Several states are making it possible for people who lose their jobs for failing to comply with the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate to collect unemployment checks.
Iowa, Tennessee, and Florida have passed laws extending eligibility to people who have lost their jobs due to mandates, CNN reported. Kansas recently approved a similar bill, and Wyoming and Wisconsin have considered similar legislation.
A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found 25% of people were required to get the COVID-19 vaccine by their employer, and 5% of adults overall said they would leave their job if their employer required them to get the vaccine.
Idaho and Michigan have pending legislation which would protect employees from discrimination based on vaccination status, Forbes reported.
In general, workers who quit their job or are dismissed after defying a company’s rules are not eligible for unemployment, but the states have set standards for unemployment eligibility, CBS News reported.
The federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate is currently on hold indefinitely because of legal challenges, but employers can still require workers to get shots, The Associated Press reported.
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