IDES offices closed Monday to observe Veterans Day
Customers
should certify; services available on Internet
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[November 09, 2012]
CHICAGO -- The offices of the
Illinois Department of Employment Security will close Monday in
observance of Veterans Day. All services will be available on the
IDES website. Regular office hours of 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
will resume Tuesday.
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Originally called Armistice Day, the day was first recognized when
fighting ended in World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of
the 11th month of 1918. The Treaty of Versailles, which officially
ended the hostilities, was signed June 28, 1919. President Wilson
proclaimed the first commemoration in 1919 and asked for a brief
suspension of business at 11 a.m. that day. In 1926, Congress
recognized the end of World War I and stated it believed it
appropriate that the country recognize the date "with thanksgiving
and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good
will and mutual understanding between nations."
Congress made Nov. 11 a federal holiday in 1938 and called it
Armistice Day. In 1954, after World War II required the largest
mobilization of armed forces in the country's history, Congress
replaced Armistice Day with Veterans Day. In 1968, Congress moved
the celebrations of four holidays, including Veterans Day, to
Mondays to encourage travel and recreation over a three-day weekend.
The Monday observance began in 1971 and was considered by many to be
confusing and by some to be inappropriate. In 1975 the celebration
was returned to Nov. 11, effective in 1978.
Illinois declared Nov. 11 to be a state holiday in 1921 and
switched from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1955.
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Although IDES offices will be closed, services will be available
at www.ides.illinois.gov. Workers can apply for first-time
unemployment benefits; certify for benefits, which is necessary to
receive payment; and switch the method of payment to direct deposit.
Because Monday is a holiday, the availability of some benefit
payments might be delayed. The IDES does not determine holidays.
The IDES supports economic stability by administering
unemployment benefits, collecting business contributions to fund
those benefits, connecting employers with qualified job seekers and
providing economic information to assist career planning and
economic development. It does so through nearly 45 offices across
the state, including the
Illinois workNet Centers.
[Text from
Illinois
Department of Employment Security
file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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