Additional emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) benefits
Frequently asked questions
Q. What do I have to do to get the additional Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits?
A. Nothing. If you are currently filing weekly claims, continue to do so.
If you are receiving EUC now or you ran out of EUC, we will send you a new Statement of Wages and Hours in the next week showing the new amount of EUC you’re potentially eligible to receive.
The new Statement will show the total amount of EUC you are eligible for at this time. You must deduct EUC already paid to you to know how much is now available.
Q. I stopped claiming because I ran out of my original EUC benefits. Do I need to send in a new EUC application or reopen my claim to get these additional EUC benefits?
A. No. If you already applied for EUC, no new application is required. The additional EUC amount will be automatically added to your EUC benefits.
We automatically reopened your claim the week starting Sunday, November 23. This is the first week you can receive the additional EUC benefits.
The additional EUC benefits cannot be paid for any weeks before the week ending November 29, 2008.
File a weekly claim for the week ending Saturday, November 29.
Please:
1) Use the Internet to file your weekly claim if at all possible. Our phone lines continue to be very busy.
2) If you attempted to claim Sunday, November 30, or Monday, December 1, and are not given the weekly claim option, try again Wednesday, December 3, or Thursday, December 4, but no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 5.
Then file your weekly claims as you normally do.
Q. My original EUC ended in October but I continued to filing my weekly claim. Will I be paid for those back weeks?
A. No. The additional EUC benefits cannot be paid for any week before the week ending November 29. If you are currently claiming, but not being paid EUC because you ran out of EUC benefits, continue to file your weekly claim.
Q. Do you expect a long delay in getting these additional benefits?
A. No. We’re updating our automated system to add the additional benefits to your account. It’s going to take a week or two so please be patient.
Q. I heard there are up to 20 additional weeks of EUC available. What does that mean?
A. The original EUC was for up to 13 weeks. The recent amendment adds up to another 7 weeks of EUC for a total of up to 20 weeks. This is called “Tier 1” EUC in the federal law.
There is also a “Tier 2” of EUC providing up to another additional 13 weeks of EUC if you use all your Tier 1 benefits and Washington’s unemployment remains high.
If Tier 2 is available when you run out of Tier 1, we will notify you.
