If she's a student with limited availability, that does complicate things. Here's what she should know: 1. Being a student doesn't automatically disqualify her, but she must be available for work during hours customary for her occupation 2. If she restricts her availability too much, ESD may determine she's not truly available for work 3. She should be honest about her availability restrictions on her application 4. There is a specific question about school attendance on the weekly claim Some students do qualify for partial benefits, especially if they're willing to work evenings, weekends, or other shifts outside of class time. ESD evaluates these cases individually, so the best approach is to apply and be completely truthful about her situation.

Being available Friday-Monday (4 days a week) should be sufficient availability for many jobs, especially in retail or food service. When she files her weekly claims, there's a specific question asking if she had any school attendance that affected her ability to work. She should indicate "yes" and explain her situation. I recommend she also check the "Worker Retraining" programs through WorkSource. Some students qualify for special unemployment benefits if they're enrolled in approved training programs that lead to in-demand careers. It's a separate program, but worth looking into if her studies align with qualifying fields.

i was on unemployment last year and my brothers on it now and we both noticed that sometimes the website says one thing but the reality is different the whole system is super confusing and outdated tbh. my brother had a similar thing where they said hed be paid but the website didnt change for like 3 days but he did get paid eventually.

UPDATE: You guys were right! The money hit my account this morning even though the website STILL says disqualified. So relieved right now. Thank you all for the reassurance and advice. For anyone else in this situation - trust what the agent tells you if they specifically mention processing the payment that night, even if the website doesn't update!

i herd that theres a new update to the esd system thats why evryones payments r late. my cousin works at a job center and said they were told about system maintenance this week. nobody tells us nuthin tho!!

Just wanted to update everyone that I called ESD this morning (got through after about 45 minutes on hold) and they confirmed there was a processing delay with their ACH payment batch yesterday. The representative said all delayed payments should have been processed by midnight last night, and that this was due to a scheduled system update that took longer than expected. If anyone still hasn't received their payment by now, that would be unusual and worth calling about specifically.

One more thing to be aware of - ESD has specific requirements about what counts as a "job search activity" for self-employment. According to their guidelines, these typically need to be: 1. Specific actions that directly establish your business (like your notary application, getting business licenses, etc.) 2. Activities that would reasonably lead to income-producing opportunities 3. Properly documented with dates, time spent, and outcomes General research probably won't count, but completing required notary training, submitting your application to become commissioned, and setting up your business license should all qualify as concrete steps toward establishing self-employment. Also look into WorkSource's self-employment resources - attending one of their small business workshops definitely counts as a job search activity and they can give you additional guidance.

wait so ur saying i could have been counting stuff for my etsy shop this whole time??? ive been doing random job applications i dont even want just to keep my benefits going

u should also call ur state rep!! my friend got stuck with esd issues and her state rep helped push it thru faster!

IMPORTANT: I forgot to mention - make sure when you file your claim you include that you're in a UNION and provide your local number!! There's a specific section in the application for union members, and it changes how they process your claim. I almost missed this part and it would have caused huge problems.