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OESC Seeks Domestic Abuse Employment Changes In Legislative Session

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission will ask lawmakers to consider a number of changes to its statutes during the upcoming legislative session, commission members were told Tuesday.

Among those changes, John Miley, OESC general counsel, told the commissioners will be an amendment that allows victims of domestic violence who have been forced to leave their jobs and apply for unemployment benefits to provide evidence, particularly testimony, rather than documentation in appeals before hearing officers.

Miley said sometimes there are no documents to support the claim that domestic violence forced an individual to leave their job, often when they completely relocate, but that there usually is other evidence, often including testimony from the person’s former employer.

“It is important that we allow this to protect not only the victim but their former employer and their employees from possible violence,” Miley said.

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