


Ask the community...
Bottom line - plan for 25 weeks of benefits max, keep doing your job searches, and start looking for work right away. The job market is decent right now but it can take months to find something good.
One last thing - keep all your documentation! If there's ever a question about your eligibility or they audit your claim, you'll need proof of your job searches and any work you did while collecting benefits.
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone sharing their experiences. I learned more about unemployment fraud from this thread than from Washington ESD's actual website. The official information is so vague compared to real people's stories.
Final thought - if you get through the fraud investigation successfully, consider freezing your credit and setting up alerts on your financial accounts. Once your identity is stolen once, you're more likely to be targeted again.
Remember to keep filing your weekly claims even if your initial claim is under review. You don't want to miss out on benefits for weeks you're eligible for just because the adjudication process takes time.
If you're really worried about payment timing, you can always check your claim status in SecureAccess Washington. It'll show exactly when payments were processed and any issues.
Just wanted to share that I had one week where my payment was delayed because I forgot to complete my job search log in WorkSourceWA. Even though I did the searches, I hadn't logged them properly. Always double-check that everything is complete before you file your weekly claim.
Omar Zaki
File as soon as you become unemployed. You can't get benefits for weeks before you actually file the claim, even if you were unemployed during those weeks.
0 coins
Ava Thompson
•That's important to know. I'll make sure to file right away if I lose my job.
0 coins
CyberSiren
•Exactly. The effective date of your claim is the Sunday of the week you file, not when you actually lost your job.
0 coins
CosmicCrusader
good luck with everything! the unemployment system can be frustrating but most people eventually get it figured out
0 coins
Ava Thompson
•Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. Feel much more prepared now.
0 coins