Don't overthink it - if your hours were cut through no fault of your own, you likely qualify for partial benefits. The worst they can do is say no, but you won't know unless you apply.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you keep detailed records of your reduced hours and wages. If Washington ESD needs to verify your earnings during the claim process, having pay stubs and work schedules readily available can speed things up significantly. I learned this the hard way when they asked for documentation and I had to scramble to find everything. Also, don't wait too long to apply - you can file as soon as your hours are reduced, and benefits can be backdated only so far.

Just to follow up on my earlier comment - even though this is a common scenario, it's still important to be proactive. Continue filing your weekly claims, and consider contacting ESD for status updates. If this drags on longer than 2 weeks, you might want to reach out to your state representative's office as they sometimes can help expedite unemployment issues. And remember that having documentation of your rescheduled appointment and completion is crucial. Most WorkSource appointments that are properly rescheduled and completed shouldn't cause benefit denials.

I went through something similar last year! Had to reschedule my WorkSource appointment due to a family emergency and panicked when I saw the adjudication status. But honestly, if you rescheduled properly and completed it within your deadline (which you did), you should be fine. The adjudication is just their way of double-checking that everything was done correctly. In my case, it took about 12 days to resolve and I got all my back payments at once. The most important thing is to keep filing your weekly claims even while it's pending - don't skip any weeks or you could lose those payments entirely. Also, make sure you're continuing to do your job search activities and documenting them properly. Sometimes when they're already reviewing your case, they'll look at everything with a fine-tooth comb. Stay consistent and you should be good!

i thnik i heard somewere that if u get more than $20,000 at once they might investigat your claim?? not sure if thats true but my freind said ESD got suspicious when she got a big insurance payment

I actually went through this exact situation about 6 months ago when my partner lost his job. We withdrew about $35k from his 401k and I was terrified it would mess up his unemployment benefits permanently. Here's what actually happened: Week 1: Reported the 401k withdrawal under "retirement pay" on his weekly claim Week 2: Benefits were reduced to $0 for that week only (since the withdrawal was larger than his weekly benefit amount) Week 3: Regular benefits resumed at full amount like nothing happened The key things that helped us: - Report it honestly on the EXACT week you receive the money - Don't panic if that week shows $0 - it's temporary - Keep all your 401k paperwork in case they ask for it later (they didn't ask us) Also want to echo what others said about the tax hit - we're still dealing with that. The 10% penalty plus regular income tax was brutal, but we were in a desperate situation too. Make sure you set aside money for taxes next year! One more tip: if your husband's former employer had any employee assistance programs, some offer emergency financial counseling that might help you explore other options before touching retirement funds.

Just want to add a couple more things that might help! For the WorkSource videos, I discovered that some of them are also available in Spanish if that's helpful for anyone. You can filter by language in the search options. Also, regarding the phone claim system - if you're calling during a storm or power outage in your area, the automated system might run slower than usual. I've noticed this a few times during bad weather. Just be patient and don't hang up thinking it's broken - it usually catches up after a minute or two. One thing that really helped me was keeping a simple checklist by my phone with all the info I need: SSN, PIN, confirmation number from last week (if I have it), and my work search activities written down. Makes the whole process much smoother when you're not scrambling to remember details while on the call. Hope this helps anyone else dealing with spotty internet or trying to figure out the video system!

This thread is amazing! I've been struggling with both of these issues too. Just wanted to add that if you're using the phone system and accidentally press the wrong number during the prompts, don't panic and hang up - there's usually an option to press * or 0 to go back to the previous menu. I discovered this by accident when I fat-fingered a response and thought I'd have to start over. Also, for the WorkSource videos, I found it helpful to bookmark the "Job Search Activities" page once you find it, because navigating back to it through all the menus every time is a pain. And if you're planning to do multiple videos in one sitting, make sure to complete each quiz fully before starting the next video - I tried to speed through once and do all the quizzes at the end, but the system didn't register some of them properly. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! This is way more helpful than trying to decipher the official ESD website.

Just wanted to add that even if you don't qualify for unemployment, you might still be able to use WorkSourceWA for job search assistance and career counseling. They help everyone, not just UI recipients.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I'm going to try a few things: first I'll apply online at esd.wa.gov just to see what happens, and I'll also look into whether I might have been misclassified since I did work pretty set hours and used their equipment. If I can't get through on the phone I might try that Claimyr service people mentioned. Also going to check out WorkSourceWA and the DSHS website for other assistance programs. Really appreciate this community - it's scary being a contractor with no safety net but at least now I know what options to explore!