§ 43:21-5 — Disqualification for benefits.

43:21-5. An individual shall be disqualified for benefits: (a) For the week in which the individual has left work voluntarily without good cause attributable to such work, and for each week thereafter until the individual becomes reemployed and works eight weeks in employment, which may include employment for the federal government, and has earned in employment at least ten times the individual's weekly benefit rate, as determined in each case. This subsection shall apply to any individual seeking unemployment benefits on the basis of employment in the production and harvesting of agricultural crops, including any individual who was employed in the production and harvesting of agricultural crops on a contract basis and who has refused an offer of continuing work with that employer following the completion of the minimum period of work required to fulfill the contract. This subsection shall not apply to an individual who voluntarily leaves work with one employer to accept from another employer employment which commences not more than seven days after the individual leaves employment with the first employer, if the employment with the second employer has weekly hours or pay not less than the hours or pay of the employment of the first employer, except that if the individual gives notice to the first employer that the individual will leave employment on a specified date and the first employer terminates the individual before that date, the seven-day period will commence from the specified date. (b) For the week in which the individual has been suspended or discharged for misconduct connected with the work, and for the five weeks which immediately follow that week, as determined in each case. "Misconduct" means conduct which is improper, intentional, connected with the individual's work, within the individual's control, not a good faith error of judgment or discretion, and is either a deliberate refusal, without good cause, to comply with the employer's lawful and reasonable rules made known to the employee or a deliberate disregard of standards of behavior the employer has a reasonable right to expect, including reasonable safety standards and reasonable standards for a workplace free of drug and substance use. In the event the discharge should be rescinded by the employer voluntarily or as a result of mediation or arbitration, this subsection (b) shall not apply, provided, however, an individual who is restored to employment with back pay shall return any benefits received under this chapter for any week of unemployment for which the individual is subsequently compensated by the employer. If the discharge was for gross misconduct connected with the work because of the commission of an act punishable as a crime of the first, second, third or fourth degree under the "New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice," N.J.S.2C:1-1 et seq., the individual shall be disqualified in accordance with the disqualification prescribed in subsection (a) of this section and no benefit rights shall accrue to any individual based upon wages from that employer for services rendered prior to the day upon which the individual was discharged. The director shall ensure that any appeal of a determination holding the individual disqualified for gross misconduct in connection with the work shall be expeditiously processed by the appeal tribunal. To sustain disqualification from benefits because of misconduct under this subsection (b), the burden of proof is upon the employer, who shall, prior to a determination by the department of misconduct, provide written documentation demonstrating that the employee's actions constitute misconduct or gross misconduct. Nothing within this subsection (b) shall be construed to interfere with the exercise of rights protected under the "National Labor Relations Act," (29 U.S.C. s.151 et seq.) or the "New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act," P.L.1941, c.100 (C.34:13A-1 et seq.). (c) If it is found that the individual has failed, without good cause, either to apply for available, suitable work when so directed by the employment office or the director or to accept suitable work when it is offered, or to return to the individual's customary self-employment (if any) when so directed by the director. The disqualification shall continue for the week in which the failure occurred and for the three weeks which immediately follow that week, as determined: (1) In determining whether or not any work is suitable for an individual, consideration shall be given to the degree of risk involved to health, safety, and morals, the individual's physical fitness and prior training, experience and prior earnings, the individual's length of unemployment and prospects for securing local work in the individual's customary occupation, and the distance of the available work from the individual's residence. In the case of work in the production and harvesting of agricultural crops, the work shall be deemed to be suitable without regard to the distance of the available work from the individual's residence if all costs of transportation are provided to the individual and the terms and conditions of hire are as favorable or more favorable to the individual as the terms and conditions of the individual's base year employment. (2) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, no work shall be deemed suitable and benefits shall not be denied under this chapter to any otherwise eligible individual for refusing to accept new work under any of the following conditions: the position offered is vacant due directly to a strike, lockout, or other labor dispute; the remuneration, hours, or other conditions of the work offered are substantially less favorable to the individual than those prevailing for similar work in the locality; or, the individual, as a condition of being employed, would be required to join a company union or to resign from or refrain from joining any bona fide labor organization. (d) If it is found that this unemployment is due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment or other premises at which the individual is or was last