Filing for unemployment benefits is the often the first step after a layoff. 

Unemployment Insurance Benefits is a joint state-federal program that provides cash benefits to eligible workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own and meet eligibility requirements of state law.

• To file for benefits, find your state’s Unemployment Insurance Program.
• Learn more about the state-federal unemployment insurance benefits program. Also read this information about your family's eligibility to receive free or reduced price school lunch meals.

Many laid-off workers are also eligible for other types of unemployment benefits.

• If you lost your job due to a natural disaster declared by the President, and you are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits, you may qualify for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
• Veterans may also qualify for Unemployment Compensation for Ex-servicemembers.
• You may be eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance if your job loss was as a result of increased foreign imports or shifts in production out of the United States.
• If you have participated in the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program and have exhausted your unemployment insurance benefits, you may qualify for Trade Readjustment Allowances.

In addition to or instead of unemployment benefits, you may be eligible for job search and training services.

• If you were part of a large layoff or plant closing, you may be eligible for job search and training services through your state's Dislocated Worker/Rapid Response program.
• The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) provides training and job opportunities for low income persons age 55 and older. 
• The National Farmworker Jobs Program provides job training and employment assistance for migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
• Indian and Native American Programs provide employment and training services to Native American communities.

You can also find more help and answers to questions.

• Get job-search assistance and information about government resources at your local One-Stop Career Center. 
• Locate non-profit and private organizations providing a range of family, child care, transportation, mental health, and emergency relief services (including food and shelter).