If you quit a job in Idaho you can still get unemployment benefits under these conditions
Quitting a job typically means you’re unable to qualify for unemployment benefits, but Idaho does provide a couple of exceptions to the rule. According to the Idaho Department of Labor, you can still claim unemployment if you quit for good cause.
The Department of Labor defines good cause as leaving your job because of changes in your employment conditions. To be considered good cause, the change must be related to your wages, hours or working conditions.
Here are two examples the department provides as good cause reasons that would qualify for unemployment:
Your employment broke a previously established agreement
The job poorly affects your health or worsens a health condition
In most cases, to qualify for good cause unemployment, you must also tell your employer about the problem and try to fix it before quitting. You’ll likely have to provide proof that you had good cause for leaving and may have to show medical documentation, according to the Department of Labor.
How to apply for Idaho unemployment benefits for good cause
Good cause is determined in Idaho on a case-by-case basis. To begin the process of filing a claim, you can do so online in the Department of Labor’s Claimant Portal or in person at your local Labor office. You cannot file a claim over the phone.
To begin a claim, you must be able to provide your driver’s license or social security number, and your work history for the past two years.
As noted earlier, you’ll also need a solid reason to have quit your job and still qualify for good cause unemployment benefits. The online legal resource Nolo details some viable reasons to quit for good cause:
Constructive discharge: Being forced to resign because of intolerable working conditions. Some of these reasons could include:
Constant sexual harassment
Dangerous working conditions that your employer refused to remedy
A manager demands that you commit an illegal act
Medical reasons such as illness, injury or disability
You left one job to take a new job, which ended up falling through or not materializing. This instance would need proof that the new job didn’t pan out.
Domestic violence
To care for a family member who is seriously ill
