Can I draw unemployment?

by Geena

(Indiana)

I accepted a “retirement” package last year from my employer. The company downsized by offering this package. With that in mind, I accepted it, for fear that I could lose my job in the future and be left with nothing. Now I find that I’m not eligible for unemployment because I voluntarily quit.
Is this correct, that Indiana unemployment is not something I can collect since I agreed to leave?

I thought that once the money from my package was “earned through”, then I could file unemployment. But now I am being told that in order to file unemployment, I would have needed to work for 8 weeks, then be laid off, then file.

So it seems like I’m screwed as far as ever filing unemployment for my job I worked at for over 20 years.

Is that right?

Hi Geena,

It’s because it wasn’t a compulsory retirement. You had a choice which is why the “quit” is without good cause. Some states may provide for examining what was said to the employees when the offer was made, but I can’t say for sure if Indiana is one of them. I suppose it’s worth a go since you have nothing to lose.

Needing to work 8 weeks is Indiana’s quit disqualification. It means you need to return to work for at least 8 weeks and earn wages at least equal to your weekly benefit amount in each of those 8 weeks .. then you’d have to lose that job for a qualifying reason and then you could collect something .. but only from your 20 year employer if you still had wages that showed up in your base period.

So, is anyone in agreement with me yet that the lack of information about a complex system is a strategy to give us just enough rope to hang ourselves????

Sorry Geena, it’s been a long day with very few questions I could give a positive response to.

Chris

Comments for Can I draw unemployment?

Jan 17, 2013

can i quit my job if the stress is starting to affect my well being

by: kbrown

I’ve worked for a company for 8yrs. I run a gas station and had a customer write a bunch of bad checks. I stopped taking them as soon as the first batch came back from the bank.

Now, I’m being blamed for taking them even though I was told we take them unless they bounce.

I feel Im being blamed and questioned everyday about it, and everything else I do is being questioned.

The job was stressful before, but now I don’t even want to go to work because I can’t take the stress.

I can’t sleep and have been getting sick because of being questioned everyday over this. I didn’t write the checks, the customer did.

It took the bank a long period to return the bad checks now the bank is calling the boss and telling him it isn’t them, it’s my fault.

I JUST CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE I WORK CRAZY HRS FOR THIS COMPANY I GET UP AT 2AM TO BE THERE AT 3:30AM and don’t get any rest because of things breaking or employees calling 7 days a wk, now this.

Can I quit and draw unemployment cause of stress and being blamed and questioned for something I didn’t do.
crinch

Hi,

My answer to your question, “Can I quit and draw unemployment cause of stress and being blamed and questioned for something I didn’t do” at this point would have to be NO.

But, this is only because there’s about 4,000 other Q&A’s on this site and about half of those asked the same thing.

Listen up, I get it, you’re tired. Maybe, you’re even suffering from sleep deprivation. But, being at your wits end because your employer keeps blaming and questioning you over the bounced checks, second guessing everything you do is not fulfilling the burden of proof when you quit.

I’m not trying to push you away or hurt your or anyone’s feelings here, but trying to get those feeling like you do now to stop and think about the consequences if you do go off the deep end and actually quit.

To collect unemployment when you quit a job .. not only requires a person to fulfill a legal like burden of proof .. but it is a burden and telling a story of being victimized .. is in and of itself the good cause a person needs to quit and collect.

Read up on what good cause is .. then ask your own question .. or you can talk to me about this for 15 minutes .. free.

Even if it’s to only attempt to calm you down and get you focused on those effort that try to preserve the employment.