IDES offices closed Monday to observe Veterans Day

Customers should certify; services available on Internet

[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.

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.

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]