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So my claim got stuck for almost 2 months last year in February? Like literally nothing was happening for WEEKS? I finally emailed the governor AND my state rep on the same day. No idea which one did the trick but my claim was approved 3 days later! The funny thing is I got responses from both offices like a week AFTER my claim was already fixed lol. But hey it worked! So maybe try both at the same time?
OMG YES! I emailed all three of my district reps on Monday, and one of their assistants called me yesterday. She said she'd reach out to her contact at ESD, and this morning my account updated to approved! Payment should be in my account by Friday. I'm literally crying with relief right now. THANK YOU all for your advice!!!
do u still get the same amount of money with training benefits as regular unemployment?? and do they pay for the school too or just the weekly benefits??
Training Benefits provides the same weekly benefit amount as your regular unemployment. However, it does NOT pay for your tuition or school expenses - it only continues your unemployment benefits while you attend training and waives the job search requirements. For tuition assistance, you'd need to explore other options like: - Worker Retraining funds through the community college system - Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grants through WorkSource - Pell Grants and financial aid by completing the FAFSA - Various scholarships for career changers Many people combine Training Benefits with these other funding sources to cover both living expenses and tuition. WorkSource can help you navigate all these programs simultaneously.
Thank you everyone for the helpful advice! I've scheduled an appointment with a WorkSource career counselor for next week to discuss my options. I'm going to research vet tech and animal shelter management programs in my area before the meeting. I had no idea there were so many considerations with Training Benefits, so I'm really glad I asked here first before making any decisions. I'll update once I learn more about which programs are approved and if I qualify!
I just remembered something that might help you - if you're experiencing a financial hardship (like about to miss rent or get utilities shut off), you can request a hardship expedition of your claim! You have to specifically mention the hardship when you finally get someone on the phone. They won't tell you this option exists unless you ask for it.
That's really good to know! I'm definitely facing hardship with rent due next week. I'll specifically ask about hardship expedition if I can get through tomorrow morning. Between trying early calls, Claimyr, and possibly contacting my representative, hopefully something works. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!
Just to update you - I checked the most current ESD guidelines, and for 2025, family employment exclusions only apply to certain business structures:\n\n1. Sole proprietorships: Employment of spouses, parents, or children under 18 may be excluded\n2. Partnerships: Employment of partners or their spouses, parents, or children under 18 may be excluded\n3. LLCs and Corporations: Family relationships generally don't matter - employees are employees\n\nSo if your brother's construction company is an LLC or corporation, you should be fine. If it's a sole proprietorship or partnership, there could be issues. You can find this in the ESD Employer Handbook on their website.
Clay blendedgen
UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know I was able to file my weekly claim online through my eServices account with no problems! The site is working fine even though the phone system is still glitchy. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
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Lorenzo McCormick
•Great! Online filing is definitely more reliable. For future reference, if you ever need to speak with an actual ESD agent about a claim issue, try calling right when they open at 8:00 AM or during the last hour before they close (around 3:00-4:00 PM). The wait times are usually shorter during those periods.
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Ana Rusula
this reminds me of when my claim got stuck for 3 weeks last year because of some computer error on their end... had to drive all the way to the worksource office just to get someone to help me because the phone system kept saying my social security number was invalid even though i'd been claiming for months with no problems before that.... anyway hope you got it fixed
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Clay blendedgen
•Thanks - yes, got it fixed by using the website! Sorry to hear about your troubles though, that sounds way worse than what I experienced.
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