State Unemployment Benefits in Minnesota

A claimant's death is reported to DEED Unemployment Insurance by phone, which stops benefit payments.^{1, 2}

DEED determines any final payment owed for eligible weeks before the date of death.²

Under Minn. Stat. 268.087, unemployment benefits due and payable at the time of the applicant's death are paid, upon application, to the personal representative of the estate or, if none is appointed, to the surviving spouse, then child or children, then parent or parents.³

Minn. Stat. 268.087 gives the personal representative of the estate first priority. If none is appointed, the payment goes in order to the surviving spouse, then surviving child or children, then surviving parent or parents.³

Once the payment is made to one eligible claimant, the obligation is discharged.³

The claimant completes the application prescribed by the commissioner of DEED. Minn. Stat. 268.087 specifies no additional documents beyond the commissioner's form.³

Unemployment Insurance information and services are at ui.mn.gov; the website address changed from uimn.org.⁴