Has your employee filed an Unemployment Claim in the State of Washington? Here's what you need to know.
Upon employee separation and when an Unemployment Claim is filed by your former employee, you will receive a "Request for Separation Information" letter from Washington State Employment Security Department. You must respond within 9 calendar days.
Standby
Requesting that your employee be on standby will waive the job search requirements while the employee is collecting unemployment benefits. Standby allows for the former employee to be available for work during the standby period when needed.
A standby employee is one that is expected to return to work once work is available. To qualify for standby, the employee must have a probable date at which he or she may return to work. The former employee must also have been a full-time employee and is expected to return to work with full-time hours. Standby cannot exceed a total of eight weeks on a claim.
Employment Security will either approve or deny standby. If approved, standby starts with the date the request is received. If denied, the decision may be appealed.
Vera Likhonin, EA