Who qualifies for unemployment in Connecticut?
To gain a better idea of how to qualify for unemployment, you must first consider why an applicant is unemployed. The state of Connecticut has very specific requirements to determine who qualifies for unemployment.
What If You Voluntarily Left Your Job?
Generally, you will not have eligibility for unemployment in CT if you left your work voluntarily without having an unavoidable reason. Essentially, to meet qualifications for unemployment after quitting, your employer must have been mistreating you, either by paying you an unfair or illegal salary, forcing you to work unpaid or excessive hours, or putting your physical health at risk because of adverse work conditions.
If you did leave your job due to unavoidable circumstances caused by your employer, it must be proven that you first addressed the issue with that employer prior to leaving your job. Once you apply for unemployment, your employer will be notified of the application process and will then be able to attend the hearing or contribute a written statement.
This does not mean that every applicant who has left his or her job for other reasons does not meet the qualifications for unemployment compensation. For instance, you may still have eligibility for EDD insurance if you have left your job due to non-work-related circumstances such as caring for a spouse, a child or a parent with a mental or physical illness/disability. You may also be eligible in the event of a major natural disaster or a situation, such as domestic violence, that forces you to relocate.
What If You Were Fired or Suspended From Your Job?
Eligibility for unemployment will not be extended to all applicants who have been terminated or suspended from their position. In fact, Connecticut unemployment insurance eligibility will be out of the question if your former employer can prove that you were fired or suspended due to the following reasons:
• Willful misconduct
• Conduct that is considered a felony by law, which occurred while you were employed
• Larceny
• Participation in an illegal strike
• Being sentenced to incarceration for a term of 30 days or longer
• Being unable to properly perform the job as a direct result of drug or alcohol use (as testing is mandated by law)
It is your employer’s responsibility to prove that any of the above reasons for termination occurred. While applying for unemployment, you will need to attend a predetermined hearing in which your eligibility for unemployment will be assessed. Your employer will also be notified of this hearing and will be able to either attend the hearing in person or submit a written statement.
What are the requirements to get unemployment in Connecticut?
There are additional qualifications for unemployment that applicants must meet in order to obtain eligibility for EDD (Employment Development Department) benefits. Review the following list to ensure your situation falls under the necessary criteria:
• Applicants must be wholly or partly unemployed. Applicants who are still carrying a second job or who have ulterior methods of receiving payment may not be eligible for unemployment insurance.
• An applicant’s unemployment must come at no fault of his or her own. To determine your unemployment insurance eligibility in Connecticut, review the sections on being terminated, suspended or voluntarily leaving your workplace.
• An applicant must be mentally and physically able to hold a full-time job. Some applicants that are unable to work due to a physical or mental long-term or permanent impairment/disability may qualify under a part-time work situation.
• Applicants must be available for full-time work. Applicants must be able to fulfill the schedule and obligations of a full-time schedule, unless they fall under the health conditions listed above.
• Applicants must be registered with the American Job Center.
• Applicants must be actively seeking work on a weekly basis. Unemployment insurance is intended to be a temporary solution. For this reason, action must be taken on the applicant’s part to find new means of employment.
• Applicants must participate in a selected reemployment service. If you are identified as a dislocated worker by the EDD profiling system, you must be an active participant in the reemployment service you are assigned to.
• Applicants must file weekly claims as directed. In order to maintain your unemployment insurance eligibility, follow all the rules and requirements on a weekly basis.
Will I still have the unemployment insurance I received from Connecticut if I move?
If you have already been approved for unemployment insurance while living in Connecticut but must move out of state, you may still be eligible to receive your benefits from out of state. The process to continue receiving these benefits is called an interstate claim. In an interstate claim, Connecticut will continue to pay the benefits, but you must first meet all of the state’s eligibility requirements listed above.