employed, except as otherwise provided by this subsection (d). (1) No disqualification under this subsection (d) shall apply if it is shown that: (i) The individual is not participating in or financing or directly interested in the labor dispute which caused the stoppage of work; and (ii) The individual does not belong to a grade or class of workers of which, immediately before the commencement of the stoppage, there were members employed at the premises at which the stoppage occurs, any of whom are participating in or financing or directly interested in the dispute; provided that if in any case in which subparagraphs (i) or (ii) of this paragraph (1) applies, separate branches of work which are commonly conducted as separate businesses in separate premises are conducted in separate departments of the same premises, each department shall, for the purpose of this subsection, be deemed to be a separate factory, establishment, or other premises. (2) For any claim for a period of unemployment commencing on or after December 1, 2004 due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment or other premises at which the individual is or was last employed, no disqualification under this subsection (d) shall apply if it is shown that the individual has been prevented from working by the employer, even though the individual's recognized or certified majority representative has directed the employees in the individual's collective bargaining unit to work under the preexisting terms and conditions of employment, and, if the period of unemployment commenced before January 1, 2022, the employees had not engaged in a strike immediately before being prevented from working, or if the a period of unemployment commenced on or after January 1, 2022, whether or not the employees had engaged in a strike immediately before being prevented from working. (3) For any claim for a period of unemployment commencing on or after July 1, 2018 due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment or other premises at which the individual is or was last employed, no disqualification under this subsection (d) shall apply if an issue in the labor dispute is a failure or refusal of the employer to comply with an agreement or contract between the employer and the claimant, including a collective bargaining agreement with a union representing the claimant, or a failure or refusal to comply with a State or federal law pertaining to hours, wages, or other conditions of work. (4) For any claim for a period of unemployment commencing on or after July 1, 2018 and before January 1, 2022, if the unemployment is caused by a labor dispute, including a strike or other concerted activities of employees at the claimant's workplace, whether or not authorized or sanctioned by a union representing the claimant, but not including a dispute subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) or (3) of this subsection (d), the claimant shall not be provided benefits for a period of the first 30 days following the commencement of the unemployment caused by the labor dispute, except that the period without benefits shall not apply if the employer hires a permanent replacement worker for the claimant's position. A replacement worker shall be presumed to be permanent unless the employer certifies in writing that the claimant will be permitted to return to his or her prior position upon conclusion of the dispute. If the employer does not permit the return, the claimant shall be entitled to recover any benefits lost as a result of the 30-day waiting period before receiving benefits, and the department may impose a penalty upon the employer of up to $750 per employee per week of benefits lost. The penalty collected shall be paid into the unemployment compensation auxiliary fund established pursuant to subsection (g) of R.S.43:21-14. For any claim for a period of unemployment commencing on or after January 1, 2022 due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment or other premises at which the individual is or was last employed, including a strike or other concerted activities of employees at the claimant's workplace, whether or not authorized or sanctioned by a union representing the claimant, but not including a dispute subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) or (3) of this subsection (d), the claimant shall not be provided benefits for a period of the first 14 days following the commencement of the unemployment caused by the labor dispute, except that the claimant shall be provided benefits during any part of that the 14-day period in which the employer engages the services of a replacement worker for the claimant's position, whether that replacement worker is engaged on a permanent or temporary basis, or is an existing worker reassigned permanently or temporarily from other duties to perform the duties of the claimant's position. For any claim for a period of unemployment commencing on or after January 1, 2022 which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment or other premises at which the individual is or was last employed, if the labor dispute has not resulted in a stoppage of work, no disqualification under this subsection (d) shall apply, and the 14-day waiting period in this paragraph (4) shall not apply. (e) For any week with respect to which the individual is receiving or has received remuneration in lieu of notice. (f) For any week with respect to which or a part of which the individual has received or is seeking unemployment benefits under an unemployment compensation law of any other state or of the United States; provided that if the appropriate agency of the other state or of the United States finally determines that the individual is not entitled to unemployment benefits, this disqualification shall not apply. (g) (1) For a period of one year from the date of the discovery by the division of the illegal receipt or attempted receipt of benefits contrary to the provisions of this chapter, as the result of any false or fraudulent representation; provided that any disqualification may be appealed in the same manner as any other disqualification imposed hereunder; and provided further that a