Recap of Today’s COVID-19 News and Updates

Unemployment numbers: During the week of April 19-25, there were 1,455,908 total claims for unemployment benefits filed by Washingtonians for unemployment benefits, according to the Employment Security Department (ESD).  

In addition, during the week of April 19-25, ESD paid out over $988 million (an increase of $811.2 million from the previous week) to a total of 504,407 claims (an increase of 151,498 from the previous week). An individual can file more than one claim, so the number of claims does not equate to individuals   

Since the week ending March 7 when COVID-19 job losses began:  

  • A total of 787,533 distinct individuals have filed for unemployment insurance  

  • ESD has paid out nearly $1.5 billion in benefits to Washingtonians to more than 500,000 Washingtonians   

Statement from Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine on adjudication: It is our agency’s number one priority to get benefits to those people who are eligible for some form of unemployment assistance and who are still waiting. These are the four things we’re doing right now to address this issue:  

  1. Getting people who are eligible to be paid to take action. Tens of thousands of people have not filed their weekly claim, or do not know they are should apply for expanded unemployment benefits under the federal CARES Act. Targeted emails will remind them to take these important steps.  

  2. Reaching out to those in adjudication for various reasons and updating them on the work we are doing to resolve their situation.  

  3. Bulk-clearing certain issues when we can. For example, people who noted that they are a student as well as an employee, typically must show that they have enough hours in their week outside of school available to work. With most schools cancelled, this is an issue we have been able bulk-clear from many applicants, speeding up the process for many of those folks to be paid.  

  4. Bringing on more customer service staff to both help people across the state process their claims and get through on the phones and free up our adjudicators to do the specialized work of resolving claims issues. We’ve more than tripled our claims staff and we continue to hire, so please go to esd.wa.gov/esdjobs to see current postings.  

We know people are struggling all across the state and many are in desperate situations. These are our friends, neighbors and families. I am so sorry that we haven’t been able to provide everyone with relief when they need it and we will continue to work hard to eliminate this backlog and get money to all those who are eligible as quickly as possible.

Read the full statement. 

Statewide News 

Inslee announces infusion of federal testing supplies to support COVID-19 response: Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement today in response to the news that the federal government will be invoking the Defense Production Act in order to increase available testing supplies for states.  

Gov. Inslee unveils diversified language plan: Gov. Jay Inslee issued a memo to state agencies detailing a new language access plan that will ensure state agencies can provide vital COVID-19 information to individuals with disabilities and with limited English proficiency. The Spanish link can be found here. The state Department of Health, in coordination with the state Joint Information Center, has made COVID-19 health information available in at least 26 languages and has produced an American Sign Language COVID-19 video series.    

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler extends deadline for property insurance claims with building repairs deadlines. Read the full release. 

100 Days, A Grim Milestone: April 29 marked 100 days since the first COVID-19 case in the United States was diagnosed. The Washington State Department of Health, along with many partners, began the initial response to this global pandemic. Read more about this milestone and others related to this global pandemic. 

Translated resources  

Spanish blog: DOH’s daily Spanish blog covers when you should go to the emergency room. Read more at BienestarWA.  

Resources  

TVW: Find links to past and future coverage regarding COVID-19 and resources from our partners at https://www.tvw.org/covid-19/  

TVW has posted two new episodes in its series, “The Impact: Road to Recovery,” which discusses how businesses and workers can navigate their way through the COVID-19 pandemic. All the shows are archived on TVW. Recent episodes include:  

Washington 211 COVID-19 Call Center: Do you need information or answers to your questions and concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)? You can call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help. You can also text the word “Coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on your phone wherever you are. You will receive links to the latest information on COVID-19, including county-level updates, and resources for families, businesses, students, and more.  

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CHA Washington