Workers fired for refusing the vaccine not eligible for unemployment benefits

Workers who are fired for refusing the covid 19 vaccine need not apply for unemployment benefits. Not being eligible for government assistance if you lose your job for being unvaccinated is another sign that the cost of refusing the vaccine is rising in the country. Vaccine mandates are quickly becoming the norm in most large and small companies across the US as employers take steps to make sure all employees are protected against the virus and workplaces are safe. 

Workers are usually eligible for unemployment assistance if they are terminated for no fault of their own. However, experts say that if they leave a job on their own volition, violate company policy or are terminated with cause, they could forfeit these benefits. Jason Habinsky, chair of NY-based law firm says, "Generally if you do something bad, commit misconduct, violate company policy, then you are disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits. If you leave on your own or are terminated for a reason, you're not eligible." In similar terms, refusing a company's vaccine policy in most cases could disqualify a worker from receiving assistance. 

Individual state departments of labor review unemployment assistance claims on a case-by-case basis and take all circumstances of the employee's termination into consideration. New York state's labor department has already made it clear on its website that workers in healthcare, schools and nursing homes who quit or are terminated for refusing the vaccine will not be eligible for the unemployment assistance. 

Source: CBS News