Could you please answer me a question. Can a person receive unemployment after he has been fired from a job and if so is there a waiting period to receive them? Robert A. South.

Eligibility for unemployment compensation is based on two main factors: financial eligibility and benefit eligibility. Financial eligibility is determined by how long you worked and how much you earned in your previous job. Financial eligibility is determined by the information you provide to the PA Unemployment Office in FORM UC-44F. You will find more information on financial eligibility in our article: How To Determine Financial Eligibility.

Benefit eligibility, on the other hand, is determined by the circumstances before you lost your job. You will qualify for benefits if you lost your job through no fault of your own. If on the other hand you left your job voluntarily or you were sacked due to misconduct, you are unlikely to qualify for unemployment compensation.

The reason for leaving a job is provided by your employer when processing your discharge. It is a good idea to talk to your employer before leaving your job to make sure you know what reason she gives to avoid surprises. Some employers might accept some negotiation when describing the reason you are leaving.

Let us analyze some of the most used reasons for leaving a job and assess eligibility for Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation for each circumstance.

Health Reasons.

If you leave work for health reasons and do not inform your boss, so she can find other suitable work for you, you will probably not qualify for UC. However, if you inform your boss and make yourself available for other work and she can’t find alternative work for you, you may qualify for unemployment compensation.

Job Not As Anticipated.

If you are disappointed about the job you accepted you will only qualify for unemployment benefits if you can show that the monetary expectations of employment were not fulfilled through no fault of your own. For instance, if you were promised you could earn $40,000 a year on commissions selling washing machines, but fail to make a sale in the first month and cannot cover your basic expenses, you may qualify for UC.

However, if compensation expectations have been met and you do not have solid reasons to quit the job, you will most likely not qualify for unemployment.

Absenteeism/Late to Work.

If you are fired because you are regularly late to work or miss work repeatedly you may not apply for unemployment compensation. However, if your employer did not give you sufficient warning or you had a good reason to be late or absent are valid, you could still qualify for unemployment compensation.

See more disqualifying provisions for benefit eligibility in our next article of this series.

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