Can you get unemployment benefits in NC if you’re fired for refusing a COVID vaccine?
With more companies and organizations in North Carolina instituting vaccine mandates to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, what will happen to those employees who refuse to get the jab?
Over the past month, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and President Joe Biden signed executive orders pushing more employers to add mandates, thousands more North Carolinians have been given mandates.
And while only a small percentage seem to be refusing the mandates — fewer than 20 employees at Duke Health, for instance, missed their vaccine deadline — there are some who are willing to be fired instead of taking the vaccine.
But will those people be eligible for North Carolina’s unemployment insurance? We talked to the state’s Division for Employment Security, the agency that runs the state’s unemployment insurance program, to get answers.
Can I draw unemployment if I quit for refusing a vaccine?
Don’t expect to, Kerry McComber, a spokesperson for DES, told The News & Observer in an email.
“People who are fired or quit their jobs because they refuse to follow their employer’s vaccine requirement should not expect to receive unemployment benefits,” she said.
“One of the requirements for receiving unemployment benefits is that you became unemployed due to no fault of your own,” McComber said. “Being fired for misconduct, for example, would make you ineligible for benefits.”
The state also rejects most unemployment claims already. Before the pandemic, fewer than 1 in 10 jobless North Carolinians were approved for unemployment benefits, the lowest rate in the country, according to a ProPublica report.
Who is eligible for unemployment benefits in NC?
Unemployment benefits, which became a critical lifeline for many at the onset of the pandemic, when bars and restaurants closed across the state, are meant for workers who have lost their job through no fault of their own.
“Anyone may apply for benefits, but every claim is different,” McComber said. “And the Division of Employment Security determines eligibility on a case-by-case basis by considering the facts and circumstances of the claim.”
How much money can you get in unemployment, and for how long?
In North Carolina, unemployment benefits are currently capped at $350 per week for up to 13 weeks.
Which major employers have vaccine mandates?
▪ On Thursday, Red Hat and IBM became the latest local employers to add stricter vaccine mandates.
▪ Others that have taken a harder line include the Triangle’s main health care providers, like Duke Health, WakeMed and UNC Health, The N&O previously reported.
▪ SAS Institute, the largest employer in Cary and an influential technology company in the Triangle, said last month it will require workers to be vaccinated or potentially face termination.
▪ Merck, which has a large presence in Durham County and is helping produce Johnson & Johnson vaccines, told The N&O earlier this month that all of its employees need to be vaccinated by Nov. 1, unless they declare medical or religious exemptions.
▪ Several other local tech companies have also told their employees they must be vaccinated before returning to the office. Citrix, Cisco, Pendo, and Google have all said employees who are not vaccinated are not allowed to come into their offices.
This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate.
