Merry COVID Christmas

I received a letter today letting me know that the $7800 I received in unemployment benefits I received the first few months of the pandemic were rejected by my previous employer. Epic Systems, the healthcare software provider, decided that in the middle of a pandemic, they wanted to continue to abuse their power to reject unemployment.

I did not quit my position. I was working on contract and in early April, when my current assignment ended, I was told there was no work for me. My focus was in billing and almost every Epic customer pulled their billing focused projects. It was unlikely they were going to receive anything new and weren’t going to look for me.

I understand contract employment means not always having work. But contract employment also means you can’t quit. My contract ended, they didn’t extend. There was no work to be found. I stopped collecting unemployment in July, not because I found new work, but because I no longer live in the US. I’m ineligible for my benefits.

I have filed an appeal. But I shouldn’t have to. We are living through unprecedented times. Even if I had quit, Epic would have deserved it. At every turn they continue to make choices that exploit their employees, the city of Madison, and the state of Wisconsin as a whole. If I live in a “right to work” state where at any point my employer can fire me without cause, I should also be able to walk away at any point and not sacrifice my livelihood to do it.