Can you collect unemployment while attending a class such as a graduate
level college class that is one or two nights a week ?

I'm not clear on what you're asking. Your question could be read several different ways.

What are you doing during the day?

It's a hypothetical question, I have not yet been laid off and am not enrolled
in any classes currently. There's a good chance I will be laid off however, so I am wondering about things and what my options might be.

I recall that if you are attending school you can't collect unemployment,
however I wasn't sure the details on that. Some people take classes at night
and work. So you could be looking for a job while taking a class so that if you got hired you'd have time to work. You'd have to only take 1 class
perhaps, or have a light enough course load so that you could do that effectively. I'd just like to get an idea of what the law is in regards to collecting unemployment related to that.

Sorry, but it's next to impossible to gauge what would happen in case of a hypothetical. In SOME cases you can collect unemployment while going to school. In SOME cases you cannot. It is too situation specific and would depend on far too many variable factors to give you any kind of an accurate guess.

Don't they have guidelines ? I thought there was something about
attending school in some set of guidelines.

Whether or not I disqualify myself for unemployment by signing up for a class may be something I'd like to know about before I decide what to do.

Should I look at how the law is worded, visit a particular web site, or call someone ?

You can call the UI board. But it's unlikely they'll give you a hard and fast answer either.

Attending school may effect your eligibility. You should check with the Deparmtment of Employment and Training in MA, as attending certain approved schools for training may actually extend your eligibility.

http://www.detma.org/WSUISection30.htm

You should also review the required Work Search Activities and undertand their relationship to the program you choose.

http://www.detma.org/Worksearch.htm

Remember, you can engage in temporary work while remaining eligible for UI, but there are rules on this.

http://www.detma.org/WSUItempwork.htm

Hope that gets you started.

Phil

Thanks,

I can elaborate a little, as I said I am likely to be laid off soon.
I have looked into a state university for takeing graduate level classes
in the same field as I have an undergraduate degree. I can take up to 4 graduate level classes without having to formally enroll in the graduate
degree program for a masters degree. This would be my first graduate level class. I doubt I could make the case that I need the training to be employable, though it would help me get better jobs etc.

If the rules say you can't attend school while collecting unemployment, I'm not sure if that means attending full time during the day, but leaves you possibly open for a night class, particularly just one class ?

Hate to do this. But, unfortunately we can't give you legal advice here. This is merely an open discussion board.

If you need reliable advice about whether you can take a class without jeopardizing your UI eligibility, you'll need to speak with an attorney and possibly DET. At that point, of course, you'll discuss in great detail the class you're thinking of, your UI eligibility, as well as all the regulations that surround both - all the things you'd need to consider before making a such a decision. Much more than just the unreliable short-hand discussions on this board.

And, even though I am an employment attorney, please see the language below my signature, so you'll understand the restrictions on what we share here.

Wish I had better news for you at this point, but that's all the law allows us to do. And we're stuck with it.

Good luck.

Phil

And I think I said several posts ago that you'd have to go to the DET.

Any answers you might get here are based purely on supposition and are not binding on the DET.

Surfdom,

It's somewhat frustrating, I know. But unfortunately, that's as far as we can go in posts we put on an internet bulletin board.