HELP: NJ Unemployment Appeal

[commentator]

. IMO I honestly feel my boss ran the business 5 months without me and just decided to do it on her own and that was her way out!
/QUOTE]

It would be appropriate to say this if she had fired you. But in my understanding, she did not fire you, you quit. And if you quit, calling "I quit because of domestic violence" may not be determined to be sufficient good reason to quit the job.

I have seen people who were unable to come to work because they had been forced to take their children and flee to a shelter or something, and this was considered quitting the job with a domestic violence reason. I have seen people who had to go down and take out warrants, who missed work and were fired for this and then won unemployment for domestic violence, but I don't quite see how domestic violence is going to tie in here in your case, in that it sounds as if you simply demanded your hours be changed. To win your appeal, you'll have to show your conflicts and issues with your father was the reason you quit your job, it was the reason you told your employer you were quitting your job, and it has to be officially determined as the reason you quit your job by the hearing officer.

 

[cmrini22]

Thanks for your input. I do have the restraining order and several emails to my employer when I did feel threatened and had to leave early or come late due to me having to go to the police station. Before my maternity leave we discussed a new schedule that would help ensure my safety and deter my estranged father and when it was time for me to come back she left a voicemail stating she cannot "accomadate" me. I understand your valid points and I did everything in my power to safely return. I was not going to risk my safety and I feel that is enough reason to atleast get partial benefits.

 

[commentator]

Partial benefits means you are working part of the time and receiving a reduced amount of unemployment, NOT that your case is "sort of" valid, but not 100% and so you get some of your benefits but not all of them. You are either eligible, determined that you have quit your job for a valid (usually job related) reason, or that you quit your job for an unrelated personal reason and the employer should not have to bear the taxation burden of your receiving benefits.

Be sure when you go to your hearing, you attempt to convince the appeals officer that the domestic violence was the ultimate reason you quit, nothing else.