State to ease processing of unemployment insurance claims

OLYMPIA — The state Employment Security Department, or ESD, will expedite the unemployment insurance claims application process and expand benefits and eligibility for unemployed workers who were previously deemed ineligible, according to Suzi LeVine, commissioner of the department.

Hundreds of thousands of people are out of work and looking for help from the ESD.

Gov. Jay Inslee said half a million unemployment insurance claims have been filed statewide since March.

LeVine said the Employment Security Department website will update and an expansion of the benefits and aid will be offered. The expansion will be paid for by federal funding from the passage of the CARES Act.

Hundreds of thousands of applicants who were previously deemed ineligible will be accepted upon reapplication. Self-employed workers, new employees who did not originally meet the minimum required hours for eligibility and part-time employees will be invited to reapply on the ESD website with their new eligibility.

LeVine also said weekly unemployment benefits will increase by $600 and will be available until the end of July. The maximum number of weeks that people can be provided with unemployment insurance benefits will expand from 26 to 39.

The website, LeVine said, will be stripped and streamlined to make applications easier to process. She said those who are eligible and accepted will receive their money in 5 to 7 days by mail, or 48 to 72 hours if they have direct deposit set up. Applicants will need to have recent wage documentation, such as a tax return or a 1099 form.

Those who cannot immediately produce wage documentation will receive the minimum benefits initially. Upon providing the proper documentation, individuals will be paid retroactively for the difference, LeVine said.