conviction in the courts of this State arising out of the illegal receipt or attempted receipt of these benefits in any proceeding instituted against the individual under the provisions of this chapter or any other law of this State shall be conclusive upon the appeals tribunal and the board of review. (2) A disqualification under this subsection shall not preclude the prosecution of any civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding to enforce other provisions of this chapter for the assessment and collection of penalties or the refund of any amounts collected as benefits under the provisions of R.S.43:21-16, or to enforce any other law, where an individual obtains or attempts to obtain by theft or robbery or false statements or representations any money from any fund created or established under this chapter or any negotiable or nonnegotiable instrument for the payment of money from these funds, or to recover money erroneously or illegally obtained by an individual from any fund created or established under this chapter. (h) (1) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter (R.S.43:21-1 et seq.), no otherwise eligible individual shall be denied benefits for any week because the individual is in training approved under section 236(a)(1) of the "Trade Act of 1974," Pub.L.93-618 (19 U.S.C. s.2296 (a)(1)) nor shall the individual be denied benefits by reason of leaving work to enter this training, provided the work left is not suitable employment, or because of the application to any week in training of provisions in this chapter (R.S.43:21-1 et seq.), or any applicable federal unemployment compensation law, relating to availability for work, active search for work, or refusal to accept work. (2) For purposes of this subsection (h), the term "suitable" employment means, with respect to an individual, work of a substantially equal or higher skill level than the individual's past adversely affected employment, as defined for purposes of the "Trade Act of 1974," Pub.L.93-618 (19 U.S.C. s.2101 et seq.) and wages for this work at not less than 80 percent of the individual's average weekly wage, as determined for the purposes of the "Trade Act of 1974." (i) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2024, c.102) (j) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter (R.S.43:21-1 et seq.), no otherwise eligible individual shall be denied benefits because the individual left work or was discharged due to circumstances resulting from the individual being a victim of domestic violence as defined in section 3 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-19). No employer's account shall be charged for the payment of benefits to an individual who left work due to circumstances resulting from the individual being a victim of domestic violence. For the purposes of this subsection (j), the individual shall be treated as being a victim of domestic violence if the individual provides one or more of the following: (1) A restraining order or other documentation of equitable relief issued by a court of competent jurisdiction; (2) A police record documenting the domestic violence; (3) Documentation that the perpetrator of the domestic violence has been convicted of one or more of the offenses enumerated in section 3 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-19); (4) Medical documentation of the domestic violence; (5) Certification from a certified Domestic Violence Specialist or the director of a designated domestic violence agency that the individual is a victim of domestic violence; or (6) Other documentation or certification of the domestic violence provided by a social worker, member of the clergy, shelter worker or other professional who has assisted the individual in dealing with the domestic violence. For the purposes of this subsection (j): "Certified Domestic Violence Specialist" means a person who has fulfilled the requirements of certification as a Domestic Violence Specialist established by the New Jersey Association of Domestic Violence Professionals; and "designated domestic violence agency" means a county-wide organization with a primary purpose to provide services to victims of domestic violence, and which provides services that conform to the core domestic violence services profile as defined by the Division of Child Permanency and Protection in the Department of Children and Families and is under contract with the division for the express purpose of providing such services. (k) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter (R.S.43:21-1 et seq.), no otherwise eligible individual shall be denied benefits for any week in which the individual left work voluntarily and without good cause attributable to the work, if the individual left work to accompany his or her spouse who is an active member of the United States Armed Forces, as defined in N.J.S.38A:1-1(g), to a new place of residence outside the State, due to the armed forces member's transfer to a new assignment in a different geographical location outside the State, and the individual moves to the new place of residence not more than nine months after the spouse is transferred, and upon arrival at the new place of residence the individual was in all respects available for suitable work. No employer's account shall be charged for the payment of benefits to an individual who left work under the circumstances contained in this subsection (k), except that this shall not be construed as relieving the State of New Jersey and any other governmental entity or instrumentality or nonprofit organization electing or required to make payments in lieu of contributions from its responsibility to make all benefit payments otherwise required by law and from being charged for those benefits as otherwise required by law. amended 1939, c.94, s.2; 1945, c.73, s.1; 1945, c.308, s.1; 1950, c.172, s.3; 1961, c.43, s.3; 1967, c.30, s.3 1967, c.30, title amended 1967, c.286, s.12; 1968, c.1; 1974, c.86, s.3; 1980, c.90, s.12; 1982, c.144, s.6; 1984, c.24, s.3; 1985, c.508, s.3; 1999, c.391; 2005, c.103; 2007, c.162; 2010, c.37, s.2; 2015, c.41; 2018, c.83; 2018, c.112; 2023, c.37, s.1; 2023, c.177, s.126; 2024, c.102, s.3.