WA to regain nine weeks of unemployment

The federal shutdown in October generated one dubiously positive result: it helped to lift the state’s unemployment rate enough to reactivate nine weeks of long-term unemployment benefits that were shut off in August.

Currently in Washington, jobless workers can claim up to 54 weeks of unemployment benefits, including 26 weeks of regular, state-paid benefits and 28 weeks of federally funded emergency unemployment compensation (EUC).

Nationwide, EUC is paid in a series of four tiers. All states qualify for tier 1, but tiers 2 through 4 are tied to a state’s three-month average unemployment rate...