​Currently, there are no changes to the reasonable assurance provisions of the law. Reasonable assurance is the provision in Unemployment Compensation law that determines the eligibility of school employees for benefits during the summer and school breaks. You can read more about reasonable assurance on our School/Reasonable Assurance FAQ page.

If you are a school employee who is not working and has therefore lost income because of the COVID-19 emergency, you may be eligible for UC benefits for any week in which you would otherwise be working.

If the educational entity where you are employed is shut down by order of the Governor, "Lack of work" should be provided as the reason for separation.

Please note that you may not be eligible for benefits during periods when school is not in session, such as winter, spring, and summer breaks. 

​If you are a school employee who is working reduced hours resulting in a reduction in income because of the COVID-19 emergency, you may be eligible for UC.

If you are a salaried employee and continue to receive your regular salary payments and benefits during the COVID-19 shutdown, you are not considered unemployed and should not file a claim for benefits.

No, you are not eligible for UC during a period of time when school is not in session due to a regularly scheduled holiday break or vacation period. If your school is closed due to the COVID-19 emergency when it would normally be in session, you may be eligible for UC. Please note, however, that eligibility for UC may end when the school term would normally end, and the holiday or vacation period between school terms begins.

Eligibility for weeks filed beyond the end of the regularly scheduled academic school year will be subject to an investigation and will be denied if it is determined that the school employee has been given reasonable assurance of returning to work with the school employer for the following school term.

In general, you are eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program if you have lost employment and income because of one of the COVID-related reasons identified by federal law, and if you are not currently eligible for regular unemployment compensation.

If you have reduced your work hours resulting in a reduction in pay or had to leave work because of childcare needs directly related to COVID-19, you may be eligible for PUA.

This program provides unemployment compensation benefits to workers who lose income or employment because they are the primary caregiver to a child whose school or childcare provider has closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that school or childcare provider is required for them to work. 

To learn more about PUA eligibility and how to apply, visit L&I's PUA webpage.

Please note that the requirement that employers provide paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) expired on Dec. 31, 2020.

Yes. If the physical location where your child received instruction or childcare is now closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school or childcare facility  is “closed” for purposes of PUA eligibility.

Generally, you are NOT eligible for benefits if your child's school or childcare factility is open and you choose to keep them at home. However, if your child has an underlying condition and a medical professional has certified that he or she must isolate due to COVID-19, or if your child’s school is not following safety guidelines and they have failed to adjust their actions to meet the minimum Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requirements in response to your concerns, you may be eligible for PUA.

You may qualify for PUA if you are the "primary caregiver" of a child who is at home due to a forced school closure that directly results from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

You have "primary caregiving responsibility" for a child in your household if you are required to remain at home to care for the child and provision of care to the child requires such ongoing and constant attention that it is not possible to perform your customary work functions at home. For example, if your employer allows you to telework and you are caring for a more mature child who is able to care for him or herself for much of the day, you likely would not qualify for PUA because you are still able to work.

Additionally, PUA is available only when a child is home because of a school closure that is a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

When your child's school is normally closed for regularly-scheduled school closures, such as summer, spring break, or holiday recess, you will not be eligible for PUA during those times and should rely on your customary summer arrangements for caring for children. If, however, you rely on a childcare or other facility to provide care for your child during regularly scheduled school closures and that facility is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency, you may continue to qualify for PUA. Similarly, if there is some other reason under which you qualify for PUA, you will continue to be eligible to receive benefits.

The federal paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave programs created by the Congress and signed by the President as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) have expired and are no longer available.

If your employer permits teleworking but you are unable to perform those teleworking tasks or work the required teleworking hours because you need to care for your child whose school or childcare facility is closed or a child care provider is unavailable because of COVID-19 related reasons and the childcare is required for you to work, you may be eligible for PUA.

If you are able to telework while caring for your child, you are not eligible for PUA.