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What to Do After a Layoff: A Practical Checklist for Your First Week

Start with the dates and paperwork, then file for unemployment and compare health coverage before deadlines pass. This first-week checklist also covers retirement accounts, separation terms, public job-search help, and cash flow.
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In your first week after a layoff, save your separation documents and key dates, file for unemployment through the official state program, and confirm when your health coverage ends. Then compare coverage options, review any severance deadline, contact public workforce support, and make a short cash-flow plan. This is general U.S. guidance: state rules, plan terms, and your separation agreement can change what applies to you.

What to do first: save documents and deadlines

Gather the layoff or separation notice, severance offer, benefits notices, recent pay records, and retirement-plan contact information. Record the date your employment ends and the date your health coverage ends; they may differ. Note every response, election, or signature deadline.

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Keep personal copies of documents you are entitled to retain. Do not take confidential employer or customer information.

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File for unemployment promptly

Unemployment insurance is administered by states, and each state sets its own eligibility rules and claim process. The U.S. Department of Labor advises contacting the relevant program as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Start at your state’s official unemployment agency website, provide complete and accurate information, and follow its instructions for any required weekly certifications or follow-up.

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If you live in a different state from where you worked, or worked in more than one state, ask the agency where you live how to file. The Department of Labor says an initial benefit check generally takes two to three weeks after filing, but that is not a guarantee for an individual claim. See How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?

Choose health coverage before deadlines pass

Check the coverage end date in your employer’s notice, then compare the options available to you. Look at the monthly premium and likely out-of-pocket costs, whether your doctors and prescriptions are covered, the new plan’s start date, and whether household income could qualify you for Marketplace savings or Medicaid or CHIP.

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  • Marketplace plan: HealthCare.gov says losing job-based coverage generally gives you 60 days to enroll in a Marketplace plan. Its guidance says coverage can begin on the first day of the month after the old coverage ends. Check the current instructions and your eligibility at HealthCare.gov’s job-based coverage guidance.
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  • Medicaid or CHIP: You can apply any time if you may be eligible; enrollment is not limited to the Marketplace special-enrollment window.

Read the COBRA notice and compare the full cost

If COBRA is offered and you are eligible, it can let you temporarily continue the former employer’s group health plan, usually for up to 18 months after job loss. You will often pay the full premium plus a small administrative fee, so compare the total cost and continuity of care with other coverage.

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COBRA election can be retroactive: electing later may mean paying premiums back to the date your prior coverage ended. Do not cancel or decline coverage on the assumption that a replacement is active; confirm its start date first. Review your actual COBRA notice for the election deadline, cost, and terms. The Department of Labor explains continuation coverage at Health Benefits Under COBRA.

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Ask for retirement-plan information before moving an account

Contact the plan administrator and request the Summary Plan Description and an individual benefit statement. Use them to understand the options the plan permits and to check fees, access rules, any outstanding loan, vesting, and whether a rollover to a future employer’s plan or an IRA is allowed.

There is no universally best destination established for every former employee. Compare only options allowed by your plan, and get qualified advice about tax treatment or complex account circumstances before acting. The Department of Labor’s retirement-plan guidance is at What You Should Know About Your Retirement Plan.

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Review severance and separation terms carefully

Read the agreement and mark the response deadline, payment schedule, any benefit subsidy, release language, and return-of-property requirements. If the terms are unclear or significant, consider getting advice from a qualified professional in your state before signing.

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Federal WARN rules do not create a general severance entitlement for every laid-off worker. They require 60 calendar days’ advance notice for certain covered plant closings and mass layoffs, subject to coverage requirements and exceptions. Severance and vacation pay are generally governed by contract and state law, and sometimes ERISA. Check the written terms and your state labor agency rather than assuming a universal entitlement. See the Department of Labor’s WARN guidance and severance pay guidance.

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Contact public workforce support

A state Rapid Response team or an American Job Center may provide job-search assistance, career counseling, résumé preparation, interview workshops, training information, or benefits guidance. Services vary by location, but public support can be free. Attend a Rapid Response session if one is offered to affected workers, and find local assistance through CareerOneStop’s American Job Center directory.

Protect yourself from unemployment-claim scams

Navigate to your state agency from an official government site instead of following unsolicited links. USAGov warns that scammers may file claims using another person’s information. Contact the state agency through its official contact details if you receive an unexpected benefit notice, learn that a claim was already filed in your name, or receive an unexpected 1099-G. See USAGov’s unemployment benefits fraud guidance.

Make a short cash-flow plan

Write down your available cash and expected dates for final wages, any severance payments, unemployment claim updates, essential bills, and insurance premiums. This helps you spot a shortfall before a payment is due and decide which agency, plan administrator, or creditor to contact.

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Final-pay timing, unused-vacation payout, and severance rights are not uniform across the country. Check your state labor agency and written employment terms for the rules that apply to you.

A first-week checklist you can use

  1. Save the separation and benefits paperwork, note coverage end dates, and calendar every deadline.
  2. File for unemployment through the official state program and keep a record of your confirmation and follow-up requirements.
  3. Compare Marketplace, COBRA, spouse-plan, and—if eligible—Medicaid or CHIP coverage; confirm the start date before changing plans.
  4. Request your retirement plan’s Summary Plan Description and benefit statement before deciding what to do with the account.
  5. Review severance terms and seek qualified state-specific advice if needed before signing.
  6. Contact Rapid Response or an American Job Center and build a basic cash-flow calendar.

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