Will be asked to come back to work - wife cannot due to children

Question

Due to COVID-19 all schools were closed (At least here in MI - I am certain everywhere). My wife's work is starting to ask when she will return. Unfortunately she has to become our 3 daughter's teacher - at least until the end of June. Our schools are participating in Remote School (Schoology) and the student's pass or fail depends on their attendance. We have a small pre-k and kindergartner as well as a ten year old, we aren't talking about self sufficient teens here - these kids are young.

In any event I know if an employee refuses to go back to work they can be terminated and lose unemployment benefits. However, I have also read that parents who have kids are entitled to unemployment during these rough times due to COVID-19 and remote school. If my wife comes into contact with someone who has these symptoms she could easily bring it home - not ideal.

How can we maintain unemployment benefits at least until the end of June without having the fear of losing both employment at her job and unemployment benefits?

Answer 1

According to the Michigan Dept. of Labor & Economic Opportunity, there are expanded eligibility criteria for unemployment insurance during the COVID-19 crisis. This expansion of unemployment benefits was part of the Federal CARES Act passed in late March. These expanded criteria may cover your wife:

Individuals are eligible for PUA [Pandemic Unemployment Assistance] if they do not qualify for regular UI benefits (including self-employed workers and independent contractors) and cannot work because they:

• Are diagnosed COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms and are seeking diagnosis;
• Have a member of the household who is diagnosed with COVID-19;
• Are providing care for a family or household member diagnosed with COVID-19;
• Are the primary caregiver for a child whose school or care facility closed, due to COVID-19;
• Are unable to reach their place of employment due to an imposed quarantine, or because advised by medical provider to self-quarantine, due to COVID-19;
• Were scheduled to start new employment and cannot reach the workplace as direct result of COVID-19;
• Became the major breadwinner because the head of household died from COVID-19;
• Quit their job as a direct result of COVID-19;
• Had their place of employment closed as a direct result of COVID-19; or
• Meet any additional criteria specified by U.S. Secretary of Labor. Individuals are not eligible for PUA if they can telework or are receiving paid sick leave or other paid leave benefits (regardless of meeting a category listed above).

According to this fact sheet, you can apply for PUA if you are denied regular benefits:

When and How to File for PUA

New claimants or claimants who have been denied regular state unemployment benefits (as of January 27, 2020) may apply online using the PUA application available in the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) at michigan.gov/uia.