Am I able to receive back wages from my company that operates in the State of Maryland?

This company operates in the State of Maryland. The history of my situation is this: 1) Received performance appraisal on Jan 1, 2020, with a discussion of a merit increase, but no amount was discussed due to budget approval. 2) Company stopped operations during March and April due to COVID-19. Budget discussions were delayed. 3) I left employment on June 5, 2020, 4) Company approved budget on July 10, 2020, with merit increases retroactive to Jan 1. 5) Company denied me retro merit pay because I left before the budget was approved. They also claim that it is the policy the employee must be employed at the time of budget approval to receive retro pay. I am not aware of this policy.