Terms Used In Montana Code > Title 39 > Chapter 51 > Part 22 - Amount and Duration of Benefits

• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Base period: means :

  (a)the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of an individual's benefit year;

  (b)if the individual does not have sufficient wages to qualify for benefits under subsection (2)(a), the 4 most recently completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of the individual's benefit year;

  (c)in the case of a combined-wage claim pursuant to the arrangement approved by the secretary of labor of the United States, the period applicable under the unemployment law of the paying state; or

  (d)for an individual who fails to meet the qualifications of 39-51-2105 or a similar statute of another state because of a temporary total disability, as defined in 39-71-116, or a similar statute of another state or the United States, the first 4 quarters of the last 5 completed calendar quarters preceding the disability if a claim for unemployment benefits is filed within 24 months of the date on which the individual's disability was incurred. See Montana Code 39-51-201

• Benefit year: means the 52-consecutive-week period beginning with the first day of the calendar week in which an individual files a valid claim for benefits, except that the benefit year is 53 weeks if filing a new valid claim would result in overlapping any quarter of the base period of a previously filed new claim. See Montana Code 39-51-201
• Benefits: means the money payments payable to an individual, as provided in this chapter, with respect to the individual's unemployment. See Montana Code 39-51-201
• Contributions: means the money payments to the state unemployment insurance fund required by this chapter but does not include assessments under 39-51-404. See Montana Code 39-51-201
• Department: means the department of labor and industry provided for in Title 2, chapter 15, part 17. See Montana Code 39-51-201
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Fund: means the unemployment insurance fund established by this chapter to which all contributions and payments in lieu of contributions must be paid and from which all benefits provided under this chapter must be paid. See Montana Code 39-51-201
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• State: includes , in addition to the states of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada. See Montana Code 39-51-201
• Taxes: means contributions and assessments required under this chapter but does not include penalties or interest for past-due or unpaid contributions or assessments. See Montana Code 39-51-201
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
• Week: means a period of 7 consecutive calendar days ending at midnight on Saturday. See Montana Code 39-51-201
• Weekly benefit amount: means the amount of benefits that an individual would be entitled to receive for 1 week of total unemployment. See Montana Code 39-51-201