Unclear if I’m Eligible for Unemployment

[blazinflame123]

Hi everyone hoping to get a little guidance. I’m in the central IL region and work in an office a part of a hospital. Naturally they shut us down for Covid so I’m not getting hours that way.

Now the hospital has told us that we’re a part of a mandatory labor pool. So you may get assigned to different shifts or the weekends. I told HR that I wasn’t comfortable with working a Covid unit for a few reasons.

One, I’ve been in a psych for 8 years so my medical skills are fairly subpar. I did this bootcamp the hospital has but they weren’t allowed to use any supplies for the demo so I found it unhelpful. Two, it sounds dumb, but I don’t own any scrubs and can’t spend the money on them right now without a check. And I don't feel comfortable working in my clothes. They haven’t offered any assistance or alternatives like hospital scrubs when asked. Third I had respiratory problems up till puberty. It eventually resolved but I’m still paranoid my risk of morbidity/mortality is higher.

They have had non-clinical people in non-clinical roles. They gave management that’s not working cushy roles pretty much right away. I was going to help out with something non-clinical but the next day HR said I couldn’t and had to work a clinical role, but haven’t offered anything since.

I’ve contacted them multiple times about opportunities I’ve heard about but they won’t return my calls. It’s been like 3 weeks.

I can’t find any information specific to this. I figure I can’t get unemployment because they would say “well you could work a covid floor job”. I think I’m just frustrated that HR isn’t talking to me.

Any advice?

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

If you're not getting any hours I would file for unemployment which may take awhile due to the high volume and not enough staff to process claims. Then the hospital can fight you if they want and you can defend yourself and a judge would make the final decision. But I don't think they would have the time to fight you on unemployment right now.

You are essentially laid off now, if not outright fired so you should be able to get unemployment. I would file if it were me.

[RainMom]

You should file. I just filed a few days ago myself (also IL) & one of the options you choose from states that you are still attached to your employer but are working no or very limited hours (or something to that effect).

[blazinflame123]

I went ahead and filed like you guys and some of my friends encouraged me to do. I figure worse thing to happen would be them denying me.

I'll update when I get a response in case anyone is in a similar situation.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

1 hour ago, blazinflame123 said:

I went ahead and filed like you guys and some of my friends encouraged me to do. I figure worse thing to happen would be them denying me.

I'll update when I get a response in case anyone is in a similar situation.

Thank you for offering to update. While I am not affected by this particular predicament a friend of mine is and Wisconsin hasn't updated their unemployment claims process quite yet to allow for these types of claims so he's applied and been denied three times. The only advice he got is to keep applying and they will backdate his claim to the first filing date once approved. I am curious how other states are handling this.

[blazinflame123]

To those who are curious. I was able to receive unemployment it seems? I got a letter and two payments so far. Not a single word about going back in since a vague e-mail nearly two weeks ago from management. Go figure.