This section shall govern the Agency in its administrative cooperation with other states adopting a similar rule or regulation for the payment of benefits to interstate claimants, any provision of any other rule to the contrary notwithstanding.
  (1) Definitions. As used in this section, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
    (A) Agent state--Any state from which or through which an individual files a claim for benefits from another state.
    (B) Benefits--The compensation payable to an individual with respect to the individual's unemployment, under the unemployment insurance law of any state.
    (C) Interstate benefit payment plan--The plan approved by the Interstate Conference of Employment Security Agencies under which benefits shall be payable to unemployed individuals absent from the state (or states) in which benefit credits have been accumulated.
    (D) Interstate claimant--An individual who claims benefits under the unemployment insurance law of one or more liable states through the facilities of an agent state, or directly with the liable state. The term "interstate claimant" shall not include any individual who customarily commutes from a residence in an agent state to work in a liable state unless the Agency finds that this exclusion would create undue hardship on the claimants in specified areas.
    (E) Liable state--Any state against which an individual files, through another state, a claim for benefits.
    (F) State--Includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
    (G) Week of unemployment--Includes any week of unemployment as defined in the law of the liable state from which benefits with respect to the week are claimed.
  (2) Registration for work.
    (A) The agent state shall register for work each claimant who files through the agent state, or upon notification of a claim filed directly with the liable state, as required by the law, regulations, and procedures of the agent state. The registration shall be accepted as meeting the registration requirements of the liable state.
    (B) Each agent state shall duly report, to the liable state in question, each interstate claimant who fails to meet the registration/re-employment assistance reporting requirements of the agent state.
  (3) Benefit rights of interstate claimants.
    (A) If a claimant files a claim against any state, and it is determined by the state that the claimant has available benefit credits in the state, then claims shall be filed only against the state as long as benefit credits are available in that state. Thereafter, the claimant may file claims against any other state in which there are available benefit credits.
    (B) For the purposes of this section, benefit credits shall be deemed to be unavailable whenever benefits have been exhausted, terminated, or postponed for an indefinite period or for the entire period in which benefits would otherwise be payable, or whenever benefits are affected by the applications of a seasonal restriction.
  (4) Claims for benefits.
    (A) Claims for benefits or waiting-period credit filed by an interstate claimant directly with the liable state shall be filed in accordance with the liable state's procedures. Claims shall be filed in accordance with the type of week in use in the agent state. Any adjustments required to fit the type of week used by the liable state shall be made by the liable state on the basis of consecutive claims filed.
    (B) Claims shall be filed in accordance with the agent state's regulations for intrastate claims in the local employment offices, affiliated sites, one-stop centers, or at an itinerant service point or by mail, common carrier or by other means, including telephonic or electronic means, as the Agency may approve.
      (i) With respect to claims for weeks of unemployment in which an individual was not working for the individual's regular employer, the liable state shall, under circumstances which it considers good cause, accept a continued claim filed up to one week or one reporting period late. If a claimant files more than one reporting period late, an initial interstate claim shall be used to begin a claim series, and no continued claim for a past period shall be accepted.
      (ii) With respect to weeks of unemployment during which an individual is attached to the individual's regular employer, the liable state shall accept any claim which is filed within the time limit applicable to the claims under the law of the agent state.
  (5) Determination of claims.
    (A) The agent state shall, in connection with each claim filed by an interstate claimant, ascertain and report to the liable state in question the facts relating to the claimant's availability for work and eligibility for benefits as are readily determinable in and by the agent state.
    (B) The agent state's responsibility and authority in connection with the determination of interstate claims shall be limited to investigation and reporting of relevant facts and the reporting of relevant facts pertaining to each claimant's failure to register for work or report for re-employment assistance as required by the agent state. The agent state shall not refuse to take an interstate claim.
  (6) Appellate procedure.
    (A) The agent state shall afford all reasonable cooperation in the taking of evidence and the holding of hearings in connection with appealed interstate benefit claims.
    (B) With respect to the time limits imposed by the law of a liable state other than Texas, upon the filing of an appeal in connection with a disputed claim, whether or not the appeal is timely shall be determined by the liable state by reference to that state's law, regulations, or policies and practices. In interstate appeals in which Texas is the liable state, whether or not the appeal is timely shall be determined by reference to relevant provisions of the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act and current Agency policies and precedent decisions applicable to intrastate appeals.
    (C) The liable state shall conduct hearings in connection with appealed interstate benefit claims. The liable state may contact the agent state for assistance in special circumstances.
  (7) Canadian claims. This section shall apply in all its provisions to claims taken in and for Canada.
  (8) Notification of interstate claim. The liable state shall notify the agent state of each initial claim, reopened file, claim transferred to interstate status, and each week claim filed from the agent state using uniform procedures and record format pursuant to the Interstate Benefit Payment Plan.

Source Note: The provisions of this §815.21 adopted to be effective November 6, 2000, 25 TexReg 11093