Oregon Code § 657.155·Enacted ·Last updated March 01, 2026
Statute Text
Benefit eligibility conditions; rules.
(1) An unemployed individual shall be eligible to receive benefits with respect
to any week only if the Director of the Employment Department finds that:
(a) The
individual has registered for work at and thereafter has continued to report at
an employment office in accordance with such rules as the director may
prescribe. However, the director may, by rule, waive or alter either or both of
the requirements of this subsection as to individuals attached to regular jobs
and as to such other types of cases or situations with respect to which the
director finds that compliance with such requirements would be oppressive, or
would be inconsistent with the purposes of this chapter; provided, that no such
rule conflicts with ORS 657.255.
(b) The
individual has made a claim for benefits with respect to such week in
accordance with ORS 657.260.
(c) The
individual is able to work, is available for work, and is actively seeking and
unable to obtain suitable work. No individual participating in a community work
and training program, as defined in ORS 411.855, shall, solely by reason
thereof, be unavailable for work within the meaning of this section.
(d) The
individual has been unemployed for a waiting period of one week, unless the
Governor has waived the required waiting period as provided in ORS 401.186.
(e) The
individual is not disqualified from benefits or ineligible for benefits under
any other section of this chapter.
(f) The
individual is qualified for benefits under ORS 657.150.
(2)(a) An
individual who leaves the individuals normal labor market area for the major
portion of any week is presumed to be unavailable for work within the meaning
of this section.
(b) The
presumption described in paragraph (a) of this subsection may be overcome if
the individual establishes to the satisfaction of the director that the
individual:
(A) Has conducted
a bona fide search for work and has been reasonably accessible to suitable work
in the labor market area in which the individual spent the major portion of the
week to which the presumption applies; or
(B) Was required
to be outside the individuals normal labor market area to apply for suitable
employment within the individuals normal labor market.
(3) The director
shall either promptly allow credit or pay benefits for any week for which
benefits are claimed or promptly give notice of denial thereof in the manner
provided in ORS 657.267 and 657.268. [Amended by 1955 c.655 §7; 1961 c.631 §8;
1967 c.130 §11; 1973 c.398 §1; 1977 c.295 §3; 1979 c.521 §1; 1993 c.778 §11;
2008 c.23 §3; 2015 c.103 §1]
Note:
Section 4, chapter 23, Oregon Laws
2008, provides:
Sec. 4.
Sections 1 and 2 [401.186] of this
2008 Act and the amendments to ORS 657.155 by section 3 of this 2008 Act become
operative when federal law permits without penalty a waiver under section 2 of
this 2008 Act of the one-week waiting period required by ORS 657.155. [2008
c.23 §4]