Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) - May 24, 2011

In 2007, the Washington legislature decided that self-employment assistance programs help unemployed individuals and create new businesses and job opportunities. RCW 50.20.250 allows unemployment insurance (UI) claimants identified as likely to exhaust their regular UI benefits the opportunity to enroll in self-employment training while continuing to receive their unemployment benefits.

We mail the eligibility letter to all potentially eligible claimants after they apply for unemployment and file their first weekly claim for benefits.

If you did not receive the SEAP eligibility letter, we will deny your application for SEAP and mail you a student eligibility questionnaire to complete and return.  An individual must be immediately able and available for full-time work and be actively seeking work to be eligible for benefits, or else be enrolled in training approved by the Employment Security Department.  If you attend training without approval, your eligibility for benefits might be affected.

It can take up to 3 weeks to process your application and mail a decision to you.

Filing weekly claims while participating in SEAP is the same as for regular benefits: use the Internet or call the weekly claims line. If you have self-employment earnings, you must report the net amount on your weekly claim (net earnings are gross earnings minus expenses) for the week you earn it, even if you receive the pay at a later date.

To maintain your eligibility for benefits while in approved training, you must make satisfactory progress in training as defined in WAC 192-270-065. We will mail you a Satisfactory Progress Report form every six weeks and your training provider must sign the form confirming your enrollment, attendance, active participation and that you are passing certification examinations within the time frame established under your approved training plan.

You do not have to look for work while in training, as long as you are making satisfactory progress in the program. If you complete or withdraw from your training program, you must start looking for work to continue to be eligible for unemployment benefits.

If you have a balance of benefits available when you complete your training, you can continue to file for benefits. You must actively seek work that is "covered" by unemployment insurance, be able to work, and be available for work in order to maintain your eligibility to receive benefits. Specifically, that means you must work for wages. Your self-employment must become a secondary activity to wage-earning employment and, if you work a total of 40 hours in "covered" employment or your self-employment, then you are considered employed and ineligible for benefits for that week. State regulation (WAC 192-200-055(2)) says for SEAP participants: If you complete your training program before your unemployment benefits run out, you are no longer eligible for benefits unless you meet the availability for work and job search requirements of the law (RCW 50.20.010 (1)(c)).

Claimants identified through worker profiling with a score of 30 or higher are considered likely to exhaust benefits for the purposes of SEAP and Commissioner-Approved Training (CAT).  We update profile scores yearly.

The profile score (between "0" and "100") is based on labor market information and other specific elements gathered during the initial claim process.  When all of this information is combined and weighted to the local economy, the result determines your profile score (see WAC 192-180-060).  The higher the profile score that you receive, the greater likelihood of exhausting your unemployment benefits.

The profile score is determined by:

• Education level
• County where you live
• Your primary occupation  (the occupation showing the largest amount of earnings in your recent work year)
• The industry in which you received the most earnings in your recent work
• Local unemployment rate

Individuals who do not receive a profile score can apply for SEAP, but will likely be denied and have the right of appeal.  However, if you feel there is a valid reason and there is evidence for an exception, please call the Training Benefit Unit at 877-600-7701.

Some programs are not available to all applicants, as enrollment may be limited to low-income applicants. Therefore, you should review the specific eligibility requirements of the training provider to see if you qualify for its program.

You can always request a change in your training plan.  Whether it can be approved depends on individual circumstances.

Some training providers may offer financial aid, loans or business start-up funding to assist you.  Please review the financial resource information of the training provider for further information.