sooo what was the workshop actually like? i have one next week for job search strategies and im wondering if its gonna be a waste of time. did they just read off slides or was it interactive??

This whole thread is so relatable! I just went through the same panic attack last week waiting for my WorkSource link. Mine came literally 3 minutes before start time and I was frantically trying to get Zoom to work. @Liam glad you made it in! For anyone else dealing with this - I found out you can actually log into the WorkSourceWA website and sometimes find a backup link under your appointments section. Doesn't always work but worth checking. Also if you're on mobile, download the Zoom app ahead of time because the browser version can be glitchy. The system is definitely designed to stress us out but at least the workshops aren't completely useless once you actually get in!

That's awesome that your senator's office responded so quickly! I've been reading through all these responses and it sounds like the state representatives really are the way to go. I'm going to follow your lead and contact both my rep and senator today. For anyone else reading this - it seems like the key is being super detailed about your situation and including all your claim info. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this finally breaks through the ESD wall. Please keep us updated on how it goes!

Just want to add my experience since I went through this exact same nightmare last year. After 8 weeks in adjudication hell, I contacted my state representative AND filed a complaint with the Washington State Ombuds (ombuds.wa.gov). The Ombuds office was actually really helpful - they have a specific process for ESD complaints and can investigate when agencies aren't following proper procedures. They don't resolve claims directly, but they can pressure ESD to follow up on cases that have been sitting too long. I submitted my complaint online and got a response within a week. Between my rep's inquiry and the Ombuds investigation, my claim finally moved forward. The Ombuds route might be worth trying alongside contacting your legislators - gives you multiple avenues of escalation.

Quick update on timeframes since you asked: Once your employer submits the standby request properly, ESD typically processes it within 5-7 business days. Make sure your employer marks it as "Construction Industry" in the industry classification section - this is crucial for the 8-week approval. While waiting for approval, continue completing your job search activities. If approved, you'll receive a message in your ESD portal, and future weeks won't require job search activities. For previous weeks, they may waive the job search requirements retroactively, but don't count on it - better to have completed and logged them.

Just went through something similar myself! The key thing everyone's mentioning is absolutely right - your employer HAS to be the one to submit the standby request through their portal. I made the same mistake thinking a letter would be enough. Once my employer submitted it properly (took them about 10 minutes once they figured out where to go in their account), it got approved in about a week. The construction industry classification is super important for getting the full 8 weeks. Don't skip your job searches while waiting though - I learned that the hard way when they initially denied some of my weekly claims for incomplete activities. Good luck!

I've been using handwritten logs for about 6 months now and haven't had any issues! One tip that's helped me a lot is to use a black pen (not blue) when filling out the forms - it scans and photographs much better if you ever need to submit digital copies. Also, I keep mine in a dedicated folder and number each page in case they get mixed up. The ESD website actually has a downloadable PDF version of their job search log that's designed to be printed and filled out by hand, so you're definitely good to go with that approach!

Just want to add that I've been doing a combination approach for the past few months - I keep a handwritten backup log in addition to using the online system when it's working. This way if the website crashes or times out (which happens way too often), I already have everything written down and don't have to scramble to remember what I applied for. I use one of those composition notebooks so the pages can't fall out and get lost. It's a bit of extra work but gives me peace of mind knowing I'm covered either way!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in the exact same situation and was worried about the same thing. Now I know I don't need to worry about FICA taxes on my unemployment benefits.

This thread has been a lifesaver! I was just about to file my taxes and was completely confused about the FICA situation with my unemployment benefits. I've been unemployed for most of 2024 after my retail job got cut, and I received around $12,000 in benefits from Washington ESD. My tax software kept asking about FICA and I had no idea what to tell it. Reading through all these responses has made it crystal clear - unemployment benefits are subject to regular federal income tax but NOT FICA taxes. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain this so thoroughly, especially the tax preparer who confirmed it. Now I can finish my taxes with confidence!