Washington § 50A.15.040 - Application for benefits.

(1) Family and medical leave insurance benefits are payable to an employee during a period in which the employee is unable to perform his or her regular or customary work because he or she is on family and medical leave if the employee:

(a) Files an application for benefits as required by rules adopted by the commissioner;

(b) Has met the eligibility requirements of RCW 50A.15.010 or the elective coverage requirements under RCW 50A.10.010;

(c) Consents to the disclosure of information or records deemed private and confidential under state law. Initial disclosure of this information and these records by another state agency to the department is solely for purposes related to the administration of this title. Further disclosure of this information or these records is subject to chapter 50A.25 RCW and RCW 50A.05.020(3) and 50A.20.030;

(d) Provides his or her social security number;

(e) Provides a document authorizing the family member's or employee's health care provider, as applicable, to disclose the family member's or employee's health care information in the form of the certification of a serious health condition;

(f) Provides the employer from whom family and medical leave is to be taken with written notice of the employee's intention to take family leave in the same manner as an employee is required to provide notice in RCW 50A.15.030 and, in the employee's initial application for benefits, attests that written notice has been provided, unless notice has been waived by the employer under RCW 50A.15.030(3); and

(g) Provides documentation of a military exigency, if requested by the employer.

(2) An employee who is not in employment for an employer at the time of filing an application for benefits is exempt from subsection (1)(f) and (g) of this section.

(3) Beginning July 1, 2022, and until the 12 months after the end of the state of emergency declared by the governor due to COVID-19, the department must ask the employee applicant whether their family or medical leave is related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial disclosure of this information is solely for purposes related to the administration of this title, including monitoring potential impacts on the solvency and stability of the family and medical leave insurance account created in RCW 50A.05.070. Further disclosure of this information or these records is subject to chapter 50A.25 RCW and RCW 50A.05.020(3) and 50A.20.030.