Oregon Statutes - Chapter 657 - Unemployment Insurance - Section 657.158 - Self-employment assistance; eligibility; amounts payable; rules.

(1) As used in this section:

(a) “Regular benefits” means benefits payable to an individual under this chapter, including benefits payable to federal civilian employees and to ex-servicemembers under 5 U.S.C. chapter 85, but not including additional benefits or extended benefits payable under ORS 657.321 to 657.329 or 657.331 to 657.334.

(b) “Self-employment assistance activities” means activities approved by the Director of the Employment Department in which individuals, identified under ORS 657.156 as likely to exhaust benefits, participate for the purpose of enabling those individuals to establish a business and become self-employed. “Self-employment assistance activities” includes, but is not limited to, entrepreneurial training, business counseling and technical assistance.

(c) “Self-employment assistance allowance” means an amount, payable in lieu of regular benefits under this chapter, to an individual participating in self-employment assistance activities in accordance with this section. Self-employment assistance allowance amounts shall be paid from the Unemployment Compensation Benefit Fund.

(2) The weekly amount of the self-employment assistance allowance payable to an individual is equal to the weekly regular benefit amount. The sum of the self-employed assistance allowance paid under this section and the regular benefits paid under this chapter with respect to any benefit year shall not exceed the maximum benefit amount payable under ORS 657.150 (5) with respect to that benefit year.

(3) The self-employment assistance allowance shall be payable to an individual at the same intervals and on the same terms and conditions as regular benefits under this chapter except that:

(a) The provisions of this chapter regarding being available for work, actively seeking work and refusing to accept suitable work are not applicable to such an individual.

(b) The provisions of ORS 657.150 (6) relating to remuneration for services performed are not applicable to income earned from self-employment by such an individual.

(c) An individual participating in self-employment assistance activities shall be considered to be unemployed under ORS 657.100.

(d) An individual who fails to participate in self-employment assistance activities or who fails actively to engage on a full-time basis in establishing a business and becoming self-employed is ineligible to receive the self-employment assistance allowance for each week in which such failure occurs.

(4) The number of individuals receiving the self-employment assistance allowance at any time shall not exceed five percent of the number of individuals receiving regular benefits.

(5) The self-employment assistance allowance shall be charged to employers in the manner provided in this chapter for the charging of regular benefits.

(6) In adopting rules to carry out the provisions of this section, the director, insofar as practicable, shall comply with rules and policies of the United States Department of Labor.

(7) The provisions of this section apply to weeks beginning after the date of enactment of federal law authorizing this section or the date of any required plan adopted by the United States Department of Labor, whichever date is later. The authority under this section terminates at the end of the week preceding the date when federal law no longer authorizes this section, unless that date is on a Saturday in which case the authority terminates on that date. [1995 c.193 §3]

Note: 657.158 was added to and made a part of ORS chapter 657 by legislative action but was not added to any smaller series therein. See Preface to Oregon Revised Statutes for further explanation.

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Last modified: August 7, 2008