No, in Ohio you cannot collect unemployment if you were fired or quit over vaccine requirement

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Unemployment and vaccination status.

You may have recently seen misinformation on your social media feeds about this.

In one viral post alone, a Facebook user suggests you can collect unemployment if you're fired for not getting vaccinated. 

The post says if your employer is “mandating pokes,” meaning the COVID-19 vaccine, “Do not quit. Make them fire you.” It goes on to say, “that way, you get unemployment benefits.”

While Facebook has already flagged this as being partly false, let's take a look at this in Ohio.

THE QUESTION 

Are you eligible for unemployment if you quit or are fired from a job that requires a COVID vaccine and you did not get it?

THE SOURCE

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services

THE ANSWER 

No. 

WHAT WE FOUND

According to an ODJFS spokesman, in Ohio, unemployment insurance is available for people who are unemployed due to no fault of their own.
In general - if you were to voluntarily leave a job, then you are not eligible for unemployment.

Across the country and here in Ohio, some workplaces are requiring employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine as part of the company's policy.

According to ODJFS: "Someone who was terminated for cause (violation of company policy, for example) would not be eligible for unemployment insurance. Each application for unemployment is reviewed to determine eligibility based on the specific details of the situation."

So we can verify that no, in Ohio you cannot get unemployment if you quit or were fired for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine and your employer required it as part of company policy.