Surge in Unemployment Filings Raises Potential Document Conflicts

Employers should be advised that the surge in filings for unemployment is bringing to light potential conflicts of employee social security numbers or employment authorization documents.

Some employers are receiving notices from the WA Employment Security Department (ESD) advising the employer which of their employees have applied for unemployment benefits. Some of those employers are finding “employees” listed in the notice who never were employed by them. Apart from the potential impact on the employer’s tax rate, there may be complicated questions regarding social security numbers or employment authorization.

As an employer, be sure to check all notices that you receive concerning workers seeking unemployment and seek counsel if there are any discrepancies.  Each such potential issue should be discussed on a case-by-case basis. For further updates, please check back on this blog.