(NewsNation) — The law is as diverse and complicated as the lives it affects.
One arena in which it can get particularly complicated in uncertain economic times is employment law, specifically when it comes to unemployment insurance benefits.
The basic principle of unemployment insurance is that it exists to help workers who unexpectedly lose their jobs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the joint state-federal program provides cash benefits to those unemployed through no fault of their own who meet certain work and wage requirements.
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But what if you quit your job?
Under most circumstances, the answer is no, you cannot receive benefits if you voluntarily leave a job. According to Forbes, however, you can still claim unemployment benefits if you can establish a “good cause” for the decision.
Some good-cause reasons for quitting a job include unsafe working conditions, harassment or discrimination not addressed by the employer or health conditions that prevent you from being capable of doing the required work.
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Less common circumstances include the need to care for an ailing family member. The National Employment Law Project estimates that more than 65 million Americans will become caregivers at some point in their lives.
Nearly 10% of those caregivers report having to leave a job to take on that role. According to NELP, the pandemic highlighted the fact that women are far more likely than men to be affected by these circumstances.
“Good cause quit exceptions that do not account for the need to care for a family member effectively exclude many women from this important economic protection,” the project’s website states.
Women are much more likely to face another hurdle: the need to relocate or switch jobs to escape domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or other harassment.
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“These compelling circumstances disproportionately impact women, women of color and transgender workers,” according to the site.
NELP reports that 1 in 4 women experience violence or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Black and Latina women are more likely than white women to experience harassment in the workplace, as are transgender workers.
Workers may also be forced to leave a job that has suddenly become unstable through unpredictable or drastically cut work schedules or through altered work schedules that no longer fit their needs or those of their families. The NELP reports that about 17% of workers are subjected to unstable shifts, and most of those workers are in underpaid jobs.
Again, women, Black, Latino and Native American workers are disproportionately impacted by these circumstances.
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There is just one federal labor standard under which a worker can quit and be eligible for benefits, and that is if they quit due to a substantial shift in duties, wages or terms and conditions from what was initially agreed upon.
Even then, it is left up to individual states to determine whether a worker’s good-cause quit is allowed under state law.
“If a worker quits, no matter the reason, state law places the burden on the worker to prove they have good cause,” the NELP website states. “States decide what good cause quit exceptions to put in place and most limit them to work-related circumstances, often requiring that the worker prove the cause is ‘attributable to the employer.’”
Only about half of the 50 states recognize compelling personal reasons as good cause to quit, and those are generally limited to domestic violence or the need to follow a spouse who is moving due to work.
Visit the Department of Labor’s website for more information or to learn more about individual state programs.
