The number of first unemployment insurance (UI) checks issued to claimants during their benefit year.
The Unemployment Insurance (UI) program provides unemployment benefits to eligible workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own, and meet certain other eligibility requirements.
A recipient’s benefit year is the one-year period during which she or he can claim benefits. In states with a variable benefit year (different beginning and ending dates across claimants), most claimants are issued only one first payment during a calendar year. In states with a uniform benefit year (the same beginning and ending dates for all claimants), it is possible for a relatively few claimants to be issued two first payments during a calendar year.