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I'm currently in a complicated situation with my Washington unemployment claim and hoping someone has experience with this specific scenario. I'm a dual citizen (US/Australia) and was working for a Seattle tech company remotely while temporarily visiting family in Australia. Last month, my company had massive layoffs and I was one of the casualties. Since I already had accommodation set up in Australia and have full work rights here, I decided to stay longer while job hunting. According to ESD's rules on their website (https://esd.wa.gov/newsroom/ui-rule-making/out-of-country), it seems I should be eligible for benefits while in Australia because: 1) I'm legally authorized to work in Australia (citizenship) 2) I'm immediately available for work in the US (can relocate within 2 weeks if needed) I filed my claim honestly, reporting my location. Everything seemed fine initially, but yesterday I got an email saying they detected I was out of the country (probably from my IP address) and needed additional information. I answered all their questions truthfully about my situation and travel dates. Now my claim shows "adjudication in progress" and I'm worried. Has anyone successfully collected benefits while abroad with work authorization in that country? How long did adjudication take? And did you eventually get approved? I've been applying for jobs both in the US and Australia, documenting everything for my weekly claims. Just anxious about whether I misunderstood the rules or if this lengthy adjudication is normal. Any experiences or insights would be appreciated!
I'm going through this exact situation right now too! Got laid off from my remote position at a Seattle startup while visiting my partner in the Netherlands (I have EU work authorization through my Dutch passport). Filed my claim about 6 weeks ago and it's been stuck in adjudication ever since. The waiting has been absolutely brutal financially, but I'm trying to stay optimistic about the 2023 rule changes. I've been super diligent about documenting everything - job applications to both US remote positions and local Dutch companies, uploaded my passport and work authorization documents, and even included a detailed letter explaining my immediate availability for US work. One thing that's kept me sane is setting up Google alerts for remote positions at US companies, which has actually led to several promising interviews. I make sure to mention in my weekly claims that I'm applying for remote work that would allow me to work from anywhere. The financial stress while waiting is really tough, especially when you're already dealing with the emotional impact of job loss. But reading everyone's experiences here gives me hope that we're all doing the right things and the updated rules should work in our favor. Hoping to hear some positive resolution stories from this group soon - we all deserve some good news after this stressful waiting period!
Wow, 6 weeks is a long time to wait - I can only imagine how stressful that must be! It's encouraging to hear that you're getting interviews for US remote positions though. That definitely seems like strong evidence of availability for work. I'm curious - have you tried reaching out to ESD at all during your 6-week wait, or are you just letting the adjudication process run its course? Some people in this thread mentioned using services like Claimyr to actually get through to someone, and I'm wondering if that might help move things along when you've been waiting that long. The Google alerts for remote positions is a really smart strategy. I might set those up too since it seems like remote work opportunities are a strong way to demonstrate availability for US employment while abroad. Hang in there - it sounds like you're doing everything right and documenting thoroughly. Hopefully you'll be one of the success stories we hear about soon!
I'm also going through this same situation and found this thread incredibly helpful! Got laid off from my remote job at a Tacoma-based company while visiting my spouse's family in Ireland (I have Irish citizenship through ancestry). Filed my claim about 3 weeks ago and it immediately went into adjudication. Reading everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and nerve-wracking - reassuring to know I'm not alone and that the 2023 rule changes should work in our favor, but nerve-wracking to see the 6-8 week processing times some people are mentioning. I've been following the advice from this thread and proactively uploaded my Irish passport, a detailed availability statement, and documentation of my job search activities. I'm focusing heavily on US remote positions and have actually had two virtual interviews already, which I'm hoping shows strong evidence of my availability for US work. The financial uncertainty while waiting is definitely the hardest part, especially on top of the stress of job loss. But it's encouraging to see that people who went through the full adjudication process eventually got approved and received backpay for all the weeks they claimed. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and advice - it's making this waiting period much more manageable knowing there's a community of people going through the same thing!
