Thank you all for the helpful advice! I'm going to file my initial claim tomorrow and make sure I carefully document everything about the harassment complaint, the extended home assignment with no communication, and my attempts to get updates. Based on your suggestions, I'll: 1. Select "quit" but indicate employer actions made continued work impossible 2. Include documentation of all my attempts to resolve the situation 3. Be prepared for a possible appeal if denied initially 4. Consider using Claimyr if I need to speak with an actual person at ESD I'll update this thread once I hear anything about my claim. Wish me luck!

One final piece of advice - when you do get to the adjudication interview (they'll schedule a phone call), be very careful about how you explain your decision to quit. Avoid saying things like "I thought they were going to fire me" as that can be interpreted as quitting to avoid discharge, which usually isn't considered good cause. Instead, focus on: 1. The harassment you experienced 2. The company's failure to provide a timeline for investigation resolution 3. The professional limbo affecting your career progression 4. The emotional/psychological impact of being isolated without communication Stick to facts, dates, and documented attempts to resolve the situation. Good luck!

did u work enough hours to qualify for unemployment??? thats the real question!!!

Just to summarize what everyone's been saying: 1. Your Social Security won't reduce your ESD unemployment benefits (regardless of what some confused adjudicators might think) 2. Your unemployment benefits might affect your Social Security if you're under full retirement age and exceed the annual earnings limit 3. Answer all application questions honestly - if they ask about retirement income, list your Social Security 4. If they incorrectly reduce your WBA because of Social Security, appeal immediately Hope this helps, and good luck with your claim!

my cousin works at ESD (not in appeals tho) and she says they're super backed up right now. apparently they lost some staff recently and appeals are taking longer than usual. not what u want to hear probably but just setting expectations...

One thing no one has mentioned yet - while you're waiting on the appeal, you should apply for other benefits you might qualify for temporarily. Check into emergency assistance, food benefits, utility discount programs, etc. Most counties have resources for people in situations like yours. It won't replace your income, but it might help stretch your savings until the appeal decision. Also, make sure you mention the financial hardship during your hearing - sometimes judges consider that when making their decisions.

One other important point - make sure you're continuing to look for work and documenting your job search activities while your appeal is pending. You need to complete and document at least 3 job search activities each week. Even though your initial claim was denied, if you win on appeal, they'll ask for your job search logs for the weeks you're claiming. Many people forget this and lose out on benefits they would have otherwise received.

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I'll definitely be documenting everything carefully, getting statements from former coworkers, and making sure I maintain my job search records. I'll try that Claimyr service to get through to ESD - I've been calling for days without success. I feel much more prepared for my hearing now. Will update when I have news!

This is usually just a timing issue. ESD's payment system and the banking ACH transfer system don't always sync up perfectly. Here's what's happening behind the scenes: - ESD marks your payment as "paid" in their system when they initiate the transfer - The payment then goes through the ACH (Automated Clearing House) network - Depending on when ESD's daily batch processing occurs, your payment might not actually hit the ACH system until late in the day - If the ACH transfer is initiated after your bank's daily processing cutoff (often around 3-5pm), it won't show up until the next business day I work in financial services and see this confusion all the time. 99% of the time, your money will show up within 1-2 business days after ESD marks it paid. The first two might have shown up same-day because they were processed earlier in ESD's batch cycle. If it doesn't appear by Thursday, then you should contact ESD to make sure they have the correct banking information on file.

any update? did ur money show up?