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Help Center Assistance

How to Use the Help Center

The Help Center covers everything you need to learn how to use your state’s workforce or unemployment benefits website. It provides different ways to find what you’re looking for, including the task-focused left navigation menu, a robust search feature, always available breadcrumbs, and links to related topics.

Access this "How to Use the Help Center" topic anytime by clicking the question mark icon located on the right side of the Help Center window.

How to Use Help Icon

Getting Around the Help Center

Left Navigation Menu

Open and close the left menu by clicking the hamburger menu icon in the upper left corner of the Help Center window. This menu is organized in a general task workflow based on the type of user you are, for example, job seeker, UI claimant, employer, or agency staff member.

Left Navigation Menu Showing Current Topic and Highlighted Topic

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Use the Search field and get right to it!
Click a down arrow to the right of a topic to see related subtopics. Click the up arrow to hide the subtopics.
The currently displayed topic is highlighted with a white bar in the menu.
The topic your cursor is over is highlighted with a blue bar in the menu. Click once to select it.

Breadcrumbs

Located on the left side of the Help Center window above the left navigation menu, breadcrumbs mirror the table of contents in the left menu and show you the navigation path you’ve followed in the help table of contents.

Breadcrumbs and the 'Back to Home' Arrow

Click on any link in the navigation path to go directly to that topic.
Click the right arrow at the start of the path to go to the Help Center home page.

Previous/Next Topic Arrows

Page through the help topics like paging through a user guide by clicking the left and right arrows located on the right side of the Help Center window.

Navigational Arrows for Paging Through Help Topics

Frequently Used Resources

Display a curated set of topics in a pop-up window by clicking the bookmark icon located on the right side of the Help Center window. Click the X or anywhere off the pop-up to close the window. The contents of this window are subject to change.

Displaying a Curated Set of Helpful Resources

Within a Topic

You have even more choices within a topic to navigate and find more information.

Right Panel Showing "On This Page" and "Related Topics" Links and 'Back to Top' Button

On This Page Links – Located in the right panel, scrolls to that section of the current topic. (Not all topics have "On This Page" links.)
Related Topics Links – Located in the right panel, takes you to a different topic with related information you might be interested in.
Back to Top Button – Located at the end of every topic, takes you to the top of the current topic.

Searching for Help Topics

The Search feature offers lots of flexibility when it comes to searching for information about the system.

Search Field at the Top of the Help Center Window

Click in the Search field in the upper right of the Help Center window, type what you are looking for, and hit Enter or click the magnifying glass icon.
Entering a search term with no quotes around it will display all topics with any of those words. All search terms are highlighted in yellow on the search results page.

Search Results Matching Any Words in the Search String

Use any of the following options to narrow or expand your search:

Enclose the search term in “quotes” to find an exact match.

Finding Topics That Match a Search String Exactly

Use “AND,” “OR, or “NOT” to affect search results.

Using AND will display results that only have BOTH words.

Finding Topics with Both Search Words

Using OR will display results that have EITHER word.

Finding Topics with Either Search Word

Using NOT will display only results that have the first word but not the second word.

Finding Topics with Only the First Word But Not the Second Word

Highlighted Search Terms in a Topic

When you go to a found topic from the search results page, all instances of the search term will be highlighted in yellow. You can turn off all highlighting by clicking the Remove search highlights icon in the upper right of the Help Center window.

Highlighted Search Terms in a Found Topic and the 'Remove Search Highlights' Icon

Printing or Saving a Topic as a PDF

The Printer icon the upper right of the Help Center window displays a PDF viewer pop-up window, where you can either send the topic page to an attached printer or save it as a PDF file. To save it as a PDF, select Save as PDF from the Destination drop-down.

Printing a Help Topic

Frequently Used Resources

Learn the Basics

Tour the Home Page

Navigate the System

Get Assistance

Visit the Learning Center

My Benefits

Check My Status

Modify My Application

Withdraw My Application

Helpful Videos

How to use this site

Get started with the system

PDF Resources

GUS UI Claimant Quick Reference Card

VOS Individual Quick Reference Card

AI Assist Feature Guide for Job Seekers

Outside Resources

Federal Unemployment Benefits

California State Benefits

Employment Discrimination

Set Your Profile Folder Tree Preference

Overview

The system stores the information in your Individual Profile in clearly labeled tab pages and folders, which are organized into an expandable "tree" structure. You can choose whether folders should close automatically when accessing a page, which gives you more vertical screen space in which to work.

Partially Expanded Folder Trees

Where to Find This Feature

Top menu bar > Accessibility icon > Page Preferences button
Left navigation menu > Other Services > Assistance Center > My Preferences
Dashboard > Directory of Services tab > Other Services > Assistance Center > My Preferences
Footer bar > Settings > Page Preferences link

Steps to Change Folder Tree Automatic Close

From the Folder Trees section of the User Preferences page, select one of the following options:
1. To maintain any open folders in their expanded state when you select tab page link, select Disable Automatic Close (default).
2. To have the entire folder tree collapse automatically up to the highest-level folder when you select a tab page link, select Enable Automatic Close.
Select the Save button.