If employee is fired for refusing vaccine, can he still collect unemployment?

As more employers mandate the vaccine for their workers (see page 1), some employees are asking an important question: If I'm fired for refusing my company's vaccine mandate, would I still qualify for unemployment?

In general, the answer is "no." Unemployment benefits are a state-run program, and most states have rules saying that workers are not eligible for unemployment if they are fired for violating a company policy, because it is considered misconduct.

So if you have a vaccine mandate policy and the consequences for violating it are clear, employees wouldn't be eligible for UI benefits unless they are exempt from the policy for religious or medical reasons.

Tips: Any unemployment claim may look at...