Military spouses get jobless aid
Tennessee will begin paying jobless benefits to the spouses of those in the military if they quit their job to follow their spouse to a new job, state Labor Commissioner Karla Davis announced last week. In most cases, voluntarily quitting a job makes an applicant ineligible for unemployment benefits.
“This expansion of eligibility for unemployment is the right thing to do in supporting Tennessee’s military families whom are often affected by military transfers,” Davis said.
The benefit change was approved by the Legislature earlier this year at an anticipated cost of $278,000 to become available to claimants in July.
Tennessee is the 12th state to provide jobless benefits to spouses of those in the military who quit their jobs when his or her spouse is relocated.
“Tennessee is leding the way in showing how our military families should be treated,” said state Sen. Tim Barnes, D-Adams, one of the sponsors of the legislation.