Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: New section defining the term "domestic partner" for purposes of TITLE 192 WAC. Amending WAC 192-150-055, 192-150-110, 192-150-112, 192-310-150, 192-310-160, and 192-310-190 to include the term "domestic partner" when making reference to family, immediate family, or family member. The term "siblings" is also added to the definition of "immediate family" for consistency with other rules.

     Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: The purpose of the proposal is to amend unemployment insurance rules to incorporate individuals in a state registered domestic partnership when using the terms spouse, family, immediate family, or family member. For purposes of consistency, the term "siblings" is added to the definition of "immediate family."

     Reasons Supporting Proposal: E2SSB 5688 (section 2, chapter 521, Laws of 2009) requires agencies to amend their rules to reflect legislative intent that all privileges, immunities, rights, benefits, or responsibilities of a spouse in a marital community relationship are granted or imposed on an individual in a stqate [state] registered domestic partnership. Section 137 of E2SSB 5688 adds a new section to chapter 50.04 RCW providing that all references to spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family are to apply equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in a state registered domestic partnership.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 50.12.010, 50.12.040, and section 2, chapter 521, Laws of 2009.

     Statute Being Implemented: Sections 2 and 137, chapter 521, Laws of 2009.

     Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.

     Name of Proponent: Employment security department, governmental.

     Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting: Juanita Myers, 212 Maple Park, Olympia, WA, (360) 902-9665; Implementation and Enforcement: Nan Thomas, 212 Maple Park, Olympia, WA, (360) 902-9303.

June 19, 2009

Paul Trause

Deputy Commissioner

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     (a) You left work primarily because of such illness, disability, or death; and

     (b) The illness, disability, or death made it necessary for you to leave work; and

     (c) You first exhausted all reasonable alternatives prior to leaving work, including:

     (i) Notifying your employer of the reason(s) for the absence as provided in WAC 192-150-060; and

     (ii) Asking to be reemployed when you are able to return to work. (You are not required to request reemployment after the job separation has occurred to establish good cause.)

     (2) For claims with an effective date of January 4, 2004, or later, you are not eligible for unemployment benefits unless, in addition to the requirements of subsections (1)(a)-(c) above, you terminate your employment and are not entitled to be reinstated in the same or similar position.

     (3) Exception. You may be excused from failure to exhaust reasonable alternatives prior to leaving work as required by subsection (1)(c) if you can show that doing so would have been a futile act.

     (4) Definitions. For purposes of this chapter:

     (a) "Disability" means a sensory, mental, or physical condition that:

     (i) Is medically recognizable or diagnosable;

     (ii) Exists as a record or history; and

     (iii) Substantially limits the proper performance of your job;

     (b) "Immediate family" means your spouse, domestic partner, and the children (including unborn children), siblings, step-children, foster children, or parents of either spouse or domestic partner, whether living with you or not, and other relatives who temporarily or permanently reside in your household;

     (c) "Necessary" means the conditions are of such degree or severity in relation to your particular circumstances that they would cause a reasonably prudent person acting under similar circumstances to quit work.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010, 50.12.040, 50.12.042. 05-01-076, § 192-150-055, filed 12/9/04, effective 1/9/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010 and 50.12.040. 02-14-035, § 192-150-055, filed 6/25/02, effective 7/26/02.]

     (2) You may show good cause to quit work if you relocate for your spouse or domestic partner's employment that was due to a mandatory military transfer if:

     (a) Your spouse or domestic partner's new duty station is outside your existing labor market. For claims with an effective date prior to July 2, 2006, the new duty station must be in Washington or another state (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) that allows benefits to individuals who quit work to accompany their military spouse; and

     (b) You continued to work for your previous employer for as long as was reasonable prior to the move.

     (3) For purposes of this section, the term "military" includes the following: U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, activated reserve members of any of these service branches, activated members of the National Guard, commissioned officers of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and commissioned officers of the regular or reserve corps of the U.S. Public Health Service.

     (4) Good cause for quitting work is not established under this section if:

     (a) You quit work to return to your home of record or to another location rather than accompanying your spouse or domestic partner to a new duty location; or

     (b) Your spouse or domestic partner leaves military service and you elect to relocate to your home of record or elsewhere.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010 and 50.12.040. 07-22-055, § 192-150-110, filed 11/1/07, effective 12/2/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010, 50.12.040, 50.12.042. 05-01-076, § 192-150-110, filed 12/9/04, effective 1/9/05.]

