by Alexis Mont
(Bethesda Maryland)
Hi,
I recently left my job as a store manager for Safeway, I decided I wanted to return to school and find work closer to where I live. I took up a bartending position at a place about a block away from my house and I have worked there for about 3 months and this has allowed me to take classes in the morning and work evenings to pay for everything, it was great I thought I had everything figured out since I needed to finish my business degree and I am only 24 years old. Needless to say once I left Safeway I left my benefits behind and this restaurant offers nothing, I broke my ankle outside of work about 2 weeks ago and had to undergo surgery to correct it. My job is not guaranteed when I get better, and right now I am only in the first week of recovery; I am expected to be off my feet for another 2 to 3 months and I am worried and donât know what to do about rent and basic necessities. I know itâs not my employers fault and they are not obligated to hold my job for me, is there any way that I can receive assistance through unemployment? I live in the U.S. on my own and my family lives overseas, and if anything I provide for them. Any guidance is helpful.
Thank You in Advanced
Hi Alexis,
All the following information is based on the fact that you need to be “unemployed” to collect benefits. It sounds like you are employed until they replace you or tell you that you are no longer their employee.
And let me just say that if you are unable to work right now because your doctor has restricted you to not working at all .. you can’t collect because you aren’t able and available. I have my eye on whether you have a job when you are released.
When you are able to work, the A&A issue should be “lifted”. and you are cleared for benefits if “otherwise eligible”.
Okay, what we need to know first is Maryland’s voluntary quit disqualification. In many .. not all you can access the wage credits from an employment whose end was non-qualifying and in fact you would be able to do so just to be monetarily eligible. But meritous entitlement to benefits are decided based upon the separation from the “most recent work”
We could find the disqualification information somewhere on the State of Maryland’s website .. but I don’t do shovel work and generally, you have to dig for information on a state website.
I go to the USDOL and I go to this page. I choose the appropriate year and then I choose “Nonmonetary Eligibility”. I then go to table 5-4.
I now know that the VQ disqualification is 5 – 15 weeks and to earn 15 times your weekly benefit amount, but I also know that MD statute MAY provide an exception because of the footnotes .. 3/ specifically.
So this actually forces me to the MD website, but instead of entering the front .. I go to this page first. which actually attempts to explain things.
If you don’t have a job in two months because the employer didn’t have to hold it you would be considered to have been discharged without good cause .. this of course is provided you remain in contact with the employer and try to protect that job.
Currently, you would not be eligible because you didn’t say that you are “unemployed” yet, but implied that could change at any time.
But let’s say that the employer doesn’t have a job for you when you’re better .. you will still probably have the VQ disqualification from Safeway which needs to be “purged”.
How’s this done? By working x amount of weeks and earning 15 times your WBA. The exceptions are most likely applied to people in your predicament.
You will find the information regarding your separation under “attendance” – “excuses” – “Illness or Disability”.