Bill would let unvaccinated WVa workers get unemployment

People who quit their jobs usually aren’t eligible for unemployment unless they had “good cause” to leave work.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia lawmakers have advanced a proposal that would allow people who leave their jobs because they are denied a religious or medical exemption to the COVID-19 vaccination to receive unemployment benefits.

Republican Sen. Mark Maynard, a sponsor of Senate Bill 576, said Thursday that the legislation was designed with health care workers in mind. A number of West Virginia hospitals have mandated that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, including two of the largest health care networks: the West Virginia University Health System and Charleston Area Medical Center.

People who quit their jobs usually aren’t eligible for unemployment unless they had “good cause” to leave work.