Trailing Military Spouses Legislation
Governor Culver signed House File 2110
which is part of 10 initiatives by the Department of Defense to help
families of military spouses on active duty passed by the Iowa
Legislature.
The bill provides unemployment benefits
for military spouses who are forced to voluntarily quit employment
because the spouse on active duty has been relocated by the
military. The legislation is designed to help families during a
stressful time but the presumption is that the spouse desires to
remain employed and is forced to quit due to circumstances resulting
from the deployment. These circumstances would include child care
problems, moving to be with a relative to help care for kids, spouse
relocating to be near military spouse, being forced to quit to take
care of parents in the absence of the military spouse and those
special circumstances which require a spouse to voluntarily quit
employment due to the additional burden created by the absence of
the military spouse. The benefits are for a maximum up to 26 weeks
and the employer is not charged with the benefits.
The individual must meet all eligibility
requirements for unemployment insurance benefits and is expected to
be able and available for work to the same extent as when the
individual was working, taking into account the burden created by
the absence of the military spouse.
Alternate Base Period
An individual who lacks qualified
earnings on a regular unemployment benefit claim can request an
alternate base period and may be eligible for unemployment benefits.
The base period is one year of wages which determines eligibility
for unemployment benefits. The alternate base period allows an
individual to use the most recent 3 month quarter of wages to
establish eligibility for unemployment benefits. The individual must
have earned at least $640 in one base period quarter and lack
qualified earnings. Iowa Workforce Development will notify an
individual of eligibility for an alternate base period and the
individual may then request substitution of quarters within 10
calendar days. The individual will need to provide information
concerning the wages, employer, and check stubs or proof of earnings
for the most recent 3 month quarter which is prior to the claim. The
alternate base period allows an individual to receive unemployment
benefits based upon their most recent employment. 
The Unemployment Insurance Services Division of Iowa Workforce Development provides services to businesses, workers and the citizens of Iowa by collecting unemployment insurance taxes, maintaining the Iowa Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, and making payments to eligible jobless workers.
Unemployment insurance replaces part of the income workers lose when they become unemployed through no fault of their own. Unemployment insurance softens the economic impact job losses have on communities by maintaining purchasing power in the area where workers live.
Employers pay the money for unemployment benefits. No contributions for unemployment insurance come from employee wages.
Anyone who is no longer working, or is working substantially fewer hours, and has worked and earned wages in work covered by unemployment insurance (this determination is made by Iowa Workforce Development) in the last 15 to 18 months may file an application for unemployment insurance benefits.