     (1) Immediate family is defined in WAC 192-150-055 and means your spouse, domestic partner, and the children (including your unborn children), siblings, stepchildren, foster children, or parents of either spouse or domestic partner, whether living with you or not, and other relatives who temporarily or permanently reside in your household. ((In addition, for purposes of this section only, the term shall also include your siblings.))

     (2)(a) Domestic violence is defined in RCW 26.50.010. It includes the following acts committed between family or household members:

     (i) Physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or the infliction of fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury or assault;

     (ii) Sexual assault; or

     (iii) Stalking.

     (b) The perpetrator of domestic violence must be a family or household member, which means:

     (i) Spouses, domestic partners, ((and)) former spouses, and former domestic partners,

     (ii) Persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together at any time,

     (iii) Adult persons related by blood or marriage,

     (iv) Adult persons who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past,

     (v) Persons sixteen years of age or older who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past and who have or have had a dating relationship,

     (vi) Persons sixteen years of age or older with whom a person sixteen years of age or older has or has had a dating relationship, and

     (vii) Persons who have a biological or legal parent-child relationship, including stepparents, stepchildren, grandparents, and grandchildren.

     (c) "Dating relationship" means a social relationship of a romantic nature.

     (3) Stalking is defined by RCW 9A.46.110. It means:

     (a) Intentionally and repeatedly harassing or following another person; and

     (b) Placing the person being harassed or followed in fear of injury to self or property, or to another person or the property of another person; and

     (c) Intending to frighten, intimidate, or harass the other person; or

     (d) Knowing or having reason to know that the person is afraid, intimidated, or harassed even if the stalker did not intend to place the person in fear or intimidate or harass the person.

     (i) "Harass" means a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person which seriously alarms, annoys, harasses, or is detrimental to such person, and which serves no legitimate or lawful purpose.

     (ii) "Repeatedly" means on two or more separate occasions.

     (iii) "Follows" means deliberately maintaining visual or physical proximity to a specific person over a period of time. A finding that the alleged stalker repeatedly and deliberately appears at the person's home, school, place of employment, business, or any other location to maintain visual or physical proximity to the person is sufficient to find that the alleged stalker follows the person. It is not necessary to establish that the alleged stalker follows the person while in transit from one location to another.

     (iv) "Contact" includes, in addition to any other form of contact or communication, the sending of an electronic communication to the person.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010, 50.12.040, 50.12.042, and 50.20.010. 05-13-156, § 192-150-112, filed 6/21/05, effective 7/22/05.]

     Reviser's note: RCW 34.05.395 requires the use of underlining and deletion marks to indicate amendments to existing rules. The rule published above varies from its predecessor in certain respects not indicated by the use of these markings.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-23-127, filed 11/21/07, effective 1/1/09)

WAC 192-310-150   Are corporate officers covered for unemployment insurance?   (1) For purposes of WAC 192-310-150 through 192-310-190:

     (a) "Bona fide officer" means any person empowered in good faith by stockholders or directors, in accordance with articles of incorporation or bylaws, to discharge the duties of a corporate officer;

     (b) "Corporate officer" means an officer of a corporation as described or authorized in bylaws under RCW 23B.08.400;

     (c) "Exercise substantial control in the daily management of the corporation" means that the individual makes managerial decisions over a business function or functions that have some effect on the entire corporation.

     (d) "Nonpublic company" means a corporation that does not meet the definition of a public company;

     (e) "Public company" means a corporation that has a class of shares registered with the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission as defined in RCW 23B.01.400;

     (f) "Related by blood within the third degree" means the degree of kinship as computed according to the rules of the civil law. For example, if measured for descendants, it would include a person and that person's children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, brothers and sisters, and nephews and nieces. Alternatively, if measured for ancestors, it would include a person and that person's parents, grandparents, great grandparents, brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles. Cousins are not related by blood within the third degree under the rules of the civil law and are not included. Legal adoptions or step-relatives are considered as if genetically related.

     (g) "Related by marriage" means the union subject to legal recognition under the domestic relations laws of this state. For purposes of this section, it includes state registered domestic partnerships authorized under Chapter 26.60 RCW.

