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Commissioner Approved Training (CAT)

Commissioner Approved Training (CAT) allows you to collect your regular unemployment benefits while attending an approved, full-time training program. If approved for commissioner-approved training, you do not have to look for work while receiving unemployment benefits. CAT does not pay for books, tuition or school-related fees. It does not extend your benefits.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for CAT if you are otherwise eligible for unemployment benefits, or a dislocated worker as defined below if you:

  • Were laid off because your employer permanently reduced operations; or
  • Lost your job for a reason we allow benefits, and because there are few employment opportunities in your type of work, you are unlikely to get the same type of work again

  
An approved training program is a course of education which:

  • Is full time, as determined by the school or training facility;
  • Provides you with skills in an occupation for which there are reasonable job opportunities in your labor market;
  • Is not primarily intended to meet the requirements of a baccalaureate or higher degree; and
  • Is generally of short duration, as commissioner approved training does not extend your benefits. If you will run out of unemployment benefits before completing your training, you must show us that you have the financial resources to complete your training.

  
How to apply for CAT

  1. Complete the application

Download and complete the Commissioner-Approved Training (CAT) application (PDF, 59.2 KB) form.

You can also call us at 800-318-6022 or get a copy at any WorkSource office. Use the locator on the WorkSource website to find an office near you.

  1. Get help at WorkSource

If you want help with your application, WorkSource staff can:

  • Help you explore occupations in demand in your labor market. They also can help you research the skills required for jobs in those occupations.
  • Review your application for completion.

  1. Submit your application

You can submit your application by mail or fax.

By mail
Unemployment Insurance Imaging
PO Box 19019
Olympia, WA 98507-0019

By fax

  • Fax your completed application to 800-301-1796.
  • Or fax it at your nearest WorkSource office. Use the locator on the WorkSource website to find an office near you. Staff can fax the application for you.

  1. Wait for our decision

We will send you a decision letter through eServices or by mail.

  
Maintaining your unemployment benefits

To maintain your eligibility for unemployment benefits while in training, you must:

  • Be enrolled in a full-time training program.
  • Make satisfactory progress in the program.
  • Notify the Employment Security Department if you discontinue training, suspend training or reduce enrollment to less than full-time.

If you do not meet these requirements, you may be required to look for work and meet other job-search requirements, such as participating in job-search workshops, in order to collect benefits. You also may be required to pay back benefits you have received.