New Law Requires Employers to Provide Additional Information About Unemployment Benefits Upon Termination

On July 1, 2011, Governor Chris Christie signed into law a bill (S2580) that expands the information employers must give employees about unemployment benefits upon termination to include notice that a claim for unemployment benefits must be filed in a timely manner, as well as other prescribed information. The new notice, which must be given upon separation regardless of the reason and regardless of whether the period of unemployment is expected to be permanent or temporary, must contain in addition to prior requirements: (1) the date the worker becomes unemployed, and, to the extent possible if the unemployment is temporary, the date upon which the worker is expected to be recalled to work; and (2) notification that the individual may lose some or all of the benefits to which he or she is entitled if he or she fails to file a claim in a timely manner.

In connection with this law, the Department of Labor has revised Form BC-10, “Instructions for Claiming Unemployment Benefits,” to include the additional information. These instructions and the new form can be accessed by clicking here.