Unemployment Articles and Guides

Browse our library of unemployment articles covering claims, appeals, weekly certifications, and benefit calculations — written in plain English by someone who spent 30+ years inside the system.

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Discharged for a Medical Condition or Pregnancy? What It Means for Your Unemployment Claim | Discharge Series Part 10

Your employer let you go because you got sick, got hurt, or got pregnant. That’s not something you did wrong — but does it still count as misconduct?

John Partlow

Oct 18 min read

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Fired Over a Social Media Post? What It Means for Your Unemployment Claim | Discharge Series Part 9

Fired over something you posted on your own time? Your boss calls it misconduct. The state may see it differently.

John Partlow

Sep 246 min read

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Discharge Series, Part 6: Fired for Stealing? Here's What It Actually Means for Your Unemployment Claim

Fired For Stealing? An Accusation Isn't Proof - And Neither Is a Firing If you were fired for stealing, the accusation alone doesn't decide your unemployment claim. States look at what the employer can actually prove. I remember a case like this from my years in the system: a warehouse employee was fired for "theft" after a supervisor found a company-owned tool in his truck at the end of a shift. No camera footage, no admission, no inventory record showing it missing before t

John Partlow

Sep 39 min read