Resigning in PA to move to another state due to domestic issues.

(pittsburgh, PA)

I am resigning from my employer in PA due to personal reasons. I have been separated from my husband for almost three years but I m still being abused. So I have decided to take my children and move to GA where i have a grt support system.

My employer is aware of the circumstances (not in great detail) and they acknowledge there is nothing they can do to alleviate this problem so that I may stay in PA. I wrote my resignation letter to reflect personal reasons outside of work are causing my resignation and relocation.

I am nervous and anxious that PA will not approve my unemployment request.


Hi Anonymous,

Good question because this is not good cause in every state. It requires some type of provision which would allow benefits for a quit due to personal reasons not attributable to the employment.

Pensylvania has such a provision written write into the statutes which provides allowance of benefits for quitting due to "personal and compelling reasons".

The key word is "compelling". It requires you to show the compelling circumstances and to show that you made all reasonable attempts to preserve the employment. PA benefit eligibility.

I would suggest you have any police reports or medical reports ready to go .. to show the "why" you feel compelled.

If you are working for a private company (not a public or non profit) I believe the employer should be eligible to be non-charged for the separation. This would also hold true if the employer is a reimburser that has paid the yearly stipend required to be non-charged in PA, like a contributor employer. I'm mentioning this because employers often times fight unemployment on the merits, when they should be appealing the charges.

So do you think you have what you need to show your reason for quitting is compelling enough for the state?

For other states, one should BEGIN researching this issue byclicking the current year, then going to Nonmonetary eligibility - Table 5-2. It's a list of common reasons for quitting and a state by state chart indicating if a state has a provision or how they deal with the issue.

WARNING: If a provision is indicated it does not necessarily indicate the provision is beneficial. You need to read the statute to make sure.