Title 28, Title 28 and Labor Relations

In claiming benefits under this chapter an employee shall, during each week of his or her unemployment, correctly report any wages received by him or her during that week and shall make those reports in accordance with the regulations adopted as prescribed.

(a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, the waiting period of any individual shall be either: (1) Seven (7) consecutive days, commencing with the Sunday of the week in which the claimant filed a claim for benefits, during which that individual is totally …

(a) An individual shall not be entitled to benefits if he or she became unemployed because of a strike or other industrial controversy in the establishment in which he or she was employed. This section shall not apply if it is shown to the satisfaction of the director that the cl…

(a) For benefit years beginning prior to July 1, 2012, an individual who leaves work voluntarily without good cause shall be ineligible for waiting period credit, or benefits for the week in which the voluntary quit occurred, and until he or she establishes to the satisfaction of…

(a) An individual shall be eligible for waiting period credit or benefits if that individual voluntarily leaves work due to circumstances directly resulting from domestic abuse, as defined in chapter 8.1 of title 8, and the individual: (1) Reasonably fears future domestic abuse a…

(a) For benefit years beginning prior to July 1, 2012, an individual who has been discharged for proved misconduct connected with his or her work shall become ineligible for waiting period credit or benefits for the week in which that discharge occurred and until he or she establ…

(a) An individual shall be disqualified from receiving benefits for any week of his or her unemployment occurring within any period with respect to which that individual is currently receiving, or has received, remuneration in the form of: (1) Compensation for temporary partial d…

An individual shall be disqualified from receiving benefits for any week of his or her unemployment within any period with respect to which that individual is currently receiving or has received retirement income in accordance with the following provisions: (1) The amount of comp…

Whenever the day for payment of weekly benefit under this chapter falls upon a holiday, that weekly payment shall be made on either the day immediately preceding or the day immediately following that holiday.

(a) For benefit years beginning prior to July 1, 2012, if an otherwise eligible individual fails, without good cause, either to apply for suitable work when notified by the employment office, or to accept suitable work when offered to him or her, he or she shall become ineligible…

An individual who has established eligibility for benefits by conforming to the provisions of §§ 28-44-12 and 28-44-13 and who is otherwise eligible and who files a claim for waiting period credits or unemployment compensation benefits during a bona fide vacation period as determ…

(a) An individual who has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of knowingly or fraudulently making a false statement, or knowingly or fraudulently misrepresenting a material fact, with intent to defraud the employment security fund of any benefit or to wrongfully o…

Notwithstanding any provisions of chapters 42 — 44 of this title to the contrary, “wages” as used in the phrase “wages for employment from employers” means, with reference to the benefit provisions of those chapters, only those wages that are paid subsequent to the date upon whic…

Benefit claims shall be filed pursuant to regulations adopted as prescribed at an employment office or any other agency that the director may designate.

(a) Claims for waiting period credit and for benefits shall be filed in accordance with regulations adopted as prescribed. Each employer shall post and maintain printed copies or statements of those regulations in places readily accessible to individuals employed by him or her. T…

(a)(1) The director shall promptly determine: (i) Whether or not the claimant has met the eligibility requirements set forth in § 28-44-11. Thereupon the director shall promptly notify the claimant in writing of that monetary determination, including the reasons upon which the mo…

Wages earned by an employee for employment from employers that remain unpaid because the assets of the employer for whom that employment was rendered are in the custody or control of an assignee for the benefit of creditors, receiver, trustee, or any other fiduciary appointed by …

(a) If an appeal is filed by an employer, benefits shall be paid to an eligible claimant until that employer’s appeal is finally determined. If the employer’s appeal is finally sustained, no further benefits shall be paid to the claimant during any remaining portion of the disqua…

(a) In any case in which the payment or denial of benefits will be affected by the provisions of § 28-44-16, the director shall promptly transmit his or her full findings of fact with respect to that section to the board of review or an appeal tribunal designated by it, which, on…

To hear and decide disputed claims, the board of review may appoint one or more impartial referees each of whom shall constitute an appeal tribunal to hear and decide appeals from determinations and re-determinations. The board of review may make appointments to it and fix the sa…

Any claimant or any employing unit or employer who is an interested party as defined in § 28-44-39(c) may file an appeal from the determination of the director within the specified time. The parties to an appeal from a determination shall include all interested parties. Appeals m…

A reasonable opportunity for a fair hearing shall be promptly afforded all interested parties. An appeal tribunal shall inquire into and develop all facts bearing on the issues and shall receive and consider evidence without regard to statutory and common law rules. The board of …

When the same or substantially similar evidence is material to the matter in issue with respect to more than one individual, the same time and place for considering all those cases may be fixed, hearings jointly conducted, a single record of the proceedings made, and evidence int…

