Section 2720.1  Definitions

All other terms used in this Part shall have the meaning set forth in definitions, Sections 200 through 247 of the Unemployment Insurance Act [820 ILCS 405/200 through 247], unless the context requires otherwise.  Throughout this Part, the use of terms imparting the masculine gender shall also apply to the feminine gender.

            "Act" means the Unemployment Insurance Act, as amended [820 ILCS 405].

            "Adjudicator" means the person authorized to make findings, determinations or recoupment decisions relating to a claimant's eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits.

            "Agency" means the Department of Employment Security.

            "Appeal" means the process of agency or judicial review of a Finding, Determination or Decision.

            "Appellant" means a party who appeals an Agency finding, determination or decision.

            "Appellee" means a party to a finding, determination or decision appealed by the appellant.

            "Board" means the Board of Review of the Department of Employment Security.

            "Call Day" means the day a claimant actually calls to access the Telephone Certification System.

            "Certification" means an individual's attestation to facts regarding his eligibility for benefits for a particular period.  The Department may provide for certification in person, by telephone, or by mail.  In many instances, depending upon the context, the terms "certification" and "certification form" and "claim certification" or the like should be considered synonymous.

            "Certification Day" means the day of the week designated for a telephone filer to call to certify for benefits.

            "Certification Detail Screen" means the record maintained by the Telephone Certification System of the claimant's responses to questions asked during a completed telephone certification, and the date of the claimant's call to access the system with respect to that completed certification.

            "Claims Series" means a week or series of consecutive weeks for which benefit or waiting week credit is granted.

            "Claimant" means a person who applies for benefits under the Act.

            "Customary Occupation" means the work in which the individual was last engaged or the occupation for which he is best qualified by training, experience, and education.

            "Decision" means the statement made by a Referee, the Director or the Board of Review with respect to any appeal from a Finding or Determination relating to rights or obligations under the Act or a statement by an adjudicator that an employing unit's protest is insufficient.

            "Determination" means an Adjudicator's statement of whether or not a claimant is eligible for benefits or waiting week credit, and the dollar amount of such benefits for each week with respect to which a claim is made [820 ILCS 405/702].

            "Director's Representative" means an employee of the Agency designated by the Director of Employment Security to conduct hearings and to recommend decisions to the Director.

            "Electronic Data Transmission" is a means by which the Director provides an electronic transfer of the "Notice of Claim to Last Employing Unit and Last Employer or other Interested Party" to the data center of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services where the transmission can be retrieved by the employing unit (see Section 2720.7).

            "Employing Unit" shall have the same meaning as that set forth in Section 204 of the Act [820 ILCS 405/204].

            "Filing Date" means the date a document was mailed to or received by the Agency, whichever is earlier.

            "Finding" means a statement by an Adjudicator of the amount of wages for insured work paid to a claimant during each quarter in the claimant's base period by each employer [820 ILCS 405/701].

            "Full-time Work" is the number of hours a class of workers would customarily work if the employing unit had all of the work it could handle without working overtime.  Except where the contrary is provided by a collective bargaining agreement or company policy, full time work is customarily 40 hours per week.  For example, 37.5 hours per week is full time work for Illinois State employees because it is so provided by State personnel policy.

            "Initial Claim" means an application for benefits which, meeting all monetary eligibility requirements, commences a claim series.

            "Local Office" means the office of the Agency servicing claimants who live in a specific geographical area.

            "Mail Filer" means a claimant who, although he may use the Telephone Certification System, is permitted to certify by mail.

            "Monetary Eligibility" means a claimant's eligibility for a weekly benefit amount of unemployment insurance and the amount of dependency allowance, if any, based on the amount of qualifying wages paid.

            "Nonmonetary Eligibility" means that the claimant has established monetary eligibility and has not been found ineligible or subject to disqualification under the Act from receiving unemployment insurance benefits.

            "Part-time Work" means services not normally required for the customary schedule of full time hours or days prevailing in the establishment in which such services are performed, or services performed by a person who, owing to his personal circumstances or the nature of the work he is qualified to perform, does not customarily work the schedule of full time hours or days prevailing in the establishment in which he is employed [820 ILCS 405/407].  Generally, part time work will be less than 40 hours per week except where company policy or a collective bargaining agreement provides for a lesser number of hours per week as full time work.  In such cases, part time work shall be work less than the number of full time hours set by the collective bargaining agreement or company policy.

            "Part-total Employment" means part-time work with an employing unit other than one's regular employing unit.

            Example:  The claimant is laid off by Company A, his regular employing unit, as defined in this Section, and accepts temporary, part-time work with Company B, an employing unit other than his regular employing unit. The part-time work with Company B constitutes "part-total employment."

            "Partial Employment" means part-time work with one's regular employing unit.

            "Party" means, with respect to issues of nonmonetary eligibility, the claimant and any employing unit which files a timely and sufficient protest pursuant to Section 2720.130 of this Part.  Only a party under Section 702 of the Act may appeal a nonmonetary determination or decision of the Agency regarding eligibility for benefits.  With respect to findings under Section 701 of the Act, "Party" means the claimant and any employer whose base period wages are in question.  With respect to the issues of sufficiency and timeliness of a protest pursuant to Section 2720.130 of this Part, "Party" means only the employing unit which files the protest.

            "Personal Identification Number" or "PIN" means a number that enables the claimant to access the Telephone Certification System.  Valid use of a PIN serves as the claimant's signature.

            "Protest" means the Agency form, "Employer Notice of Possible Ineligibility," or a letter in lieu thereof, which alleges that the claimant is not entitled to unemployment insurance benefits.

            "Referee" means the hearing officer authorized to conduct hearings on appealed Adjudicator findings, determinations or recoupment decisions and to make decisions on the matters appealed.

            "Regular Employing Unit" is either the employing unit for which an individual expects to continue working and to work full time if business warrants it, or any employing unit for which the individual worked full time for nine consecutive weeks during the preceding 52 weeks.

            "Service Area" means a geographical area served by a local office.

            "Services" means not only work actually performed, but the entire employer-employee relationship.  Any attachment to an employing unit for which wages are payable constitutes a service for that employing unit.

            "Telephone Certification System (TCS)" means a system implemented by the Agency that enables a claimant to certify for benefits or obtain information by touch-tone telephone.

            "Telephone Filer" means a claimant who has established a PIN and uses the Telephone Certification System to certify.

(Source:  Amended at 21 Ill. Reg. 12129, effective August 20, 1997)