September 19, 2017
On the last day of March 2017, President Donald Trump signed legislation that will grant states more leeway to drug test unemployment insurance applicants for benefit eligibility and job readiness.
Historically, states haven’t drug tested people seeking unemployment benefits because the Social Security Act (SSA) hasn’t allow agencies to restrict factors that are not related to the “fact or cause” of a worker’s unemployment. Many lawmakers have been seeking to allow states to drug test applicants as a condition of receiving unemployment compensation (UC) benefits.
In 2012 an amendment to the SSA allowed states to drug test unemployment compensation applicants as a condition of eligibility in the following limited circumstances:
Then in 2016, a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) rule narrowly defined the “occupations” for which drug testing was permitted as those for which testing is required by federal or state law. That DOL ruling allowed drug testing for:
On March 31, 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed legislation to nullify the 2016 U.S. Department of Labor rule that narrowly limited the circumstances under which drug testing may be carried out by states in administering their unemployment insurance systems.
This most recent legislation now expands those DOL regulations so that all states are cleared to explicitly deny unemployment insurance benefits to applicants who lost their job due to illegal drug use, and establish a state’s ability to conduct a drug testing program as a condition of eligibility. As of now, 20 states deny unemployment insurance benefits to applicants who lost their job due to illegal drug use.
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We first started using First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program when we were a small startup nonprofit. We didn’t have an HR department and needed expertise in the event that an unemployment claim was made. We knew we were eligible to be a reimbursing employer, but weren’t sure how to navigate that process. They made it easy to set things up, plan for, and then manage claims when they came at a very reasonable cost. The amount of time and stress they’ve saved us dealing with all this has been worth way more than the cost. We’ve now grown to a large nonprofit and do have an HR department but have no plans to stop using their services. I highly recommend them to every nonprofit I come into contact with!
Throughout our membership in the Unemployment Savings Program, First Nonprofit understood our demands, community dynamics, and the importance of seamless services; that allowed us to serve our constituents better.
Because INCS advocates for the operating conditions that allow charter public schools to provide high quality public education, partnering with First Nonprofit was an easy decision. First Nonprofit’s unemployment programs provide our member schools two operating elements crucial to their ability to provide high quality public education: savings and budget certainty. Capable, committed teachers are the key to student success. By participating in the unemployment insurance savings plan, charter public schools gain peace of mind and are able to invest more money in their teachers.
It has been our sincere pleasure to maintain a strong, vibrant business partnership with First Nonprofit. We greatly admire their strong industry knowledge, technical expertise, constant professionalism, knowledgeable and dedicated staff. They are always extremely responsive, personable and provide us with the necessary guidance and recommendations on a numerous variety of employment scenarios.
NYCON members who use First Nonprofit’s programs enjoy enduring savings and improved efficiency. Our association knows that success, because from the beginning, we achieved the same great benefits. Great savings, seamless technology, and responsive service. NYCON highly recommends First Nonprofit’s remarkable unemployment solutions.
Visually Impaired Preschool Services has been a client of First Non-Profit since it was first offered as a benefit of VisionServe Alliance. We completed a thorough evaluation of cash savings to our agency before taking advantage of this wonderful benefit and it has been a very wise decision. Our experience with the processes from accounting to claims have been professional, expeditious and easy.
Luckily for us, our interactions regarding any issues with staffing has been very minimal! I can say that all other interactions with regards to billing, 941 reporting, etc. have been extremely pleasant, accommodating and easy to work with. Kim Ghanayem is always prompt, professional and friendly. Thank you so much!
First Nonprofit has been easy to work with and makes the administrative process easier and smoother. We enjoy working with you.