About to lose unemployment benefits next month? Washington won’t keep the program going
When Washington state’s big federally funded unemployment programs end next month, the state will not keep them going, Gov. Jay Inslee’s office said Wednesday.
“The state does not plan to create any additional fund to extend claims beyond existing programs. Our attention is focused on supporting Washingtonians with reemployment and increasing vaccination to ensure our economic recovery continues,” said spokesman Mike Faulk.
Major federally funded unemployment programs expire on the week ending Sept. 4.
That means as many as 200,000 Washington residents will lose their weekly benefits, which can now be as high as $929.
The programs were created throughout 2020 and earlier this year to help people who lost their jobs as a result of the covid-triggered economic downturn.
But Faulk noted that employment is recovering in Washington, “so while this number (of people who will be cut off) is an estimate based on current claimants, we expect it will likely will decrease further as we reach that date.”
The state’s unemployment rate in July was down to 5.1%, far from its peak of 16.3% in April 2020.
When the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program faced expiration in December, Inslee authorized a one-time payment of $550 for beneficiaries.
That payment went to more than 90,500 people and cost nearly $50 million. “To sustain a weekly benefit for claimants in this way requires congressional attention,” Faulk said.
He noted that unlike in many other states, Inslee is letting the program run until it expires. Several other governors ended it earlier.
“To adequately address continued claim payments to those not traditionally eligible for unemployment Insurance or individuals facing the completion of available claims weeks, we would need further congressional action,” Faulk said.
There’s been virtually no serious discussion about extending the benefits in Washington, D.C., and the Senate is not scheduled to return from its summer recess until Sept. 13. The House plans to meet next week, but unemployment extensions are currently not on the agenda.
Most frequently used of the expiring programs is the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, created last spring to help people who traditionally don’t qualify for regular unemployment insurance. Pandemic Unemployment beneficiaries can include independent contractors, small business owners, gig workers and others.
The Century Foundation, a progressive research group, estimates 71,803 Washington state residents could lose those benefits after the week ending Sept. 4.
Another 50,977 people in Washington could lose payments they receive from the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which also provides extension payments to people who have exhausted their regular benefits.
The state’s Employment Security Department has put the overall number closer to 200,000.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "About to lose unemployment benefits next month? Washington won’t keep the program going."
.jpg)