     (2) Unless specifically exempted under WAC 192-310-160 or 192-310-180, services performed by corporate officers are considered services in employment and are covered for purposes of unemployment insurance to the same extent other employment is covered.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010 and 50.12.040. 07-23-127, § 192-310-150, filed 11/21/07, effective 1/1/09.]

     (2) The election to exempt corporate officers is effective immediately if made when the corporation first registers with the department as an employer under RCW 50.12.070. If the election to exempt corporate officers is made after that, the exemption is effective on January 1 of the following calendar year. The corporation must send written notice to the department by January 15 for the exemption to be effective on January 1 of that year. The exemption is not effective until filed with the department and will not be applied retroactively, except for the period from January 1 to January 15 if the notice is sent by January 15. A corporation is not eligible for refund or credit for periods before the effective date of the exemption.

     (3) A public company as defined in RCW 23B.01.400 may exempt any bona fide corporate officer:

     (a) Who is voluntarily elected or voluntarily appointed under the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation;

     (b) Who is a shareholder of the corporation;

     (c) Who exercises substantial control in the daily management of the corporation; and

     (d) Whose primary responsibilities do not include the performance of manual labor.

     (4) A corporation that is not a public company may exempt eight or fewer bona fide corporate officers who voluntarily agree to be exempted from coverage and sign a form approved by the department verifying this. These corporate officers must be voluntarily elected or voluntarily appointed under the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation and must exercise substantial control in the daily management of the corporation.

     (5) A corporation that is not a public company may exempt any number of corporate officers if all exempted officers of the corporation are related by blood within the third degree or by marriage to a person related by blood within the third degree. If any of the corporate officers fail to qualify for this exemption because they are not related by blood or marriage as required, then none of the corporate officers may qualify under this subsection, although they may still qualify under subsection (4) of this section. This is an alternative and not an addition to exemptions under subsection (4) of this section.

     For example, a husband and wife or domestic partner, their biological or adopted children or stepchildren, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, their brothers and sisters, their nephews and nieces, and the spouses or domestic partners of any of these people could qualify for exemption as corporate officers under this section without being limited to eight individuals. However, if any of the corporate officers exempted do not meet this test, then this subsection does not apply.

     (6) This section does not apply to officers of a corporation covered by chapter 50.44 RCW (some nonprofit or government organizations) or chapter 50.50 RCW (Indian tribes).

[Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010 and 50.12.040. 09-07-010, § 192-310-160, filed 3/5/09, effective 4/5/09; 07-23-127, § 192-310-160, filed 11/21/07, effective 1/1/09.]

     Reviser's note: The bracketed material preceding the section above was supplied by the code reviser's office.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-23-127, filed 11/21/07, effective 1/1/08)

WAC 192-310-190   When is a corporate officer with ten percent ownership considered unemployed?   (1) This section applies to:

     (a) A corporate officer who owns ten percent or more of the outstanding stock of the corporation; or

     (b) A corporate officer who is a family member of another corporate officer who owns ten percent or more of the outstanding stock of the corporation. For purposes of this section, a "family member" is a person related by blood or marriage or domestic partnership as parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse or domestic partner, child, brother, sister, stepchild, adopted child, or grandchild.

     (2) A corporate officer whose claim for benefits is based on any wages with that corporation is not considered unemployed in any week during the individual's term of office, even if wages are not being paid at the time. The corporate officer is considered unemployed and potentially eligible for benefits if the corporation dissolves or if the officer permanently resigns or is permanently removed as a corporate officer under the articles of incorporation or bylaws.

     (3) For purposes of this section, "permanently" means for a period of indefinite duration, but expected to extend at least through the claimant's benefit year end date. If at any time during the benefit year the claimant resumes his or her position as an officer with the corporation, all benefits paid during that benefit year will be considered an overpayment and the claimant will be liable for repayment.

     (4) A corporation must provide notice to the department in a format approved by the department when the ownership of the percentage of stock increases to become ten percent or more or decreases to become less than ten percent. The notice is due by the time the next quarterly tax and wage report is due from the corporation.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010 and 50.12.040. 07-23-127, § 192-310-190, filed 11/21/07, effective 1/1/08.]

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