IDPH worker accused of Facebook privacy violation wins jobless benefits

An Iowa Department of Public Health worker fired for allegedly violating privacy guidelines through a Facebook post is entitled to collect unemployment benefits, a state judge has ruled.

Zhen Rammelsberg worked for IDPH as a full-time COVID-19 contact tracer beginning in September 2020, according to state records. She was fired on April 1 of this year after her direct supervisor, Claudia Becker, alleged she had posted to her Facebook page identifiable, confidential information about someone’s COVID-19 status.

But according to the administrative law judge who later reviewed the case to determine whether Rammelsberg was entitled to state unemployment benefits, the information Rammelsberg publicly posted was not work related.

Administrative Law Judge Jason Dunn found that the information posted to Facebook pertained to someone from out of state who had visited a restaurant after testing positive for COVID-19.

Read more: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/idph-worker-accused-of-facebook-privacy-violation-wins-jobless-benefits/