1 in 5 Washington workers have filed unemployment claims

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — One in five workers in Washington have filed unemployment benefit claims since March, and nearly $1.5 billion in benefits have been paid out in that time frame, including federal money that has increased weekly payments in response to the coronavirus pandemic, state officials said Thursday.

Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine said that of the 787,533 people who have filed for benefits since March 7, more than half a million who have filed an initial claim since the pandemic began have been paid.

Of the more than 283,000 people who have not yet received benefits, about a third have an issue on their application that needs to be resolved before they can receive benefits, with the remainder either having filed their initial application but not a weekly claim, or those who were previously rejected and haven't applied since a federal package made them eligible.

LeVine said the agency is working to contact those who have been approved but who haven't yet filed a weekly claim, as well as those previously rejected who are now eligible under the federal program. She also said more people are being hired to help expedite claims held up due to questions about their application.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/1-in-5-washington-workers-have-filed-unemployment-claims/ar-BB13qQpH?ocid=hplocalnews