Meaning of Exhaustee and Claimant in Unemployment

What is the meaning of exhaustee?

The word “Exhaustee” is a person has fully use their unemployment benefits. The unemployed person has received the maximum amount of unemployment benefits available to them.

In order to be eligible for the unemployment benefits, the exhaustee must have applied for and received any other benefits they may have been entitled to, including benefits for their dependents, former armed forces personnel, and federal civilian employees. Unemployment law provides exceptions for an exhaustee who did not receive their other benefits because they failed to consider certain income in their eligibility determinations.

In short, an exhaustee must explore all their other benefits options before they apply for unemployment benefits. This is so the unemployment benefits eligibility can be calculated, taking into account all of the exhaustee’s income sources. For further questions, please contact our employment attorney for companies, HR, and employers for a free consultation.

What is the difference between an exhaustee and claimant in unemployment?

Exhaustee vs claimant in the context of a worker applying for unemployment benefits, the applicant is called the “claimant.”  In other words, the claimant is the person who is applying for unemployment benefits. For example, if John is applying for unemployment benefits, John is the claimant for unemployment benefits. When EDD asks you, “Who is the claimant?” You would reply that John is the claimant. When John starts receiving unemployment money for six months, the money will be exhausted, and John will be known as the exhaustee. John, an exhaustee, has used and or exhausted his entitlement to unemployment money. Once a person has exhausted their benefits, they might no longer receive further money payments.