Case Information

*1 OFFICE OFTHEATTORNEY QENERALOFTRXAS AUSTIN l- Go MANN ,-ou-

::

Ron. ClautIe A. Wlliama chairman end Exeoutlve Director

I Texas Unem*loynmat Gompeosmtlon Wmmlsaion

BmtmnB--g , Texas

Dear sirt

.

reading as

pfiylbent of aaT s6rler of in, he hes been tot- or ing period of oae week. Ho ing pmlod week for the "*(I) unless he has registei'ed at an employnkt office in aocord~ce, with see. c(a) or this Act; e*(2) unless it is the w6e&$mmd.iate~ preceding Or SollowIng th@~~ili.n&Oi tm ioithl the reek immediately claim, as the ~oma;Lealon may by regulat2oq@rseorlbe~ *2 3’73,: xwa. ol,au&e A. wirriauu5, page & "

"'(3) if benefits have been paid with resprot thareto.' *Bemeflte am paid with rerpeat to .b?nafit pWlo6s i aooording to the terms of Seotlon 8 (Seotlon 1, ytlo$o 622lb, V.R. C. S.), auoh benefit periods oonslet%ng bi fourtesn Bays eaah. So&ion 6(a) (krtiole 52Elb, Se&ion 4(a) V. R. C. 3.) prwidee that:

.**Claims for benefits 6hall be arada in aaoodumm with au8h regalatlone a8 the Commission aafr prmoribd,’ *Your adrlee 18 requested upon the following questfoal -'Way the Conrnission by regulation prasorlbe that the waiting period of one weak ahall.be the week lmm&diat&y fol- lbwing the filing of an iriitlal ola&m and that'beneiitr my -: be paid for the benefit period of two realm fameiHatel$ following the fiH.ng of tha inltfal o&aim, aasrrrlng'that tb8 inairiduai appl+g ror suoh beneffte f6 .othwwi80 allglbke and that looper appliaatLon 14 made. Baaatlta *annot hate been paid far a beaefit pariod uadar w'?ir- oumstaaeee until several days aitdy the arplratlon of'tho' rourtean days aampriainp, auoh banaflt period. The first initial alalm fllad ,bg an tndiridual is not oompailabli.*

You request the opinion or this departmant &on the oamtruotlon'oi' Nwaiting perlodN or *walttag period mak*, aa 01atl in i3ubleOtlOn e of Seation 4 of the Twx~r UnamplcmmMi donpensatioa Aot (Art&ale S821bLb, t. R. 0. S.), and the authorit3r of the Commlsalon t+aalte oertain 9Powaed regulations with reference thereto is Hated eubstantfally aa ~fOiloWar

:' (1) May the CommiseLon by rsgulatlcm fleseiba that she *w&%ti&g parfod* or ,*waltlng+arioU week", i&uaad in the l tatukr, be the week ltmealately following the filfng of a@ tnftiai. olaim and begin aying benefits for the flrnt benefit puioa or two weeka 1Kmle lately rm0ting~ the filing of thhe a:

Initial ala&m.

Year inquiry aamums that the assplogea doem not labor andam any other diequaliiiaatlon for reoeiving benefita prori&xl for in atatuta. The oonolu@Son ie have reaohad a8 herallnaftsr expressed is based upon careful aonaidaration and research. In reachin{; a oonplasion rrpon tha Wniadiate *3 iA; Bon. Cl.audo 4. Williams, page 3

quoetlon her0 OonSibereb, it is irportaut to note what we think may be generallJr aooepted aa the purpose of a Waiting period", whioh~ varier somewhat In length of time in the

various atates. Our statute prasorlbes the shortest 'Wait- ing period”, one week, that has oome under our observation in our examination of 8lmilar provislone in other statea.

The waiting period we think, 8erves three purpes0a: (1) it prWent.6 rapid depletion Of the unsaploymant fund by L- there out Of rork for only a few,,d8ja; (8) it affords the uamplomaut agenoy an opportunity to find the applloant a Job; aad (a) &t gives the admlnletratfV0 aganoy time to ap- pr8&8e the merits of the fuuployee's ala. Our stat&0 ~pl'o- fide8 t&at the *waiting parlod week” be the week &m6cliatelJ prseedin(5 or the w0ekinnediatol~ folloning filln of the *Iaim, a8 the Comrnleslon may by regulation pxesar be. lie P

therefore observe that by the elpreas lanya&e of the rta- tuto the Rmmlaslon Is authorfxed k, fix the waiting puiod a8 the week immedlat01~ preaedlng or Immediately iollowing the iiliag of the initial claim. If the Conuztissioon by rogul+ tiaa fixer the walting period as the week ~$nunedfateLy folllawlng $he ii.lin(r of a alai.@ lmtead of &nmedlatel~ preoedl.&Q the Clling of tie olaim, euoh a regulation Is inour view legal and Jrutlfi~ bF the express langmade of statute.

