ERRONEOUS UNEMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

A recent article in our local newspaper carried the title �Dream job offers that just lead you on�. It spoke about a job offer being made and then revoked and how that put the prospective employee in an awkward position. The article posited the following concerning suburban Washington.

A man working for a local company decided to look for a new job and was eventually hired at a local government contractor. He was to receive a 30 percent increase in salary but wasn�t needed for over a month. He gave his present employer a two-week notice and went to his new employer one month later. He was told the job was no longer available due to funding. When he tried to get his old job back, he was informed that the position was filled. He decided to consult a lawyer and was told he did not have a case and could not collect unemployment because of quitting his last job and not actually starting the new one. An expert in labor and employment law stated that the only recourse against fickle employers is to have an employment contract.

Using the information provided I find numerous mistakes made in this story. I�d like to deal with the consultation with the lawyer. Unfortunately, many lawyers do not understand unemployment laws and give erroneous information. We are not told whether or not this gentleman did not have a case regarding unemployment benefits or a case against the new employer not fulfilling the job offer. If this person was told he could not collect unemployment benefits, he was given erroneous information. I went on the internet to the state of Washington and checked their UC Laws. I found an �Unemployment Claims Kit� and found the article �What Could Disqualify Me from Receiving Benefits?� It states, in part, �You can show good cause for voluntarily quitting work for 10 specific reasons. You may have left work for a good cause: 1. To accept a bona fide offer of work.� Although this does not guarantee receipt of uc benefits, it does allow for the filing of a claim.

I am not going to go into whether or not he could have collected benefits based upon his separation. Rather, I wish to point out that many claimants do not file the initial claim based on erroneous information or beliefs. Since you can never know the outcome beforehand, you should always file a claim for unemployment benefits when you become separated from your employer. Learn more about unemployment benefits at.