2019 Wyoming Statutes
Title 27 - Labor and Employment
Chapter 3 - Unemployment Compensation
Article 1 - In General
Section 27-3-102 - Definitions Generally.

27-3-102. Definitions generally.

(a) As used in this act:

(i) "Base period" means the first four (4) of the last five (5) completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of an individual's benefit year or any other twelve (12) month period specified by commission regulation. A calendar quarter used in one (1) base period of a valid claim shall not be used in a subsequent base period. If a combined wage claim under W.S. 27-3-608, the base period is as provided under law of the paying state;

(ii) "Benefit" means a payment to an individual for unemployment under this act;

(iii) "Benefit year" means:

(A) The fifty-two (52) consecutive calendar week period beginning the first week of a claim series established by the filing of a valid initial claim for benefits following the termination of any previously established benefit year; or

(B) The fifty-three (53) consecutive calendar week period beginning the first week of a claim series if filing a new valid claim results in the overlapping of any quarter of the base period of a previously filed claim; or

(C) If a combined wage claim under W.S. 27-3-608, the benefit year is as provided under law of the paying state.

(iv) "Calendar quarter" means a period of three (3) consecutive calendar months ending on March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31;

(v) "Commission" means the unemployment insurance commission of Wyoming within the department of workforce services;

(vi) "Contribution" means payments to the unemployment compensation fund required by this act including payments instead of contributions under W.S. 27-3-509;

(vii) "Employing unit" means any individual or type of organization employing one (1) or more individuals in this state including any partnership, association, trust, estate, corporation, domestic or foreign insurance company or corporation, a receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, trustee or a successor or the legal representative of a deceased person and including any limited liability corporation. Also, any individual or organization not previously subject to this act shall be an employing unit upon acquiring any entity already subject to this act. An individual performing services within this state for any employing unit maintaining two (2) or more separate places of business in the state is employed by a single employing unit. An individual employed to perform for or assist any agent or employee of an employing unit is employed by the employing unit whether hired or paid directly by the employing unit or by the agent or employee if the employing unit had actual or constructive knowledge of the work;

(viii) "Employment office" means a free public employment office or branch operated by any state as part of a state controlled system of public employment offices or by a federal agency administering an unemployment compensation program or a system of free public employment offices;

(ix) "Fund" means the unemployment compensation fund established by this act;

(x) "Hospital" means any institution, building or agency maintaining, furnishing or offering hospitalization of the sick and injured or chronic or convalescent care by individuals employed by the state or any political subdivision;

(xi) "Institution of higher education" means any college or university in this state and any other public or nonprofit educational institution:

(A) Admitting as regular students only high school graduates or the recognized equivalent;

(B) Legally authorized to provide post secondary education in this state; and

(C) Providing an educational program for which a bachelor's or higher degree is awarded or which is accepted as full credit toward this degree, providing a program of postgraduate or postdoctoral study or a training program preparing students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

(xii) "Insured work" means employment for employers;

(xiii) "Nonprofit hospital" means any institution performing services specified by paragraph (x) of this subsection and organized and operated under W.S. 35-2-302(a)(vi) and authority of the state department of health;

(xiv) "State" means any of the fifty (50) states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands;

(xv) "Unemployment" means any week in which an individual performs no services and receives no wages or performs less than full-time work if wages payable for that week are less than his weekly benefit amount and are in accordance with regulations of the commission;

(xvi) "Valid claim" means a claim filed by an individual earning wages for insured work in amounts specified under W.S. 27-3-306(d) for which no misrepresentation is made of unemployment requirements of this act;

(xvii) "United States" used in a geographical sense means the fifty (50) states, the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands;

(xviii) "Wage" means remuneration payable for services from any source including commissions, bonuses and cash. The reasonable cash value of remuneration other than cash or check shall be prescribed by rule of the commission. To the extent the following are not considered wages under 26 U.S.C. §§ 3301 through 3311, "wage" does not include:

