If I Am Afraid to Return to Work, Can I Still Receive Unemployment Benefits?

If employers have followed their state’s guidelines in addition to those outlined by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide a safe working environment, employees who refuse to return to work are not eligible for traditional unemployment benefits. However, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), a provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, may offer additional help. Employees who cannot work because they have the virus, they are caring for a family member with COVID-19, they have an underlying medical issue that increases their risk of serious health problems associated with COVID-19, or they need to care for children whose schools/daycares have closed due to the pandemic may be eligible for PUA. Those who qualify will receive state unemployment benefits for 39 weeks in addition to $600 per week provided by the federal government through July 31. Claims for PUA are made through state unemployment offices. Read more here.