I am pregnant due late August/early September and was aiming to go on disability late July or August. But there is conflicts now that my company will be shutting down late June. From my understanding, disability will not start until my doctor says so. So in the meantime will I be able to apply for unemployment at around the same time? What should I do in this scenario?! Thank you!
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Around the same time, yes. At the same time, no.
When your company shuts down, you can apply for unemployment. However, you can only collect unemployment for as long as you would have been able to work if the company did not shut down. Once you become unable to work because of pregnancy or disability, you must stop collecting unemployment.
You collect unemployment from when the company shuts down until when you would have stopped working and gone on disability if the company did not shut down.
You start to collect disability the same time as you would have started collecting if the company did not shut down.
When you are able to go back to work (after the baby is born), you stop collecting disability. If you cannot find a job, then you start collecting unemployment again.
Unless you are high risk or in a job you can no longer work it, your doctor won’t put you on disability until a week, maybe two before your due date (appears that would be the Aug 20th or later).
If you are in a state that offers state short term disability (CA, HI, NJ, NY and one other that is slipping my mind right now)
– you would sign up for unemployment after your job closes down. To be eligible to receive unemployment, you must be actively looking for work and willing to accept work.
– then when the doctor signs you off for disability, you would switch to disability for this 6-8 week period.
– then back to unemployment.
If you aren’t in a state that has state short term disability, your private disability plan would probably not cover this pregnancy because you aren’t working. Although you can check with them to see what they cover in this situation.
While you are unable to work for the childbirth, you are never able to collect unemployment.
To be collecting unemployment, you must be able, available, and actively seeking fulltime work. If your doctor says you cannot work, then you cannot get unemployment. Is the disability a private policy, govt program, or through your job? Will you still be able to get disability if you are unemployed? Which pays more?
You could probably go on unemployment for a short while, suspend it while on disability, and then go back on it when you come off disability.
You don’t get to choose. If you’re able to work you can collect unemployment – and you’re not eligible for disability. If you’re unable to work, you cannot collect unemployment.
And, pregnancy and childbirth is NOT a disability – it’s a normal condition women have at certain points in their life.
You’ll want to check to see that your disability insurance covers maternity, and if so, for how long, and under what conditions. You flat out won’t qualify for unemployment, if you quit your job because you’re having a baby.