Training-Benefits Program
The Training Benefits Program allows those eligible for the program to extend their unemployment benefits while training for careers in high-demand fields. Training benefits are additional unemployment benefits that can pay up to 52 times your unemployment weekly benefit amount, minus any regular unemployment benefits paid to you.For example:
- If we pay you 26 weeks of regular benefits, we can pay you 26 weeks of training benefits.
- If we pay you 20 weeks of regular benefits, we can pay you 32 weeks of training benefits.
You will not receive training benefits until your regular and emergency unemployment compensation benefits (EUC) run out - although you must apply for them early in your claim (see timeframes below). You can receive training benefits until they run out or your approved training ends – whichever comes first.
If approved for training benefits, you do not have to look for work as long as you are enrolled and making satisfactory progress in your training program.
Training benefits do not pay for books, tuition or school-related fees; they are simply extra weeks of unemployment benefits paid during the time you are in training.
You must meet deadlines to submit your Training Benefit Application and enrol in training. These deadlines start from the date you get the Unemployment Claims Kit in the mail. This Kit tells you about training benefits and is mailed to you when you open your unemployment claim.
For unemployment claims effective before April 5, 2009:
- You have 60 calendar days to turn in a Training Benefits Application after receiving your Unemployment Claims Kit in the mail.
- You have 90 calendar days to enroll in training after receiving your Unemployment Claims Kit in the mail, or as soon as possible if we decide the training is not available within 90 days.
- We will deny training benefits if you do not meet these deadlines.
For unemployment claims effective April 5, 2009, or later:
- You have 90 calendar days to turn in a Training Benefits Application after receiving your Unemployment Claims Kit in the mail.
- You have 120 calendar days to enroll in training after receiving your Unemployment Claims Kit in the mail, or as soon as possible if we decide the training is not available within 120 days.
- We will deny training benefits if you do not meet these deadlines, unless you show good cause.
If you return to work after opening your unemployment claim and get laid off again, the deadlines start over beginning with the date you reopen your unemployment claim.
To potentially qualify for training benefits, you must:
- Have a current unemployment claim (applied for within the past 12 months);
- Submit a Training Benefits Application within 60 or 90 days as explained above (plus 5 days mailing) of filing your new claim or reopening a claim after returning to work and then becoming unemployed;
- Be eligible for or have exhausted your regular unemployment benefits;
- Have a long-term work history in a declining occupation or using a particular skill; and
- Be unlikely to return to work because your occupation or skills are no longer in demand in your local labor market, as determined by your local workforce development council.
- Not have received training benefits within the past five years.
Note: If your unemployment claim starts April 5, 2009, or later, the “long-term work history” requirement above does not apply.
For claims filed effective September 13, 2009, and after, you may be eligible for training benefits if we establish you are:
- A low-income worker and are likely to earn more after receiving training.
- Currently in the Washington National Guard and need training to find suitable work.
- Honorably discharged from the Washington National Guard or military in the last 12 months and need training to find suitable work.
- A person with a disability and we decide you are unable to return to work in your customary occupation.
An approved training program is a course of education that:
- Is full-time, as determined by the school or training facility;
- If your unemployment claim starts April 5, 2009, or later and you have a disability that prevents full-time training, we may be able to approve training benefits for part-time training.
- Is at a school or training facility, and in a training program on the Eligible Training Provider List approved by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board;
- Provides you with skills that will allow you to get a job in an occupation that is in high demand in your labor market, as determined by your local workforce development council; and
- Is not primarily intended to meet the requirements of a bachelor or higher degree.
To apply for training benefits:
Call the telecenter at 800-318-6022 and ask for a Training Benefits Application Packet, contact your nearest WorkSource Office, or download and print a packet online.Mail your completed application to:
King County TeleCenter
Training Benefits Unit
PO Box 47076
Seattle, WA 98146-7076
You can also drop off your completed application at the nearest WorkSource office.
We will send you a written decision telling you if we allowed or denied your training request. If you fail to meet any of the training-benefits eligibility requirements, we will deny your request. Please refer to the appeals section to learn how to appeal a written denial of benefits.
We require you to send in progress reports while you are in training to show you are meeting the requirements. We will deny your benefits if you fail to provide the progress reports or are not meeting the requirements.
If you have been approved for training benefits and need to make any modification to your approved training plan, you must complete the Request to Modify Training Plan form. Failing to receive our approval for modifying your training plan could result in a denial and overpayment of benefits.
