Pro tip from someone who went through this exact situation: Screenshot or save your current claim status page before making the change. If ESD puts you in adjudication (which they sometimes do for standby-to-regular transitions), having documentation of your original standby approval dates can help speed up the review process. Also, when you start job searching, include both online applications AND in-person inquiries - ESD considers face-to-face contact a stronger job search activity. Good luck, and sorry your boss handled this so poorly!

I went through this exact same thing with a small retail shop that was supposed to reopen after "inventory updates" - found out 6 weeks later they were just clearing out to close permanently! Here's what worked for me: When you file your weekly claim this week, answer "NO" to the standby question and in the comments section write something like "Employer informed me business closure is permanent, no longer on temporary layoff." Start doing your 3 job search activities immediately - don't wait! I used WorkSource's website, Indeed applications, and visited a few places in person. Document everything in your job search log. The transition was actually pretty smooth for me, no adjudication or delays. Just make sure you keep filing every single week even if something seems weird with your claim status. The most important thing is starting those job searches right away - ESD is super strict about that requirement once you're off standby.

Based on all the responses here, it's clear that you'll be eligible for unemployment benefits even if you volunteer for the layoff. The consensus from people who've actually gone through this with Washington ESD is that voluntary layoffs are still considered involuntary separations since your employer is the one eliminating positions. I'd recommend taking the severance package if it looks good - you can have both the severance pay and then transition to unemployment benefits afterward. Just make sure to keep all the documentation about the company-initiated workforce reduction and file your UI claim promptly after your last day. Sounds like a win-win situation if the severance is decent!

I'm a former Washington ESD claims examiner and can confirm what everyone here is saying - voluntary layoffs absolutely qualify for unemployment benefits. During my time there, we processed hundreds of these cases and the key factor we looked at was whether the employer initiated the workforce reduction, not whether the employee volunteered to be selected. The legal distinction is clear: layoff = employer eliminates position due to business needs, quit = employee chooses to leave for personal reasons. When you file your claim, select "laid off" as your separation reason and explain in the comments that you were selected from volunteers during a company-initiated downsizing. Keep documentation from your employer about the layoff announcement and you should have no issues with approval.

The job search requirement is 3 job contacts per week in Washington. Make sure you keep track of everything because they do audit people and you have to provide proof if asked.

Based on your $52k salary and 3 years of work history, you should definitely qualify for benefits. The calculation can be tricky but with steady employment at that income level, you're probably looking at somewhere in the $400-500 per week range. I'd recommend filing your claim as soon as possible since there's usually a one-week waiting period before benefits start, and the sooner you file the sooner that clock starts ticking. The online application walks you through everything and you can always call if you get stuck, though as others mentioned the phone lines can be rough. Don't let the complexity of the formula discourage you - Washington ESD has all your wage information already so they'll do the calculations for you once you submit your claim.

Quick tip - when you're getting close to your 26 week limit, Claimyr can help you get through to Washington ESD quickly to verify your exact remaining weeks and discuss your options. Better to know for sure than guess.

I'm at week 24 and getting really anxious about hitting the 26 week limit. Reading all these responses has been super helpful - it's good to know I'm not alone in this stress. I've been keeping detailed records of my job search activities and applications, but the pressure is definitely mounting. For anyone else in a similar situation, I found that setting up job alerts on multiple platforms and networking through LinkedIn has helped me get more interviews lately. The 26 week deadline is definitely motivating me to cast a wider net and consider positions I might not have looked at earlier in my job search.

Just wanted to follow up and say I hope you get this resolved soon. The stress of not knowing what's wrong with your claim while bills are piling up is awful. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for using whatever resources are available to get help.

I'm going through something very similar right now - active issues for about 3 weeks with no clear explanation from the system. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful, especially learning about the different types of issues that can cause this. I've been filing my weekly claims religiously but it's so frustrating not knowing what's actually wrong. I'm definitely going to try calling at different times of day and look into some of the solutions people have mentioned here. It's reassuring to know that these issues do eventually get resolved, even though the wait is really stressful when you're depending on that income.