(A) All benefits shall be paid through public employment offices in accordance with such rules as the director of job and family services prescribes.

(B) With the exceptions in division (B)(4) of this section, benefits are payable to each eligible and qualified individual on account of each week of involuntary total unemployment after the specified waiting period at the weekly benefit amount determined by:

(1) Computing the individual's average weekly wage as defined in division (O)(2) of section 4141.01 of the Revised Code;

(2) Determining the individual's dependency class under division (E) of this section;

(3) Computing the individual's weekly benefit amount to be fifty per cent of the individual's average weekly wage except, that the individual's weekly benefit amount shall not exceed the maximum amount shown for the individual's dependency class in the following table:

Maximum Weekly

Dependency Class

Benefit Amount

A

$147

B

223

C

233

Effective Sunday of the calendar week in which January 1, 1988, occurs and on each similar day of each year thereafter, the current maximum weekly benefit amount for each dependency class shall be adjusted based on the statewide average weekly wage. Any percentage increase in such statewide average weekly wage between the wage computed for the current year and the wage computed for the preceding year shall be used to increase the maximum amounts then in effect by the same percentage. Such increased amounts will be effective with respect to applications for benefit rights filed during the fifty-two consecutive calendar weeks beginning with such Sunday date.

The director shall calculate the statewide average weekly wage based on the average weekly earnings of all workers in employment subject to this chapter during the preceding twelve-month period ending the thirtieth day of June. The calculation shall be made in the following manner:

(a) The sum of the total monthly employment reported for the previous twelve-month period shall be divided by twelve to determine the average monthly employment;

(b) The sum of the total wages reported for the previous twelve-month period shall be divided by the average monthly employment to determine the average annual wage;

(c) The average annual wage shall be divided by fifty-two to determine the statewide average weekly wage.

In the computation of the weekly benefit amount, any resulting amount not a multiple of one dollar shall be rounded to the next lower multiple of one dollar. In the computation of the adjusted maximum benefit amounts, based on the statewide average weekly wage, any resulting amount not a multiple of one dollar shall be rounded to the next lower multiple of one dollar.

(4) Effective Sunday of the calendar week in which January 1, occurs for calendar years 1988 through 1993, the maximum weekly benefit amount payable for an individual's dependency class for those years shall be computed in accordance with this division, with an additional increase added to the prior year's increase equal to one-sixth of total percentage increase that otherwise would have been available in calendar years 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987, if in those years an adjustment in the maximum weekly benefit amount would have been made pursuant to this division.

(5) Effective Sunday of the calendar week in which January 1, 1991, occurs, the maximum weekly benefit amounts computed under divisions (B)(3) and (4) of this section shall not exceed the following amounts:

(a) For dependency class A, fifty per cent of the statewide average weekly wage;

(b) For dependency class B, sixty per cent of the statewide average weekly wage;

(c) For dependency class C, sixty-six and two-thirds per cent of the statewide average weekly wage.

Division (B)(5) of this section applies to all new claims filed on and after the Sunday of the calendar week in which January 1, 1991, occurs, provided that the maximum weekly benefit amounts established for the dependency classes prior to such date apply to all claims until the maximum weekly benefit amounts as determined pursuant to division (B)(5) of this section equal or exceed the maximum weekly benefit amounts in effect prior to such date.

(6) For the time period beginning on January 1, 2018, and ending January 1, 2020, no individual's weekly benefit amount shall exceed the maximum weekly benefit amounts in effect on the effective date of this section.

(C) Benefits are payable to each partially unemployed individual otherwise eligible on account of each week of involuntary partial unemployment after the specified waiting period in an amount equal to the individual's weekly benefit amount less that part of the remuneration payable to the individual with respect to such week which is in excess of twenty per cent of the individual's weekly benefit amount, and the resulting amount rounded to the next lower multiple of one dollar.

(D) The total benefits to which an individual is entitled in any benefit year, whether for partial or total unemployment, or both, shall not exceed the lesser of the following two amounts: (1) an amount equal to twenty-six times the individual's weekly benefit amount determined in accordance with division (B) of this section and this division, or (2) an amount computed by taking the sum of twenty times the individual's weekly benefit amount for the first twenty base period qualifying weeks plus one times the weekly benefit amount for each additional qualifying week beyond the first twenty qualifying weeks in the individual's base period.

(E) Each eligible and qualified individual shall be assigned a dependency class in accordance with the following schedule:

Class

Description of Dependents

A

No dependents, or has insufficient wages to qualify for more than the maximum weekly benefit amount as provided under dependency class A

B

One or two dependents

C

Three or more dependents

As used in this division "dependent" means:

(1) Any natural child, stepchild, or adopted child of the individual claiming benefits for whom such individual at the beginning of the individual's current benefit year is supplying and for at least ninety consecutive days, or for the duration of the parental relationship if it existed less than ninety days, immediately preceding the beginning of such benefit year, has supplied more than one-half of the cost of support and if such child on the beginning date of such benefit year was under eighteen years of age, or if unable to work because of permanent physical or mental disability;

(2) The legally married wife or husband of the individual claiming benefits for whom more than one-half the cost of support has been supplied by such individual for at least ninety consecutive days, or for the duration of the marital relationship if it has existed for less than ninety days, immediately preceding the beginning of such individual's current benefit year and such wife or husband was living with such individual and had an average weekly income, in such period, not in excess of twenty-five per cent of the claimant's average weekly wage.

(3) If both the husband and wife qualify for benefit rights with overlapping benefit years, only one of them may qualify for a dependency class other than A.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 235, §1, eff. 3/28/2017.

Effective Date: 07-01-2000 .