UPDATE: I was finally able to get in! For anyone who has this issue in the future, here's what worked for me: 1. I went to the SecureAccess Washington page directly (secure.esd.wa.gov) 2. Clicked on 'Forgot Password' even though I knew my password 3. Reset my password through the email link 4. Logged in with the new password 5. Had to answer my security questions again 6. Then it finally let me in and I could file my weekly claim Thanks everyone for your help! The system is definitely frustrating but at least I got it resolved without having to spend hours on the phone.

So glad to see this got resolved! For anyone else dealing with similar issues, I'd also recommend bookmarking the direct SecureAccess Washington login page (secure.esd.wa.gov) instead of going through the main ESD site. I've noticed the main site sometimes has redirect issues that can cause authentication problems. Also, if you use a password manager like the OP, make sure to update it with your new password right away so you don't run into this cycle again. The forgot password reset trick is definitely a lifesaver when the system gets confused about your credentials!

Update: The money just landed in my account this morning! So it took about 48 hours from when the status changed to 'paid' until it appeared in my bank. Thanks everyone for your help and reassurance!

That's awesome news! 48 hours is pretty typical for most banks. I'm glad you found the Payment Issue Date in the system too - that's really helpful info for tracking. It's such a relief when that money finally hits your account, especially when you have bills coming up. Thanks for posting the update, it'll definitely help other people who are in the same situation and wondering about the timeline!

I'm in almost the exact same situation - my benefits just exhausted last month but my benefit year doesn't end until September 2025. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful! I was also confused by the ESD website language about record keeping. Sounds like the consensus is to keep everything for one year after the benefit year ends, not when benefits exhaust. I've been keeping physical folders but scanning everything sounds like a much better approach. Thanks for asking this question - I was literally wondering the same thing and almost posted about it myself!

I've been dealing with this same confusion! Just got off the phone with ESD yesterday after waiting 2 hours, and the rep confirmed what others have said here - you need to keep records for one year after your benefit year ending date, not when benefits exhaust. She also mentioned that if you get selected for an audit, they typically give you about 10 business days to submit your documentation. For scanning, I've been using Adobe Scan (free app) and it works great - automatically crops and enhances the documents. Just make sure to organize everything by week claimed so you can find specific records quickly if needed. The rep also said they're seeing more audits lately, so definitely worth keeping everything organized!

My advice would be to call Washington ESD before you quit and ask about your specific situation. They can give you guidance on whether your circumstances would likely qualify as good cause. Better to know before you quit than find out after you're denied.

I went through something similar last year - my hours got cut from 30 to 12 per week at a restaurant job. I documented everything with pay stubs and ended up quitting and filing for UI. The adjudication took about 4 weeks but I was approved because the hour reduction was so significant it made the job basically unsustainable. My advice is to definitely document the hour cuts with pay stubs and any written communication about it. Also try to have some savings if possible because even if you get approved, there will be a waiting period before benefits start. The good news is that going from 40 hours to 15 hours is a pretty substantial reduction that would likely qualify as good cause.

I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago when I got laid off from my retail job. I was so worried about losing my medicaid coverage because I really needed it for my medications. But like everyone else has said, you can definitely have both! The unemployment payments do count as income for medicaid purposes, but since my UI was only about $350 a week (way less than my job was paying), I had no problem keeping my medicaid coverage. The most important thing is to call your medicaid caseworker as soon as you get that first unemployment payment - don't wait. I made that mistake and waited almost a month to report it, and they weren't happy about that. But once I explained the situation and provided the documentation, everything was fine. Also, keep all your paperwork from both agencies organized because sometimes they'll ask for proof of your unemployment amount. It's actually kind of nice having both programs working together - gives you a safety net while you're job hunting. Hope this helps and good luck with your search!

I'm currently going through this same situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I got laid off from my job about three weeks ago and was really stressed about potentially losing my medicaid coverage when I started receiving unemployment benefits. Reading everyone's experiences here has given me so much peace of mind. I've been putting off calling my medicaid caseworker because I was worried they'd immediately cancel my coverage, but now I understand that being upfront about the income change is actually the best approach. My unemployment weekly amount will probably be around $450, which is still way less than what I was making at my job, so hopefully I'll continue to qualify. I'm planning to call my caseworker this week as soon as my first unemployment payment comes through. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - it really helps to know that other people have successfully navigated this process!