Just to clarify something important - when you complete your weekly claim, there's a question that asks if you were able and available for work each day. The correct approach for your situation would be to answer 'Yes' to this question IF you were genuinely able to accept work (meaning you could return from your trip if offered a job) and were checking for employment communications. Don't overthink what 'able and available' means - it's about your willingness and capability to accept suitable employment if offered, not about your physical location at every moment.

so how did it go? did u get ur car and was ur claim ok?

Based on your replies, it sounds like this is either a wage reporting error or potentially a base year calculation issue. Since you only had one employer in WA, I'd recommend taking these steps in this order: 1. File the wage appeal with copies of all your paystubs 2. Try to reach an ESD agent by phone to get this expedited (they can sometimes fix obvious errors immediately) 3. Continue filing weekly claims without fail 4. If your employer terminated you, make sure you're prepared to address that as well - there may be a separate adjudication for that issue The good news is that with 2400+ hours, once this is fixed you should qualify for a substantial weekly benefit amount. Just don't let the appeal deadline pass.

did they send u a letter explaining WHY ur ineligible or just the $0 notice? sometimes there's an actual reason listed somewhere in ur correspondence or eservices account

This is why documentation is so crucial with ESD claims. In my experience as a former HR manager, ESD tends to side with employees in potential retaliation cases, especially when there's a clear timeline showing negative action after the employee discovered or reported something problematic. The fact that you had coworker statements was excellent strategy. For anyone reading this with similar issues - always gather: 1) Timeline of events, 2) Witness statements, 3) Any relevant emails/texts, 4) Performance reviews showing good work history. The L&I wage dispute likely also helped show a pattern of problematic behavior from the employer.

What a relief! Just a heads-up - keep checking your ESD account regularly for the next few months. I've seen cases where employers appeal the determination even after initially losing. The appeal window is 30 days, so you're not entirely in the clear until that passes. Make sure to save all your documentation just in case.

Just to add to my earlier comment - if your claim says "pending" that usually means there's an issue that requires adjudication. The most common reasons are employment separation issues (if they need to verify why you left your job) or availability issues (if they're checking that you're able and available for work). If you can get through on the phone, ask specifically about what's causing the pending status and if there's anything you can do to resolve it faster. Sometimes there are documents you can upload or information you can provide that will speed things up. I went through this in February and my claim was stuck for 5 weeks before I finally got it resolved. The system is definitely overloaded right now.

update??? did u ever get through to them??

i had this happen and got paid the next day! but my roommate had the same thing and didn't get paid for like a month. i think it depends what they're checking on your claim?? good luck!

UPDATE: You all were right! Money appeared in my account this morning even though my claim still says "pending" online. Such a relief! Now I just hope they don't come back later and ask for it back if they find some issue during adjudication. Thanks for all the helpful information everyone.