State Unemployment Benefits in Arkansas
The Arkansas Division of Reemployment, a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce, administers unemployment insurance. Arkansas publishes no procedure for a deceased claimant's final payment — neither the Division of Workforce Services Law nor the January 2026 UI Handbook addresses death — so a survivor or the estate should contact the UI Service Center directly.
Administering agency
Arkansas Division of Reemployment — Unemployment Insurance
Authority
Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-101 et seq. (Division of Workforce Services Law)
State Unemployment Benefits in Arkansas: key facts
- Administering agency
- Arkansas Division of Reemployment (Arkansas Department of Commerce), Unemployment Insurance. Claimant information is still published on the Division of Workforce Services site.
- Claimant portals
- Initial claims at ezarc.adws.arkansas.gov; weekly certifications via Arkansas LAUNCH (launch.arkansas.gov) or ArkLine at 501-907-2590.
- Phone
- UI Service Center 1-844-908-2178, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Benefit weeks
- A claimant must certify each week of unemployment. For UI purposes, weeks begin on Sunday and end on Saturday.
- After a death
- Arkansas does not publish a deceased-claimant procedure. Contact the UI Service Center at 1-844-908-2178 to report the death, stop payments, and ask what, if anything, is owed for weeks certified before death.
- Claim privacy
- The agency's published position is that "due to the Privacy Act, we cannot discuss your claim with anyone but you. This includes family members." A survivor should expect to establish authority over the claimant's affairs before the agency will discuss the claim.
- Benefits cannot be assigned
- Except as the chapter itself provides, any assignment, pledge, or encumbrance of a right to unemployment benefits is void (Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-109(a)), so a survivor cannot simply take over a claim; the agency decides what is payable.
Governing law: Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-101 et seq. (Division of Workforce Services Law)
Steps to take when someone dies
- Contact the Arkansas Division of Reemployment UI Service Center at 1-844-908-2178 to report the claimant's death so benefit payments stop.
- Ask the agency what, if anything, is payable for weeks the claimant certified before death, and what documentation a survivor or the estate must provide — Arkansas publishes no standing rule, so the answer comes from the agency.
- Do not attempt to certify weeks or take over the claim on the deceased's behalf; a right to benefits cannot be assigned (Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-109(a)).
Arkansas Division of Reemployment — Unemployment Insurance
Phone: 1-844-908-2178
Visit the agency website →Frequently asked questions
The Arkansas Division of Reemployment, a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce, administers unemployment insurance; its claimant information is still published on the Division of Workforce Services site. Initial claims are filed at ezarc.adws.arkansas.gov, weekly certifications go through Arkansas LAUNCH at launch.arkansas.gov or ArkLine at 501-907-2590, and the UI Service Center is reachable at 1-844-908-2178, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Arkansas publishes no rule on this. The Division of Workforce Services Law has no survivor-payment provision, and the state's UI Handbook does not address a claimant's death. Report the death to the UI Service Center at 1-844-908-2178 so payments stop, and ask what, if anything, is payable for weeks certified before death. A right to benefits cannot be assigned, so a survivor cannot continue the claim.
Sources
Data sourced from State Unemployment Benefits in Arkansas primary sources (5 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
Arkansas Division of Reemployment — Unemployment Insurance
Authority
Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-101 et seq. (Division of Workforce Services Law)