Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 657 § 657.325 — Extended benefits; eligibility; amount

Extended benefits; eligibility; amount. (1) An individual shall be eligible to receive extended benefits with respect to any week of unemployment in the individual’s eligibility period only if the Director of the Employment Department finds that with respect to such week the individual: (a) Is an exhaustee; (b) Has satisfied the requirements of this chapter for the receipt of regular benefits that are applicable to individuals claiming extended benefits, including not being subject to a disqualification for the receipt of benefits; and (c) Has been paid wages by an employer or employers subject to the provisions of this chapter during the base period of the individual’s applicable benefit year in an amount equal to or in excess of 40 times the individual’s applicable weekly benefit amount. (2) The weekly extended benefit amount payable to an individual for a week of total unemployment in the individual’s eligibility period shall be an amount equal to the weekly benefit amount payable to the individual during the applicable benefit year. (3) The maximum extended benefit amount payable to any eligible individual with respect to the applicable benefit year shall be: (a) 50 percent of the total amount of regular benefits which were payable to the individual under this chapter in the applicable benefit year; or (b) With respect to weeks beginning in a high unemployment period, 80 percent of the total amount of regular benefits which were payable to the individual under this chapter in the applicable benefit year. (4) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, extended benefits shall not be payable to any individual for any week pursuant to an interstate claim filed in any other state under the interstate benefit payment plan if an extended benefit period is not in effect for such week in such other state. (5) The provisions of subsection (4) of this section shall not apply with respect to the first two weeks for which extended benefits would otherwise be payable to an individual pursuant to an interstate claim filed under the interstate benefit payment plan. (6) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (1) to (5) and (12) of this section, an individual shall be ineligible for payment of extended benefits for any week of unemployment in the individual’s eligibility period if the director finds that during such week: (a) The individual failed to accept any offer of suitable work or failed to apply for any suitable work, as defined under subsection (8) of this section, to which the individual was referred by the director; or (b) The individual failed to actively engage in seeking work as prescribed under subsection (10) of this section. (7) Any individual who has been found ineligible for extended benefits by reason of the provisions in subsection (6) of this section shall also be denied benefits beginning with the first day of the week following the week in which such failure occurred and until the individual has been employed in each of four subsequent weeks, whether or not consecutive, and has earned remuneration equal to not less than four times the extended weekly benefit amount. (8)(a) For purposes of this section, the term “suitable work” means, with respect to any individual, any work which is within such individual’s capabilities, provided, however: (A) That the gross average weekly remuneration payable for the work must exceed the sum of the individual’s weekly benefit amount and the amount, if any, of supplemental unemployment benefits, as defined in section 501(c)(17)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code, payable to such individual for such week; and (B) The work must pay wages which equal or exceed the higher of the state or local minimum wage or the minimum wage provided by section 6 (a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, without regard to any exemption; (b) No individual shall be denied extended benefits for failure to accept an offer of or referral to any job which meets the definition of suitability as described herein if: (A) The position was not offered to such individual in writing or was not listed with the Employment Department; or (B) Such failure could not result in a denial of benefits under the definition of suitable work for regular benefit claimants pursuant to ORS 657.190 to the extent that the criteria of suitability are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section; or (C) The individual furnishes satisfactory evidence to the director that the individual’s prospects for obtaining work in the individual’s customary occupation within a reasonably short period are good. If such evidence is deemed satisfactory for this purpose, the determination of whether any work is suitable with respect to such individual shall be made in accordance with the definition of suitable work in ORS 657.190 without regard to the definition specified in this subsection. (9) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (