SECTION 240:10-1-2. Definitions

  The following words and terms, when used in this Chapter, shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Commuting distance" means an automobile driving distance of fifty (50) miles from a claimant's place of residence.

"Full-time work" means employment in thirty-two (32) or more hours of work per week.

"Good cause" means reasons beyond the control of the party seeking relief.

"Interested Party" means:

(A)   In an unemployment claim appeal - the Commission, a claimant who files a claim for unemployment benefits with the Commission, and any employer who properly files a written objection to the claim pursuant to 40 O.S. § 2-503 (E) and 2-507.

(B)   In an unemployment tax protest - the Commission and the employer with an account that is directly affected by a decision made by the Commission or its representative.

(C)   In a supplemental unemployment benefit plan appeal - the Commission, the employer that made application for approval of the plan, and the collective bargaining agent of the employees, if any exists.

"Leases" and "Rents" means a contract between an owner of a business, building, or property and a leasee, in which:

(A)   Space is leased, sublet, or rented for the purpose of operating or conducting a trade or business by the leasee;

(B)   The lease or rental fee is set at a fixed amount per month, that remains constant for the term of the lease, sublease, or rental contract; and

(C)   Is not based upon a percentage of income or revenue earned in the trade or business.

"Mail", "Mailed", and "Mailing", as used in 40 O.S. §1-224, shall mean the mailing of a document through the United States Postal Service or a private delivery service designated by the United States Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 26 U.S.C. §7502(f), as a delivery service that may deliver returns, claims, statements, or other documents to the Internal Revenue Service.

"Part-time work" means employment of less than thirty-two (32) hours of work in a week.

"Reasonable cash value" [40:1-218] means an amount estimated and determined by consideration of the position held, type of work performed, duration of the work, and customary compensation of like providers in like industries.

"Reemployment Services" means those services which provide job search assistance and job placement services, which are counseling, testing, and providing occupational and labor market information, assessment, job search workshops, job clubs and referrals to employers, and other similar services.

"RESEA" means Re-Employment Services and Eligibility Assessment.

"RESEA Selection" means:

(A)   A systematic computer generated process that:

(i)   Identifies those claimants most likely to exhaust regular compensation and will need job search assistance services to make a successful transition to new employment;

(ii)   Refers identified claimants to reemployment services; and

(iii)   Collects follow-up information relating to the services received.

(B)   Data elements which may be used in the identification process for RESEA selection are:

(i)   Recall status;

(ii)   Union hiring hall agreement;

(iii)   Education;

(iv)   Job tenure;

(v)   Industry;

(vi)   Occupation;

(vii)   Unemployment rate;

(viii)   Number of prior UI claims; and

(ix)   Maximum weekly benefit amount.

(C)   Data elements prohibited for usage in RESEA selection are:

(i)   Age;

(ii)   Race or ethnic group;

(iii)   Sex;

(iv)   Color;

(v)   National origin;

(vi)   Disability;

(vii)   Religion;

(viii)   Political affiliation; and

(ix)   Citizenship.

"Temporary Layoff" means a short term cessation of work or employment in which the employer maintains an attachment to an employee by means of a recall date. A temporary layoff may be requested by an employer for no more than eight (8) weeks in any benefit year. A request for a temporary layoff must be made by the employer to the Commission in writing and must include a specific recall date within eight (8) weeks of the cessation of work or employment. The employer may apply to the Commission for an extension of the recall date. The extension shall not exceed four (4) additional weeks in the benefit year.

"Temporary Layoff-Federal" means a short-term cessation of work or employment in cases involving a federal agency or federal contractor with employees who have agreed to refrain from seeking employment elsewhere as part of their terms of employment when work is ceased due to the needs of the federal government, and the federal employer or federal contractor maintains an attachment to an employee by means of its contract of employment. In these cases, a recall date will not be required. The provisions of 40 O.S. §2-105.1 on reimbursed pay or back pay shall apply to this type of temporary layoff.

"Wages"

(A)   "Gratuities" or "Tips" The employer shall include as wages all monies paid as gratuities or tips received by an individual in the course of his or her work pursuant to 40 O.S. Section 1-218 or, if actual information is not available, gratuities and tips shall be allocated to the employer in the amount of 8% of gross receipts.

(B)   "Noncash remuneration" Noncash remuneration means meals, lodging or any other payment in kind received by a worker from the employing unit in addition to or in lieu of cash payments for services except for meals and lodging that are furnished on the business premises of the employer for the convenience of the employer pursuant to 40 O.S. Section 1-218(6).

"Wages paid"

(A)   The term "wages paid", as defined in 40 O.S. Section 1-219, shall include both wages actually received by the worker and wages constructively paid. Wages shall be considered constructively paid when they are credited to the account of or set apart for a worker so that they may be drawn upon by the worker at any time although not then actually in the worker's possession. A mere crediting of the wages to the worker's account, without actually making them available to the worker so that they may be drawn upon by him/her at any time, does not constitute constructive payment.

(B)   In the case of an employer who terminates his/her coverage as of January 1st of some year, the term "wages paid" shall include all wages earned for all pay periods up to and including the last payroll period ending in that year, at the end of which, the employer's coverage is terminated.

(C)   "Wages paid" to the worker are to be reported in the calendar quarter in which they were actually paid.

"Week" For the purpose of paying benefits and for the purpose of this Chapter, a "week" as defined in 40 O.S. §1-220 shall consist of a calendar week which begins at 12:01 A.M. Sunday and ends at midnight the following Saturday.

"Working day" means:

(A)   For employers, any day the employer as open and conducting its regular business activities.

(B)   For claimants, any day the claimant's employer or former employer scheduled the claimant to work and the claimant was present and working at his or her assigned activities for part or all of the scheduled work hours for that day.

[Source: Amended at 8 Ok Reg 2301, eff 6-13-91; Amended at 9 Ok Reg 1969, eff 6-11-92; Amended at 9 Ok Reg 3763, eff 8-7-92 (emergency); Amended at 10 Ok Reg 1397, eff 4-26-93; Amended at 10 Ok Reg 1981, eff 5-27-93; Amended at 12 Ok Reg 37, eff 11-1-94 (emergency); Amended at 12 Ok Reg 1375, eff 5-26-95; Amended at 14 Ok Reg 2905, eff 7-11-97; Amended at 16 Ok Reg 1178 and 1181, eff 5-13-99; Amended at 17 Ok Reg 1595, eff 5-25-00; Amended at 18 Ok Reg 1114, eff 5-11-01; Amended at 24 Ok Reg 1233, eff 5-25-07; Amended at 25 Ok Reg 1623, eff 6-12-08; Amended at 27 Ok Reg 821, eff 5-1-10; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 1055, eff 6-15-11; Amended at 29 Ok Reg 459, eff 5-15-12; Amended at 30 Ok Reg 484, eff 5-15-13; Amended at 31 Ok Reg 1239, eff 9-12-14; Amended at 32 Ok Reg 1738, eff 9-11-15; Amended at 36 Ok Reg 842, eff 7-25-19; Amended at 37 Ok Reg 1223, eff 9-11-20]