Rhode Island General Laws
Chapter 28-44 - Employment Security — Benefits
Section 28-44-14. - Waiting period.

§ 28-44-14. Waiting period.
(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 unemployed due to lack of work; or
(2) 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 employed less than full time due to lack of work and during which he or she has earned remuneration for services performed in an amount less than his or her weekly benefit rate; provided, that no waiting period credit can be given in either case if a disqualification has been imposed with respect to the whole or any portion of that seven-day (7) period under § 28-44-12 or §§ 28-44-16 — 28-44-21.
(b) No waiting period shall be given to any individual unless he or she has filed a valid claim in accordance with regulations adopted as prescribed.
(c) Benefits shall be payable to an eligible individual only for those weeks of his or her unemployment within a benefit year that occur subsequent to one waiting period, which shall be served at any time during the benefit year.
(d) No period of total or partial unemployment shall be counted towards an individual’s required waiting period if, with respect to any portion of that period of unemployment, benefits have been paid under the employment security or temporary disability insurance acts of any other state or of any similar acts of any foreign government, or if benefits have been paid under the temporary disability insurance act of this state or under any similar acts of the United States.
(e) In the event that an individual’s unemployment is due to a natural disaster or state of emergency, there shall be no waiting period.
(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no waiting period shall be in effect from the date of enactment of this article through June 30, 2009.
History of Section.P.L. 1936, ch. 2333, § 7; P.L. 1937, ch. 2556, § 1; G.L. 1938, ch. 284, § 7; P.L. 1939, ch. 670, § 5; P.L. 1940, ch. 811, § 1; P.L. 1949, ch. 2175, § 1; P.L. 1950, ch. 2535, § 1; P.L. 1955, ch. 3425, § 1; P.L. 1956, ch. 3658, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 28-44-14; P.L. 1958, ch. 183, § 1; P.L. 1958 (s.s.), ch. 215, § 2; P.L. 1961, ch. 98, § 1; P.L. 1981, ch. 87, § 1; P.L. 1998, ch. 299, § 1; P.L. 1999, ch. 93, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 5, art. 5, § 1.

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