SB 500

This bill makes various changes to the unemployment insurance law, as follows:

Acceptance of suitable work

Under current law, if a claimant for UI benefits fails, without good cause, to accept suitable work when offered, the claimant is ineligible to receive benefits until he or she earns wages after the week in which the failure occurs equal to at least six times the claimant’s weekly UI benefit rate in covered employment. Current law specifies what is considered “suitable work” for purposes of these provisions, with different standards applying depending on whether six weeks have elapsed since the claimant became unemployed. Once six weeks have elapsed since the claimant became unemployed, the claimant is required to accept work that pays lower and involves a lower grade of skill.

This bill modifies the provisions described above so that the claimant is not required to accept less favorable work until

10 weeks

have elapsed since the claimant became unemployed.

Quits due to nonsuitable work

Under current law, unless an exception applies, if a claimant for UI benefits quits his or her job, the claimant is generally ineligible to receive UI benefits until he or she qualifies through subsequent employment. Under one such exception, if a claimant quits his or her job and 1) accepted work that was not suitable work under the UI law or work that the claimant could have refused; and 2) terminated the work within 30 calendar days after starting the work, the claimant remains eligible to collect UI benefits. Under the bill, this exemption applies if the claimant terminated that work within

10 weeks

after starting the work.

Quits due to relocations

Under current law, unless an exception applies, if an employee quits his or her job, the employee is generally ineligible to receive UI benefits until he or she qualifies through subsequent employment.

Under one such exception, if the employee’s spouse is a member of the U.S. armed forces on active duty and is relocated, and the employee quits his or her job in order to relocate with his or her spouse, the employee remains eligible to collect UI benefits. This bill expands this exception so that it applies to an employee who quits employment in order to relocate with a spouse who is required by any employer, not just the U.S. armed forces, to relocate.