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Unemployment benefits are designed to provide unemployed workers with an income while they actively search for work. As long as you are actively searching for work and you haven’t exhausted your benefit weeks, you can collect your unemployment compensation during your benefit year. Most people will receive between 13 and 26 weeks of benefits for every base year. How many weeks you get will depend on how long you have been employed and how much you earned during your base year.
A benefit year comprises of 52 weeks from the date your first claim. Once you make a claim, you cannot make another claim in Washington State until your benefits year is over. Note that you will not be able to claim again even though you run out of benefits.
However, if you run out of your regular Washington State Unemployment benefits, you may qualify for one of the extended benefits available to long-term unemployed workers who cannot find work after their initial benefits run out. These programs include the Federal Extended Benefits Program, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program and the Federal $25 week stimulus.
Many of these programs have phased out, but Washington State is still accepting applications in case Congress approves a further extension of these Federally sponsored programs.
Although as of today there has not been an extension for these programs, everything indicates the extension will be approved as part of a broad tax cut deal between Republicans and Democrats. This extension would provide unemployed workers with up to 53 weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which would provide unemployed workers with up to 99 weeks of benefits. However, it will not provide additional unemployment insurance benefits. In other words, if you have already claimed your 99 weeks, or whatever your quota is, then you will not receive any additional unemployment benefits. This extension will only benefit those who are already eligible to receive the benefits but can’t because the program has phased out.
How long you will receive benefits for will depend on your personal circumstances, such as the starting date of your federal extended benefits, your eligibility and how many weeks you have already claimed in this base year.
To ask for specific information on your case call the Washington Employment Security Agency at 877-558-8509 and explain your situation. You cannot apply for extended benefits online so if you need to file for extended benefits take the time to visit your local employment office.
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