Rulemaking on Voluntarily Quitting Employment and Unemployment Benefits

​In 2023, the Governor signed House Bill 1106, which expanded the good cause reasons for voluntarily quitting employment set forth in RCW 50.20.050 and updated the employer benefit charging requirements set forth in RCW 50.29.021. 

Washington State House Bill 1106, passed in 2023, is an act concerning qualifications for unemployment insurance when an individual voluntarily leaves work. Here are the key points:

• The bill expands access to unemployment insurance benefits by adding circumstances where a person may voluntarily quit for good cause.
• The unemployment insurance (UI) system, administered by the Employment Security Department (ESD), is designed to provide partial wage replacement for unemployed workers.
• A claimant may voluntarily quit and maintain eligibility for benefits only under one of 12 specifically permitted “good cause” circumstances.
• This includes, for example, quitting due to illness or disability, or quitting due to safety issues that were unaddressed by the employer.
• The bill modifies Washington’s narrow list of “good cause” circumstances permitted under law and extends UI eligibility to workers that leave employment because of the death, illness, or disability of any family member, or when workers are unable to reconcile care obligations for a child or vulnerable adult. The bill was effective from July 23, 20234. Please note that this is a brief summary and the actual bill contains more detailed provisions.

The Department is engaging in rulemaking to implement HB 1106. This rulemaking is being completed in stages. We have completed the first stage, which updated WAC 192-150-055.

They are now working on the second phase and updating the rules to define the term "split shift" and to incorporate quitting for good cause due to inaccessible care of a child or vulnerable adult, which was added by House Bill 1106. There is a draft ready to share and would like your feedback. 
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Please send any comments or suggestions regarding the rulemaking to [email protected] or to:
        Attention: Stephanie Frazee, Legislation and Rules Coordinator
        Employment Security Department  
        P.O. Box 9046
        Olympia, WA 98501
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 Please submit comments or suggestions by Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Please identify the rulemaking as "Expanding Good Cause for Voluntarily Quitting Employment" in your comments.