Obvl0arly a more dirfi0tit &0stion~arire8 a8 bd &ther the Comairsiot. may bv reealatlon preiraribe that the iir8t bonsrtt’period or two weeks bogln imu0dlatol~ upon the flZiaQ of a beastit oleim. It la true that our stdute pro- +Id08..aolati for benefit8 ohall be mad,0 in ace~ord&¶U~ with auohregulatioas as'the Commisaien mCy 0eoslb0," but obfiou8lr qu0h regulation6 mn8t be oonslrtent wit and not omnter to the r

,8tatute, I? ,we 8hould hold that the ffamnlsslq~ i3ay by rqnla- tion begin eta pay benefits immediately upon the filing of a ola$m, aa0umin~ that the cOmmisei0n has by rs(lu.lation 6esr&- mated the *waiting perioaN or vwaitlag period week” as the wok mdlately following the filing of a olaIm, we would in effeot hold that the *waiting period w0ek* is oompensable.

TO 80 hold maid, in our opinion, render meaningless =a

wele8r the providon of the statute poviaing for a Waiting period waokv. 0r *waiting period". A rule 0r statutory oon- 8tXuotiOn too WQU recognized to require oitation of extended authority la that it muat be asasunrod that the bBgialatur0

f6an. &laude A. Wllliaw?, page 4 meant to give effeot and meaning to all word8 wgd In the sta- tute eonaiatent uith the purpose to be aeoompllshed by the

Banks v. State, 28 Texas 644; IPiaaouri-;;msw, Texas 'B,. i. OO.'V. 2hOIzOson, 260 3. 'S. 325; HSil v. State 114 s. ‘;Y.

It?,.; mmuerson v. u. 3. Fidelity B Guaranty Co., 10's. n. (2a) 36 thirlk, a8 used id OUT Ilttrhtute, that the leglelature 8?14* me@ to prosorlbe a waitlnr period 8s a prere~ulelte for obtaining b enof ltd. To make the benefit period oompenseble would be lnconslstsnt with this oonoluaion.

z!l?am the standpoint or ame lo&2 it 4een4 lnanif44t~

that a waiting period dellnltely L plies or carries tith it 'bhe thought of waiting for something, which oould othewrr

be obtained wer4 lt not forthe waiting ,perloU. In other Ma, ff the waiting period 1s aompenrable, there 1s nothing for the employee to wait, for, atfl fo'make it oompensable by rag'ulatlon would in effeot null fy the provlslon of the eta- tiute rhloh bapoaee the wait&g ptylc.4 ar a period during whluh the alalma&, even though otherwire eligible, must wait a given period of hwsa before reosivlng any QaJments.

We are net u&lndful of the amendment to Sebtlon 4, prosorlblng benerit eliglbill~ oondltlons or the orlglnel kot 88 it prevailed up to 1939, from whioh tlms the present provision8 of Sect. 4 have been ln effeot, and we have eon- ~ifdered th6 original, eat as amended and as it now 1s in dfeat with a risw of determining the effeot of thy ~m4ndpaent upon the pile&ion hors oonsldered. The original aot prssorlbed a two wsek waiting period instead of a 6ae week waitingperiod a8 the present aet pravldee, but we are umbla to find that Wait- lag perlod" or Valtlng period week*, 6s used Ln oflginal act end as used lnthe emennbed not, carries wlth It any lndloa- tion that the waiting period, whether oonsldersd in the light of the original eot or the smended set, 1s meant to be compensable. pfe think It &ear that the .waltFng period Is the period of t&no during vhloh no money payments of unemployment benefltr oan be made. It ie diatinguiehed from the benefit perlod, whioh ia a period of time dllring wfifoh ~payments of benefits oan be sade.

We think both acta, the original and the amended, ol.aarly set forth a period of time when noney paymexte oan be made, and alao the period known as the "waiting period", and no suah waiting period could possibly overlap into the time raaerved tar making mi18y paymenta,

: There is a dearth or judiQla1 lnterpretatioa oi the wrm Wafting period- or *waiting period week* aa used in the ~ioue uuemploymmt compensatfori sots, but our investigation &rs revealed that departmental aonatruction of the verlous administrative agencies tbrou&out the country administering the eat invariably oonatrued the waiting period as nomom- pensable, and we are not able to oonstrue our statute &it- ia.ntlY.

It therefore follows that it i8 our view that the vexa@ Unemployment coapenration Oomuission may by regulation prclsoribe the waiting period as the neek ImediatsLy roZlowing the filing or an innitlal olaia, but that benefits cannot be paid for said w?ek, Or in other worda, the Comr~iesion eaanot bq+n to pay benefits until the olaimfmt has served the pro- repuielte ,~ltln& period week", which bannet overlap aq part of the benefit period,