Like many states, Washington’s Employment Security Department has struggled to keep up with unprecedented unemployment claims while drawing down its trust fund from which it pays the benefits. It also has been slowed by an identity theft scandal that drew off hundreds of millions in illicit benefits.

A letter to Congress from Strategic Services on Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation, a national organization representing the views of businesses regarding workers’ compensation, suggests ways that lawmakers can provide financial relief to states. Chief among them is a proposed transfer of federal funds to state UI trust funds equal to the amount of benefits paid during COVID-19. Washington Retail has joined on in signing the letter.

Read the entire letter here.