State Rules

• State labor departments generally determine whether a worker is eligible for unemployment benefits. However, the Nolo law information website indicates that workers usually are eligible to collect benefits if they're unemployed due to circumstances beyond their control. Employees often don't have any control over when an employer ends a project or cuts the budget for a project that results in job losses. Therefore, people who lose their jobs in such circumstances would likely qualify for unemployment benefits in their state.
  
  

Temporary Work

• Your local labor department will examine several factors to determine if you're eligible to collect unemployment benefits. For example, in New York, people may be able to collect benefits if they're out of work because a temporary or seasonal job ended. That may include people who worked on a temporary project. However, the amount of time that you worked in your state generally affects whether you can collect unemployment benefits. In New York, a person must have worked in the state within the last 18 months to file a claim for benefits.
  
  

Part-Time Work

• You may be able to collect unemployment benefits if your employer cuts your working hours because a project ended. For example, workers in Connecticut may qualify for unemployment benefits if they're partially unemployed. In such cases, a person formerly employed on a full-time basis may only have part-time work because of a reduction in projects or other cutbacks. The amount in unemployment benefits for people working on a part-time basis depends upon their weekly earnings before tax deductions.
  
  

Considerations

• Employers generally have a say in whether workers should receive unemployment benefits even though state labor departments determine workers' eligibility for benefits. Labor departments inform employers about workers' unemployment claims, and employers in some states have up to 10 days to object to a claim. Employers and workers who disagree with a labor department's decision on eligibility for benefits can appeal the decision. The "Washington Post" indicates that more employers were fighting unemployment claims to save money in 2009. The amount in unemployment benefits that workers receive affects the insurance rates that employers pay.