Can you collect unemployment if you quit your job?

Some struggling to get unemployment benefits
Published: Sep. 9, 2021 at 9:51 PM CDT
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - We’re nearly two years into this pandemic and some people are still struggling to find work and receive unemployment benefits, but if you’ve been applying for compensation, and still have not received a payment, it may be because you don’t qualify.

I spoke with a woman who said she’d been applying for unemployment benefits since November of last year, but it turns out she quit her job, so ADOL said she won’t get paid.

There may be some confusion about who does and who does not qualify for unemployment benefits.

“If you voluntarily quit your job, you are not eligible for unemployment. Her reasoning for quitting had nothing to do with COVID. So, also that would disqualify you from any type of pandemic-related program,” said Communications Director for ADOL, Tara Hutchison.

There are some exceptions to the rule about quitting, but Hutchison said the only way to know for sure that you’ll get a check is to file.

“Every case is adjudicated on a case-by-case basis. So, we’re still working through some of those cases,” Hutchison said.

WBRC has been contacted numerous times throughout the pandemic by people saying they’ve had trouble collecting unemployment.

Hutchison admits there have been long delays with processing claims, and the reasons run the gamut.

“In the best of times, it shouldn’t take this long, but we are still working under the overwhelming volume of claims that came in from the beginning of the pandemic. More than a million claims were filed last year and broke every record we’ve seen,” Hutchison said.

Hutchison said claims with no issues are processing much faster.

She recommends checking your portal for status updates.

Hutchison adds there are plenty of jobs available and says many employers are raising their wages and offering incentives to attract more workers.

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