When and where do I file for benefits?

Your unemployment insurance (UI) claim should be filed once you have become unemployed. We recommend filing for benefits online at www.ides.illinois.gov.
If you have any questions, contact IDES Claimant Services at (800) 244-5631.

What information do I need to file for benefits?

• Social Security number and name as it appears on your Social Security card.
• Your driver's license or state ID.
• The name of all employers you worked for in the last 18 months; the beginning and ending dates of employment for these employers; the mailing address of each employer; phone number and separation reason for each employer.
• If you are not a U.S. citizen, your Alien Registration information

How much will I receive and how long does it last?

Your benefit amount is based on your recent income. The maximum benefit amount is $484 per week. Those who have a qualifying dependent receive an additional amount. Benefits are paid for up to 26 weeks. If an extension is approved by the federal government, you will be notified.

What does it mean to certify for benefits?

After filing a claim for unemployment insurance benefits, you must “certify” your eligibility to receive payment.

When do I certify for benefits?

After filing your claim for unemployment insurance benefits, you will receive a notice titled “UI Finding”. This notice will indicate your first certification date, which is approximately 2 weeks from the date you submit your claim. You will be required to certify on the date indicated on the notice and every two weeks thereafter in order to receive payment.

How do I certify for benefits?

The best way to certify for benefits is by going online to www.ides.illinois.gov/certify. You can also certify by calling (312) 338-4337.

When do I receive payment and where is it sent?

After completing your certification and your responses are approved, benefits are received within 2-3 business days. You will be issued a debit card automatically. You may, however, sign up for direct deposit when you file for benefits, or at any point thereafter.

What are Rapid Response Services?

Rapid Response Services are available to employers who are planning or have gone through a permanent closure or mass layoff, or a natural or other disaster, that results in mass job dislocation. The State Dislocated Worker Unit coordinates with employers to provide information to workers and employers about employment and retraining services designed to help participants retain employment when feasible, or obtain re-employment as soon as possible. For more information, visit Rapid Response Services for Businesses or contact your local Illinois workNet Center.

SPRINGFIELD – Assistant Majority Leader Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) congratulated former U.S. Transportation Secretary and Congressman Ray LaHood today after his appointment to serve as the Chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Board of Directors.

“Secretary LaHood has demonstrated his exceptional, bipartisan leadership qualities time and time again over the course of a 36-year career in public service, with 19 of those years being spent in service of Peoria and Central Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Koehler said. “I want to offer my sincere congratulations to Ray LaHood and I look forward to seeing what he will be able to accomplish in his new role.”

LaHood’s appointment is now pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

Free counseling assistance is available locally through Dec. 7 for Medicare-eligible residents and their caregivers during the Medicare Open Enrollment period.

During open enrollment, eligible adults can adjust Medicare Advantage or Medicare prescription drug coverage, move from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan – or vice versa, switch between Medicare Advantage plans, join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, or switch or drop existing drug plans without penalty.

Because these can be overwhelming and confusing decisions, assistance is available to help clients find the closest State of Illinois Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) office, where they can schedule appointments to get help with open enrollment.

Those offices are at the following area locations:

• Central Illinois Agency on Aging, 700 Hamilton Boulevard, Peoria – 309-674-2071
• Central Illinois Agency on Aging, 304 Morgan St., Peoria – 309-674-2071
• Central Illinois Center for the Blind and Visibly Impaired, 2905 W. Garden St., Peoria – 309-637-3693
• Heartland Community Health Clinic, 1701 W. Garden St., Peoria – 309-680-7632
• Advocates for Access, 4450 N. Prospect Road, Suite C8, Peoria Heights – 309-682-3500
• State Senator Dave Koehler, 551 S. 14th St., Pekin – 309-369-1648

SHIP counselors work through the Medicare.gov system to help seniors and people with disabilities make the best choices for their individual situation. Residents can contact SHIP by calling 800-252-8966 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.

For more information, including a complete list of SHIP locations, visit http://www.illinois.gov/aging/ship/Pages/default.aspx.

To compare 2019 drug and health plans or to find out more about Medicare options, including preventive services now covered, visit the federal website at medicare.gov. Medicare customer service representatives are available around the clock at 800-633-4227.

SHIP is not affiliated with any insurance company, and counselors do not sell or solicit any type of insurance. SHIP counselors in the field help seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare understand the options available to them. They also educate and answer questions about Medicare plans and options.

PEORIA — A task force charged with determining best practices for Illinois with regard to youth who are out of school and jobless hosted a youth employment hearing in Peoria in July, and State Senator Dave Koehler helped moderate the discussion.

Three panels of Peoria-area citizens participated in the July 19 hearing. The youth panel included three young adults — Taryne Gardner, Kira Thomas and Dasontray Keys — who shared their experiences and the barriers they overcame when they dropped out of high school, then chose to earn their GEDs. They cited local programs, including the Moonlight Coalition for Adult Learning and Peoria Corps, as instrumental in their success.

A second panel addressed legislative needs for effective programming. Participants included staff from the Peoria Police Department, the Peoria County sheriff, representatives from the Moonlight Coalition, and Rita Ali from Illinois Central College.

Finally, a panel of business leaders address legislation that could help meet the needs of employers who have job vacancies and rely on young, working-age people to help fill those positions. Those panelists included Kate Cundiff from the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, Illinois Central College President Sheila Quik-Bailey, Kathy Lehmann from Unity Point Health, and Stephanie Price from HGS.

According to statistics, in 2014 nearly 191,000 Illinois youth and young adults 16 to 24 years old were jobless and out of school. Many of these youth and young adults require opportunities to become successful adults.

The State Task Force on Developing Opportunities for Youth and Young Adults Who are Jobless and Out of School is expected to issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the governor and General Assembly by the end of the year.