Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

  
Unemployment Insurance Makes Adjustment for U.S. Army Program

MADISON – A U.S. Army program that allows some Army personnel to leave full-time duty for part-time duty in the National Guard, has led to some confusion concerning eligibility for unemployment benefits.

The Army National Guard Combat Reform Initiative (ANGCRI) allows lieutenants to be released early in order to finish the remainder of their active duty obligation in the National Guard.  The program, which began May 1, 1998, was inadvertently left off a list of acceptable reasons to allow unemployment benefits when the list was published in 1998.  As a result, some eligible applicants may have been denied benefits and others may not have applied for benefits thinking they were ineligible.  The Department of Labor has determined that those released under this program meet the definition of federal service for eligibility for unemployment insurance purposes.

The change is expected to affect very few claimants in Wisconsin, and all the necessary corrections have been made.  However, any ex-service person who had been denied or did not apply for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in 1998 and 1999 because the narrative reason for separation was "Miscellaneous/General Reasons" and was released under the ANGCRI program, should contact the UI office for possible reconsideration of eligibility.

The UI office can be contacted at 1-800-822-5246 from 7:45 AM through 4:30 PM. I n Madison, the local number is (608) 232-0678.  In Milwaukee, the number is (414) 438-7700. Those who use TTY can call 1-888-393-8914.

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