Have you checked with your previous employers to make sure they properly reported your wages to ESD? I had an issue where my employer had me classified wrong in their system (as a 1099 instead of W-2), so none of those hours were showing up in the ESD system. Took some back and forth with the HR department but they eventually fixed it on their end.

I went through this exact nightmare last year. My determination letter was missing almost 850 hours from two different employers! After three appeal letters with no response, I finally got through to someone on the phone who explained that sometimes hours don't transfer properly in their system if there's ANY discrepancy in how your name or SSN was entered by different employers (like using a middle initial at one job but not another). Request a copy of your wage and hour history report directly from ESD. Compare that to your actual work records. If there's a mismatch, you'll need documentation from each employer confirming your actual hours worked. Time-consuming but it worked for me.

To directly address your questions: 1. Your husband must report the orientation day as work. Training is considered employment. 2. He must report based on when work is performed, not when payment is received. Here's how to handle the reporting properly: - For the week with just orientation, report the exact hours worked that day and expected earnings (even if estimated) - For subsequent weeks, report all hours worked each day, even before receiving his first paycheck - If his gross earnings for any week exceed his weekly benefit amount, he won't receive benefits for that week - Continue filing claims until he's consistently working full-time - After 4 consecutive weeks of full-time work (or 2 weeks of no benefits due to earnings), his claim will become inactive This is the safest approach to avoid overpayment issues. The ESD system tracks by work performed, not by pay received.

This happened to me last year and I was so confused about whether to report the training week!!! I reported the training and then kept claiming for 2 more weeks until my first paycheck came through. ESD actually adjusted my benefits automatically - I got partial unemployment for the week with training (just a few hours) and then no benefits for the full-time weeks. The system works pretty well when you report everything correctly!

when i was on unemployment last year i had this same question! i ended up just downloading the payment history and making my own spreadsheet to keep track of everything because the esd website is so confusing. helped me catch when they underpaid me one week too!

my sister just went thru this. she thought she was gettin $844 but was only gettin like $720 something. she called and they said its bcuz she owes child support LOL she was so mad

When I needed my old claim info for a background check, I ended up having to go to the WorkSource office in person. The staff there could access my full history immediately and printed everything out for me on the spot. Might be worth trying if you have one near you and can't wait for email responses or phone calls.

Quick update on the records request option - I just checked and the public records process typically takes 5-21 business days per ESD's website, so that's probably too slow for your mortgage deadline next week. Either try Claimyr to get through by phone faster, or the WorkSource in-person option someone mentioned might be your quickest solutions.

When I was getting unemployment my brother was getting married and I had to go to california for the wedding but I was worried about answering the able and available question that week and if I would get in trouble for being out of state briefly but my claim was fine and nothing bad happened. Sorry this isnt about training but similar worry I guess

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I feel much better about this now. I'll continue to mark "no" for that question since these are just short professional development courses and not a formal training program. I'll still be fully available for dispatches, which seems to be the key factor. Really appreciate all the advice!