Kelly v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review

**Kelly v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review: What Workers Need to Know** This case involved a University of Pittsburgh employee named Kelly who quit her job due to religious objections to working with fetal tissue. When she applied for unemployment benefits, the state denied her claim, and she challenged that decision in court. The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled against Kelly and upheld the denial of her unemployment benefits. The court found that Kelly voluntarily resigned without showing she had a "necessitous and compelling" reason to quit – the legal standard required to receive unemployment benefits after quitting. Importantly, the court noted that Kelly never told her employer about her religious concerns or asked if they could accommodate her beliefs before she resigned. **What this means for workers:** If you're considering quitting your job due to religious beliefs or other personal objections, you generally won't qualify for unemployment benefits unless you first try to work things out with your employer. Before resigning, communicate your concerns to your supervisor or HR department and ask about possible accommodations. Simply quitting without giving your employer a chance to address the issue will likely disqualify you from receiving unemployment benefits, even if your reasons seem valid to you.