't know of specific instances.)
3. The amount that you can receive in UI payments varies from state to state. Some states, such as Texas, pay only the amount required under Federal law. There are no adjustments for family size or dependents or disabilities. Other states supplement the amount with state funds. For commuters--such as pilots and flight attendants--you are paid according the rate in effect in the state in which you worked not in the state in which you live. During the last layoffs at AMR, there were a lot of people upset because they lived in California--which pays a pretty high benefit--but they were based at DFW. Texas pays a lower (I heard much lower) benefit. Even though they filed in California, they were paid according to Texas rates.
4. Last, but not least. Do not depend upon what a co-worker tells you is true about collecting UI. Every case is different. There are claims examiners in each state which review your case and make a determination. This is done as much as possible in an objective law-based manner. But remember at some point it comes down to a human being making a decision about what the law and the facts of a case mean when put together. There is an appeals process to correct mistakes, but it is not a perfect system. Be informed about what the law is in the state where you work.
