Here are questions and answers about unemployment benefits from the Kansas Department of Labor.

Q. What information do I need to file a new claim?

You will need:

• Social Security number.

• Mailing address, including ZIP code and P.O. Box if you use one, and telephone number.

• The name and mailing address of all your employers in the past 18 months, no matter how long you worked there.

• The date you began and stopped working for each employer, and the reason you left each job.

• The county in which you live.

• Driver’s license number.

• If you are not a citizen or national of the U.S., your employment authorization and expiration date.

• If you were in the military during the past two years, your DD-214, Copy No. 4.

• If you were a federal employee, your Standard Form SF-50 or Form SF-8.

Q. Should I file online or by phone?

A. Usually, it is much faster to file online. However, you must file by phone if you worked in a state other than Kansas in the past 18 months; you filed an unemployment claim in other state in the past 12 months; you were in the military service or a federal employee in the past 18 months.

Q. What happens after I file a new claim?

A. After you file, you will receive an “Unemployment Insurance Determination Letter” that will show the start date of your unemployment claim; your base period; the amount of wages paid by each employer; your weekly benefit amount; your total benefit amount.

Q. What important things should I remember?

A. Your unemployment claim is effective the week you file, not the week you became unemployed. Report any claim information changes (address, telephone number, etc.) to the Kansas Unemployment Call Center.