One other thing nobody has mentioned - make sure your husband checks his spam folder regularly. Sometimes ESD sends emails requesting additional information, and if he doesn't respond within their timeframe (usually 5 business days), it can keep his claim stuck in pending status. They're terrible about communicating this clearly.
I feel your pain! I went through this exact nightmare about 6 months ago. One trick that finally worked for me was calling the TeleCert line at 800-477-2500 first thing in the morning, then when prompted, I'd press 0 repeatedly until it transferred me to a live agent. Sometimes they can look up your claim status even though it's technically a different department. Also, if your husband's claim has been pending for 4 weeks, that's definitely grounds for escalation - make sure to mention that timeline specifically when you do get through to someone. The squeaky wheel gets the grease with ESD unfortunately. Hang in there, you'll get through this!
Thank you for the TeleCert line tip! I never would have thought to try that number. The pressing 0 repeatedly trick is definitely worth a shot. And yes, we'll make sure to emphasize the 4-week timeline - that seems to be a key point everyone is mentioning. Really appreciate the encouragement too, this whole process has been so stressful!
I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! My claim has been showing "pending issue halt" for about 12 days with absolutely zero explanation from Washington ESD. Like everyone else here, I was getting regular payments for over 6 weeks and then this status just appeared overnight with no warning whatsoever. I've checked every single section of my account obsessively looking for any kind of message, document request, or clue about what triggered this, but there's literally nothing there. The complete lack of communication is beyond frustrating when you're depending on these payments to survive. I've tried calling probably 20 times but can never get through - their phone system is completely broken. After reading all these responses, I'm definitely going to try Claimyr since it seems like the only way to actually talk to someone who can explain what's happening. It's absolutely insane that we have to pay a third-party service just to get basic information about our own unemployment claims, but Washington ESD has made it impossible to reach them any other way. Really hoping we all get this resolved soon - the stress and uncertainty is unbearable!
I'm right there with you - my pending issue halt started about 9 days ago and it's the same frustrating story as everyone else here. Regular payments for weeks, then suddenly this mysterious status with zero explanation. I've been driving myself crazy checking my account constantly hoping for any kind of update or message, but Washington ESD gives you absolutely nothing. The worst part is not knowing if this will be resolved in days or drag on for months like some people have experienced. I've also had zero luck with their phone system - it's like they intentionally made it impossible to reach a human being. Based on all the positive feedback in this thread, I think Claimyr might be our best bet at this point. It's ridiculous that we have to pay for something that should be a basic government service, but if it actually gets us connected to someone who can explain what's happening, it might be worth it. Hang in there - hopefully we'll all get through this mess soon!
I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now and it's incredibly frustrating! My claim has been showing "pending issue halt" for about a week now, and like everyone else here, I was getting regular payments for months before this randomly appeared. I've checked every section of my Washington ESD account multiple times looking for any explanation or required documents, but there's absolutely nothing telling me what the issue is or what I need to do to fix it. I've tried calling numerous times but can never get through - the phone system just puts you on endless hold or disconnects you. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like Claimyr might be worth trying since so many people have had success actually getting connected to someone who can provide answers. It's really unfortunate that we have to resort to a paid service just to get basic information about our own claims, but Washington ESD has made their system completely inaccessible. The uncertainty and stress of not knowing when this will be resolved is honestly the worst part. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - at least we know we're not alone in dealing with this broken system!
Welcome to the community! I can see you're getting excellent advice here. As someone who's helped many people through their first unemployment claims, I just want to emphasize that you're handling this exactly right by asking questions upfront. The waiting week can definitely be confusing, but the consensus here is correct - since you worked your full 40 hours that week, select 'No' for job search and choose the full-time employment reason. One additional tip: when you start your job searches next week, make sure to document not just where you applied, but also the date, method (online, in-person, etc.), and position title. ESD can be pretty specific about what they want to see if they ever audit your job search activities. Also, attending job fairs, networking events, or even informational interviews can count toward your 3 weekly activities if traditional applications aren't available in your field. You're off to a great start by being proactive about understanding the process!