(A) For purposes of W.S. 27-3-503 through 27-3-509, remuneration greater than fifty-five percent (55%) of the statewide average annual wage calculated pursuant to W.S. 27-3-303(a) and rounded to the lowest one hundred dollars ($100.00), which is paid during any calendar year to an individual by each employer or a predecessor within any calendar year including employment under any other state unemployment compensation law unless the amount is subject to a federal tax against which credit may be taken for contributions paid into any state unemployment fund;

(B) Any premium paid by an employing unit under a plan, system or into a fund for insurance or annuities to provide an employee or class of employees retirement, sickness or accident disability, medical and hospitalization expenses for sickness or accident disability or death benefits if the employee cannot receive any part of this payment instead of the death benefit or any part of the premium if the benefit is insured and cannot assign or receive cash instead of the benefit upon withdrawal from or termination of the plan, system, policy or services with the employing unit;

(C) A payment by an employing unit not deducted from an employee's remuneration for the tax imposed under 26 U.S.C. § 3101;

(D) Dismissal payments which the employing unit is not obligated to make;

(E) That portion of tips or gratuities not reportable under 26 U.S.C. § 3306(s);

(F) The value of any meals or lodging furnished by and for the convenience of the employer to the employee if the meals are furnished on the business premises of the employer or in the case of lodging, the employee is required to accept lodging on the business premises of his employer as a condition of his employment;

(G) Remuneration received by an employee as sick pay following a six (6) month continuous period of illness;

(H) Any benefit under a cafeteria plan specified by 26 U.S.C. § 125, excluding cash;

(J) Wages of a deceased worker paid to a beneficiary or estate following the calendar year of the worker's death;

(K) Services received under any dependent care assistance program to the extent excluded from gross income under 26 U.S.C. § 129;

(M) Repealed By Laws 2010, Ch. 66, § 2.

(N) Services or benefits received under any educational assistance program;

(O) Any benefit or other value received under an employee achievement award;

(P) The value of any qualified group legal services plan to the extent payments are excluded from gross income under 26 U.S.C. § 120;

(Q) Costs of group term life insurance;

(R) Repealed By Laws 2010, Ch. 66, § 2.

(S) Any moving expenses;

(T) Employer contributions to any qualified retirement and pension plan or individual retirement account and distributions from qualified retirement and pension plans and annuities under 26 U.S.C. § 403(b);

(U) Benefit payments under any supplemental unemployment compensation plan; and

(W) Any benefits paid under the Wyoming Worker's Compensation Act or any other worker's compensation law of another state.

(xix) "Week" means a period of seven (7) consecutive calendar days beginning Sunday and the commission may by regulation prescribe that a week is within the benefit year which includes the greater part of that week;

(xx) "Department" means the divisions within the department of workforce services established under W.S. 9-2-2002 which contain the principal operating units that administer the unemployment compensation program pursuant to the Social Security Act;

(xxi) "Casual labor" means service not within the normal course of business and for which the remuneration paid is less than fifty dollars ($50.00);

(xxii) "Erroneous payment" means a payment that, but for the failure by the employer or the employer's agent to provide requested information with respect to the claim for unemployment compensation, would not have been made;

(xxiii) "Pattern of failing" means repeated documented failure on the part of the employer or the agent of the employer to respond to a written request from the department for information relating to a claim for benefits, taking into consideration the number of instances of failure in relation to the total volume of requests by the department to the employer or the employer's agent;

(xxiv) "Misconduct connected with work" means an act of an employee which indicates an intentional disregard of the employer's interests or the commonly accepted duties, obligations and responsibilities of an employee. "Misconduct connected with work" does not include:

(A) Ordinary negligence in isolated instances;

(B) Good faith errors in judgment or discretion;

(C) Inefficiency or failure in good performance as the result of inability or incapacity.

(xxv) "This act" means W.S. 27-3-101 through 27-3-706.