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Under Alabama Law, you may be disqualified for benefits (or have delayed benefits) if: 1. You voluntarily quit your job without a good cause connected to your work. Quitting your job for a personal reason – e.g. lack of transportation, moving farther from your workplace, and so on – is not considered a work-connected cause. 2. You were fired from your job for work-related misconduct. The seriousness of the misconduct, whether you received any prior warnings, and/or if steps were taken to correct the behavior prior to the discharge will affect benefits. Example: If an individual is fired from a job for committing a criminal act, the disqualification would require wages reported by that employer to be removed from the individual’s base period wage file. 3. You become unemployed due to a work stoppage resulting from a labor dispute. A work stoppage is similar to a strike. In general, individuals are disqualified for the week(s) they are unemployed due to a work stoppage resulting from a labor dispute.

NON-SEPARATION ELIGIBILITY ISSUES Non-separation eligibility issues are those related to anything other than the reason you’re no longer working. You must meet the following requirements to stay eligible for unemployment benefits (If you don’t, you may face a non-separation eligibility issue). 1. You must be available for work during each week that you apply to receive benefits. You must be able to work, available to go to work, and actively looking for work in your trade or industry. You’re not eligible to file a claim if you live outside the United States. 2. You must be able to work to qualify for benefits. If sickness or injury prevents you from working, you'll remain ineligible for benefits until you can provide proof that you're able to work. 3. You must participate in or report to fact-finding interviews, profile interviews, eligibility reviews, and register with the Employment Service, as instructed. If you don’t participate in or report to appointments or interviews, benefits may be denied. While receiving unemployment benefits, you may be asked to participate in an eligibility review interview. When you make your telephone call or go online to file your weekly certification, you may be instructed to answer eligibility questions. This eligibility review interview will be conducted prior to filing your weekly certification. 4. You must actively look for work each week that you apply for benefits. Review the Work Search Requirements section of this handbook for more details about what we consider actively searching for work. 5. You cannot turn down job offers. Benefits can be delayed if you don't respond to a call-in notice from the Alabama Career Center regarding a possible job referral. If you refuse a referral, don't keep an appointment with a prospective employer, or turn down suitable work, benefits may be delayed or denied. We determine job suitability based on your past training and experience, the details of the job, and the local labor market. Report any job referrals or refusals to the UC Claimant Inquiry Line right away. 6. You must immediately report all income to us. Follow the instructions discussed further in the “How to File Your Weekly Certification” section of this handbook. Certain types of payments such as wages, vacation pay, holiday pay, workers’ compensation pay, sick pay, and others may disqualify you from getting benefits. 7. If you are not a United States citizen, you must provide your alien registration number as documentation of your permission to work in the United States. We’ll verify your alien registration number with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). If the USCIS indicates that you're not authorized to work in the United Sates, we cannot pay you unemployment benefits. An unemployment claim cannot be established using any wages you earned before you had authorization to work. 8. If you attend GED classes, college, or a vocational school, you may be able to receive benefits as long as you make yourself available for suitable work. This may mean you change the hours of your classes or quit school. If you are a regular, full-time student attending high school, you are not eligible for benefits. 9. If you are currently enrolled in Department approved training, you must stay enrolled and make progress toward completing your training. As long as you stay enrolled and make good progress, your benefits won't be impacted. You can ask about available training courses and enrollment qualifications at a local Alabama Career Center.