Thank you Zara! This is such a welcoming and helpful community - I'm really grateful for all the detailed guidance everyone has shared. Your point about documenting the specifics of job search activities (date, method, position title) is really valuable - I wouldn't have thought to track all those details. And it's good to know that networking events and job fairs can count toward the weekly requirements too. That gives me some good ideas for diversifying my job search strategy beyond just online applications. I'm feeling so much more prepared now thanks to everyone's advice. Really appreciate how this community looks out for newcomers!
Just wanted to chime in as someone who recently went through this same situation! I was laid off in February and had the exact same confusion about the waiting week job search requirements. Everyone here has given you perfect advice - definitely select 'No' for job searches since you worked 40 hours that week, and choose the full-time employment reason from the dropdown. One thing that really helped me was setting up a simple folder on my computer to keep all my unemployment-related documents organized - confirmation emails, job application screenshots, WorkSource registration info, etc. It made filing my weekly claims so much smoother once I got into the routine. Also, don't stress too much about the waiting week not paying out - I know it's frustrating when you need the money, but think of it as a practice run to get familiar with the system before your actual benefit weeks start. You're asking all the right questions upfront, which will definitely save you headaches later. The ESD process seems overwhelming at first, but it really does get easier once you file a few claims. Good luck with everything!
Thank you Jessica! That's such a smart idea about creating a dedicated folder for all the unemployment documents - I'm definitely going to set that up right away. It sounds like having everything organized from the start will really pay off as I go through this process. And you're right about thinking of the waiting week as practice - that's actually a really helpful way to reframe it mentally. I was definitely feeling stressed about not getting paid for that week, but you're absolutely right that it's better to get comfortable with the system before the actual benefit weeks begin. Thanks for the encouragement and for sharing your recent experience - it's so reassuring to hear from people who've successfully navigated this whole process recently!
Issac Nightingale
I'm so sorry this happened to you! I just went through the exact same thing two weeks ago and it was incredibly stressful. Like others have mentioned, this seems to be a known issue with the ESD system. What helped me was calling at exactly 8:00 AM on a Tuesday (avoid Mondays if possible - they're swamped). When I got through, the representative was able to find my "lost" claim in their system within minutes and manually processed it. She explained that these technical glitches are more frequent than they'd like to admit, especially on Sunday evenings when server traffic is high. The key is to call as soon as possible because each day you wait can delay your payment. Also, when you call, have your work search log ready just in case they ask about it during the manual filing process. You should be able to get this resolved quickly once you reach someone!
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Jacob Lee
•Thank you so much for the encouragement and practical advice! I really appreciate you mentioning to avoid Mondays - I hadn't thought about how that would make the phone lines even busier. I'll definitely try calling tomorrow (Tuesday) right at 8 AM and have my work search log ready just in case. It's such a relief to hear from so many people who've experienced this exact same issue and were able to get it resolved quickly once they reached someone. Makes me feel much more confident that this will get sorted out!
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Zara Mirza
This exact thing happened to me last month! I filed my weekly claim on a Sunday night, saw the confirmation screen, but then it completely vanished from my account like it never existed. I was freaking out because I really needed that payment. After reading similar stories online, I called ESD first thing Monday morning at 8 AM sharp. The wait was about an hour, but the representative was super helpful. She found my claim stuck in their system - apparently it was a "partial submission" that didn't fully process due to a server issue. She was able to manually complete it right there on the phone, and I actually got my payment just one day late. The rep told me this happens more often than people realize, especially on Sunday evenings when everyone is filing at once. Definitely call them ASAP - don't wait hoping it'll magically appear because it won't. Have your work search activities documented just in case they need to manually refile everything. Good luck!
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