### OFFICE OFTHEATTORNEY QENERALOFTRXAS

4 AUSTIN

l- Go MANN ,-ou-

::

Ron. ClautIe

A. Wlliama 

### chairmanend ExeoutlveDirector I TexasUnem*loynmatGompeosmtlon Wmmlsaion BmtmnB--g

, Texas

Dear sirt

. readingas

pfiylbent of aaT s6rlerof in, he hes been tot- or ing periodof oae week. Ho ing pmlod week 

### for the

"*(I)unless he has registei'ed at an 

### employnkt officein aocord~ce,with see. c(a) 

### or this Act;

e*(2) unless it is the w6e&$mmd.iate~ preceding Or the reek immediately 

### SollowIngth@~~ili.n&Oi tm ioithl claim,as the ~oma;Lealon may by regulat2oq@rseorlbe~3’73,:

xwa. ol,au&e

A. 

### wirriauu5,

page & "



### "'(3) if benefitshave been paid with 

### resprotthareto.'

*Bemeflteam paid with 

### rerpeatto .b?nafit pWlo6s i aooordingto the termsof Seotlon 8 (Seotlon1, ytlo$o 622lb,V.R. C. S.), auohbenefitperiods oonslet%ng bi fourtesn Bays eaah. 

### So&ion 6(a) (krtiole52Elb, Se&ion 4(a) V. 

### R. C. 3.) prwidee that:

.**Claims

for benefits6hall be arada in aaoodumm with au8h regalatlone a8 

### the Commission aafr prmoribd,’



### *Your adrlee 18 requestedupon the followingquestfoal

-'Way the Conrnission by regulationprasorlbethat the waitingperiod of one weak ahall.bethe week lmm&diat&y follbwing the filing of an iriitlal ola&m and that'beneiitr my -:be paid for the benefitperiod of two realm fameiHatel$ followingthe fiH.ng of tha inltfalo&aim, aasrrrlng'that tb8 inairiduaiappl+g ror suoh benefftef6 .othwwi80 allglbkeand that looperappliaatLon14 made. Baaatlta *annothate been paid far a beaefit parioduadar w'?ir

### oumstaaeee

until 

### several days 

### aitdy the 

### arplratlonof'tho' rourteandays aampriainp, 

### auoh banafltperiod. The first initialalalm fllad ,bgan tndiridual is not 

### oompailabli.*

You request the opinionor this departmant&on the oamtruotlon'oi'



### Nwaiting

perlodN 

### or *walttagperiodmak*, aa 01atl in i3ubleOtlOn

e of Seation 4 of the Twx~rUnamplcmmMi donpensatioa

Aot (Art&aleS821bLb, t. R. 0. S.), and the authorit3r of the Commlsalont+aalteoertain9Powaed regulations with 

### referencethereto is Hated eubstantfally aa ~fOiloWar

:' (1)May the CommiseLonby rsgulatlcmfleseiba that she *w&%ti&gparfod* or ,*waltlng+arioU week", i&uaad in the 

### l tatukr,be the week ltmealately followingthe filfng of a@ tnftiai.

olaim and begin 

### ayingbenefits for the flrntbenefit puioa or two weeka 

### 1Kmle latelyrm0ting~ the filing of thhe a: Initial ala&m.

Year inquiry aamums that the assplogea doem not 

### labor andam any 

### otherdiequaliiiaatlon for reoeiving 

### benefita prori&xlfor in the 

### atatuta. The oonolu@Sonie have reaohad a8 herallnaftsr

expressedis based upon carefulaonaidaration and research. In reachin{; a oonplasionrrpon

tha Wniadiate3744 

# iA;

Bon. Cl.audo 4. Williams, 

### page 3

quoetlonher0 

### OonSibereb,it is irportautto note 

### what we think may be generallJr aooepted aa the purpose of a Waiting period", whioh~

varier somewhat In length of time in the 

### variousatates. Our statute 

### prasorlbesthe 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 Lthere 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 appr8&8e the merits of the fuuployee's ala. Our stat&0 ~pl'ofide8 t&at the *waitingparlod 

### week” be the week 

### &m6cliatelJ prseedin(5

or the w0ekinnediatol~ folloning filln

### P of the *Iaim, a8 the Comrnleslon may by regulation pxesar 

### be. lie therefore**observe** that by the **elpreas** lanya&e of the rtatuto 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 waltingperiodas 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 expresslangmadeof the 

### statute.

Obvl0arly a more dirfi0tit &0stion~arire8 a8 bd **&ther** 

### the Comairsiot. may bv reealatlonpreiraribe that the iir8t 

### bonsrtt’period or two weeks bogln imu0dlatol~ upon the 

### flZiaQ of a beastitoleim. It 

### la true that our stdute pro- +Id08..aolati

**for** benefit8 ohall be mad,0in ace~ord&¶U~ with auohregulatioas as'the Commisaien mCy 0eoslb0," 

### but **obfiou8lr**

r qu0h regulation6 mn8t be oonslrtent wit and not omnter to the ,8tatute, I? 

### ,we8hould 

### hold that the ffamnlsslq~ i3ay by rqnlation 

### 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 periodwaokv.

0r *waiting period". A rule 

### 0r statutory oon8tXuotiOn 

### too WQU 

### recognizedto 

### require oitation of 

### extended authority la that it muat be asasunrod that the bBgialatur0375

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. 8?14* 3. Fidelity B Guaranty Co., 10's. n. (2a) 36 thirlk,

a8 used id OUT Ilttrhtute, that the leglelature me@ to prosorlbe a waitlnr period 8s a prere~ulelte for obtaining benof

ltd. To make the benefit period oompenseble would be lnconslstsnt with this oonoluaion.

z!l?am the standpoint 

### or ame lo&2 it 4een4lnanif44t~ 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, atflfo'make it oompensable by rag'ulatlon

would in effeot null fy 

### the provlslon of the 

### etatiute 

### rhloh bapoaeethe wait&g 

### ptylc.4 ar a periodduring 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 

### periodinstead of a 6ae week waitingperiod a8 the present aet pravldee, but we are umbla to find that Wait

### lag perlod" or Valtlng 

### periodweek*, 

### 6s used 

### Ln the 

### 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. pfethink It &ear that the .waltFngperiod 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 ~paymentsof 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 

### judiQla1lnterpretatioa 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 nomompensable, 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& periodweek",which bannet overlap aq part of the **benefit** 

### period,