After a hearing, an appeal tribunal shall promptly make findings and conclusions and on the basis of those findings and conclusions affirm, modify, or reverse the director’s determination. Each party shall promptly be furnished a copy of the decision and supporting findings and c…

Any party in interest, including the director, shall be allowed an appeal to the board of review from the decision of an appeal tribunal. The board of review on its own motion may initiate a review of a decision or determination of an appeal tribunal within fifteen (15) days afte…

The board of review may remove to itself or transfer to another appeal tribunal any appeal pending before an appeal tribunal. An appeal removed to the board of review before a fair hearing has been completed shall be given a fair hearing by the board of review, as required by § 2…

(a) All final determinations and decisions shall be conclusive upon all parties in interest including the director. (b) The director, appeal tribunal, or board of review shall reopen a determination or decision or revoke permission for withdrawal of an appeal if: (1) He or she or…

Final decisions of the board of review and the principles of law declared in their support shall be binding in all subsequent proceedings involving similar questions, unless expressly or impliedly overruled by a later decision of the board of review or of a court of competent jur…

Except as provided in § 28-44-50, the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and determinations of eligibility of the director or the board of review, including decisions reviewed by the district, superior, or supreme courts, shall not be binding upon, or determinative of any issu…

For the purposes of judicial review, an appeal tribunal’s decision from which an application for appeal has been denied by the board of review shall be deemed to be the decision of the board of review, except that the time for initiating judicial review shall run from the date of…

Each party shall be promptly furnished a copy of the decision and the supporting findings and conclusions of the board of review. The decision shall be final unless any party in interest, including the director, initiates judicial review by filing a petition with the clerk of the…

The board of review and all parties to the proceedings before it shall be parties to the review proceedings. If the director is a party respondent, the petition shall be served by leaving with him or her, or any representative whom he or she designates for that purpose, as many c…

The jurisdiction of the reviewing court shall be confined to questions of law, and, in the absence of fraud, the findings of fact by the board of review, if supported by substantial evidence regardless of statutory or common law rules, shall be conclusive. Additional evidence req…

An appeal may be taken from the decision of the district court to the supreme court of Rhode Island in the same manner as an appeal is taken under § 28-35-29, relating to appeals in cases under the workers’ compensation law.

No agreement by any individual to waive his or her right to benefits or any other right under chapters 42 — 44 of this title shall be valid. No agreement by any individual in the employ of any person or concern to pay all or any portion of the contributions required under those c…

(a) No individual claiming benefits shall be charged fees of any kind by the director or his or her representative, or by the board of review or its representatives, in any proceeding under chapters 42 — 44 of this title. Any individual claiming benefits in any proceeding or cour…

Benefits that are due or may become due under chapters 42 — 44 of this title shall not be assigned, pledged, or encumbered before payment; and when awarded, adjudged, or paid, so long as they are not mingled with other funds of the recipient, shall be exempt from all claims of cr…

(a) An individual filing a new claim for benefits shall, at the time of filing the claim, disclose whether or not he or she owes child support obligations as defined under subsection (g) of this section. If any individual discloses that he or she owes child support obligations, a…

(a) An individual filing a new claim for benefits on or after January 1, 1998, shall, at the time of filing that claim, be advised that: (1) Unemployment compensation is subject to federal and state income tax and requirements exist pertaining to estimated tax payments; (2) The i…

For benefit years beginning prior to July 1, 2012, for the purpose of determining an individual’s benefit eligibility for any week of unemployment, any remuneration received by an employee from his or her employer in the nature of severance or dismissal pay, whether or not the em…

(a)(1) The benefit rate payable under this chapter to any eligible individual with respect to any week of his or her total unemployment, when that week occurs within a benefit year, shall be, for benefit years beginning on or after October 1, 1989, and prior to July 1, 2012, four…

(a) Notwithstanding any provisions of this title to the contrary, a claimant shall not be ineligible for benefits because of his or her regular attendance, whether full-time or part-time, in an adult basic education or a vocational training program as approved by the director and…

Benefits to which an individual is entitled for any week of unemployment shall not be reduced by any holiday pay received by that individual where no services are performed on the holiday for which that payment is made.

(a) Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context clearly requires otherwise: (1) “Eligibility period” of an individual means the period consisting of the weeks in his or her benefit year that begin in an extended period that is in effect in this state and, if his or h…

Benefits based on service in employment for nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and hospitals, as defined in § 28-42-3, shall be payable in the same amounts on the same conditions as compensation payable on the basis of other services subject to chapters 42…

Benefits shall not be paid to any individual on the basis of any service, substantially all of which consists of participating in sports or athletic events or training or preparing to so participate, for any week that commences during the period between two (2) successive sport s…