The final rule issued Jan. 16 by the U.S. Dept. of Labor limits a state’s payment of unemployment benefits only to those who are “able and available” for work. The rule clears up confusion whether states would be permitted to pay UI benefits to parents who stopped work due to birth or adoption of a child. Advocacy groups argued that the rule would restrict a state’s right to expand benefit coverage to some “underserved” categories, such as victims of domestic violence. Although agreeing that states should have latitude in crafting their unemployment laws, the DOL said that the state laws “must assure that an [eligible] individual’s unemployment for any week is involuntary due to the unavailability of suitable work.”