As we’ve worked with various state teams, we’ve observed that many states want to improve the questions on their initial application for unemployment insurance (UI). Members of state teams have let us know that, in many cases, claimants have difficulty understanding the questions as they’re currently written and that the application process would benefit from the introduction of plainer-language questions.
Based on our work with New Jersey, Rhode Island, and other states, we’ve developed the Plain Language Question Bank, a collection of questions commonly included in the initial application for unemployment insurance, written in plain language. This resource is intended to serve as inspiration for state teams who are reexamining their initial applications and doesn’t necessarily include every possible application question; instead, it’s meant to serve as a model for how to write clearer, more approachable questions. Download the complete question bank here.
In this resource
Examples of improved application questions: A collection of common application questions that claimants often find confusing or challenging with before and after versions rephrased using plain language principles.
Plain language principles: Plain language principles we’ve followed with explanations.
Please note that the U.S. Department of Labor’s engagement with the development of this resource was limited to making plain language and content strategy best practices. Any state UI agency wishing to use language contained in this question bank retains full responsibility to ensuring the accuracy and legal sufficiency of any provisions and instructions issued.