Washington § 50A.15.060 - Benefit exclusions and disqualifications — Employee penalties.

(1) An employee is not entitled to paid family or medical leave benefits under this title:

(a) For any absence occasioned by the willful intention of the employee to bring about injury to or the sickness of the employee or another, or resulting from any injury or sickness sustained in the perpetration by the employee of an illegal act;

(b) For any family or medical leave commencing before the employee becomes qualified for benefits under this title;

(c) For an employee who is on suspension from his or her employment; or

(d) For any period of time during which an employee works for remuneration or profit.

(2) An employer may offer supplemental benefit payments to an employee on family or medical leave in addition to any paid family or medical leave benefits the employee is receiving.

(a) Supplemental benefit payments are not considered remuneration under *RCW 50A.05.010(21) and the department will not prorate or reduce an employee's weekly benefit amount due to the receipt of supplemental benefit payments.

(b) The choice to receive supplemental benefit payments lies with the employee. Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring an employee to receive or an employer to provide supplemental benefit payments.

(3) An individual is disqualified for benefits for any week he or she has knowingly and willfully made a false statement or representation involving a material fact or knowingly and willfully failed to report a material fact and, as a result, has obtained or attempted to obtain any benefits under the provisions of this title. An individual disqualified for benefits under this subsection (3) for the:

(a) First time is disqualified for an additional twenty-six weeks beginning with the Sunday of the week in which the determination is mailed or delivered, and is subject to an additional penalty of fifteen percent of the amount of benefits overpaid or deemed overpaid;

(b) Second time is also disqualified for an additional fifty-two weeks beginning with the Sunday of the week in which the determination is mailed or delivered, and is subject to an additional penalty of twenty-five percent of the amount of benefits overpaid or deemed overpaid;

(c) Third time and any time thereafter is also disqualified for an additional one hundred four weeks beginning with the Sunday of the week in which the determination is mailed or delivered, and is subject to an additional penalty of fifty percent of the amount of benefits overpaid or deemed overpaid.

(4) All penalties collected under this section must be deposited in the family and medical leave enforcement account created under RCW 50A.05.080.

*Reviser's note: RCW 50A.05.010 was amended by 2022 c 233 s 1, changing subsection (21) to subsection (22).