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I messed up big time with my job search activities log and now I'm panicking. I thought I'd submitted everything correctly for last week, but when I logged in today, I noticed my job search log is still showing as 'draft' status. I tried going in to edit and submit it properly, but now the system is only showing next week's date as an option, not last week when these activities actually happened. Has anyone run into this problem before? Is there any way to fix this or am I going to lose benefits for this week? Can I call ESD to get them to manually accept my job search activities? Really worried about getting disqualified over a technical mistake.
Just had my unemployment benefits expire last week and I'm confused about something in my final paperwork. The notice says my weekly benefit amount was supposed to be $999, but throughout my entire claim I was only receiving $927 before taxes were taken out. That's a difference of $72 per week that I apparently should have been getting but wasn't? I went back through all my payment history and yep - never got more than $927/week. Does anyone know if ESD will reimburse you for underpayments after your claim expires? Or am I just out of luck on the money I should have received? Has this happened to anyone else?
UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! The agent confirmed I was underpaid throughout my claim. They're going to issue a supplemental payment for all weeks I claimed (23 weeks total). The difference comes out to about $1650 before taxes that I'm owed! She said it should be deposited within 5-7 business days. Thanks everyone for your help figuring this out - I would have just assumed I was out of luck if I hadn't posted here.
This is a great reminder for everyone to carefully review their initial monetary determination and compare it to the actual payments received. ESD's system doesn't always correctly apply the WBA calculation, especially if you had multiple employers or irregular earnings in your base year. For anyone else reading this: you can request a redetermination of your weekly benefit amount at any time during your benefit year if you think there's an error. Don't wait until your benefits expire like the original poster did - the sooner you catch these issues, the faster they can be resolved.
I messed up big time and need advice! My manager somehow found comments I made in this forum about 'taking any job even if it's below your pay grade just to get off unemployment.' I was venting about how frustrating the job search has been in my field (I'm in graphic design), and suggested people might need to temporarily take lower-paying jobs while still looking for something better. Apparently my boss saw this, took screenshots, and confronted me yesterday saying I wasn't 'committed to the company long-term' and let me go on the spot. No warning, no write-ups, nothing! I've been there for 8 months. Can I still qualify for unemployment benefits if I was fired for something I posted online? Will ESD consider this misconduct? I'm panicking because I have rent due next week and literally just started getting back on my feet financially.
Just my two cents but absolutely file for benefits right away. Don't wait and don't let embarrassment stop you. My neighbor works for ESD (not giving advice just sharing what I've heard) and says that most people who are fired for social media stuff DO qualify unless they were directly bad-mouthing the company or sharing confidential info. Your case sounds more like a personality conflict than actual misconduct.
One more thing - if your claim does go to adjudication, make sure you respond to ALL communication from ESD immediately. Missing a deadline or failing to provide requested information is the fastest way to get denied. Set up eServices alerts so you don't miss anything important. And if you need to, use the ESD secure message system to provide additional context about the situation.
I filed my first two unemployment claims over the past couple Sundays, but both are stuck on 'Pending' status in my ESD account. Haven't received any payments yet. The system just says to continue submitting my weekly claims, but I'm getting worried because rent is coming up soon. Is this normal processing time or should I be concerned something's wrong with my application? Do initial claims usually take longer to process? I've triple-checked that I'm entering all my job search activities correctly each week.
also make sure you didnt accidentally answer something wrong on your weekly claims. i said NO to being able and available one week cause i was confused about what they were asking and it held up ALL my payments for weeks
One thing to keep in mind - if your claim is delayed beyond 3 weeks, you have a right to know why. Request a status update through your eServices account by sending a secure message. Sometimes this alone can trigger someone to look at your claim. Also, double-check that your job search activities are meeting the 3 required activities per week and that you're documenting them properly. Inadequate job search information is a common reason for delays. But from what you've described, this sounds like the normal verification process that happens with new claims. The system is telling you to continue filing weekly claims because that's exactly what you should do - it's good advice.
Quick question about reporting earnings on my weekly claim. I worked some hours at my previous job last week (which I already reported on my claim last week). Today I actually got paid for those same hours. My question is - when I file my weekly claim tomorrow, do I need to report these earnings again since I just got the money today? Or would that be double-reporting since I already reported the hours worked last week? I really don't want to mess anything up and get hit with an overpayment notice later. Thanks for any help!
Im in construction and get paid for diffrent jobs at all diffrent times, sometimes weeks later!!!! I always just report the hours when i work them and never had a problem with esd. your doing it right!!
Everyone here is correct - you report wages in the week they were earned, regardless of when payment is received. This is covered in the ESD handbook under the "How to Report Earnings" section. The reason for this policy is to maintain consistency in how unemployment benefits are calculated and to ensure that claimants aren't penalized due to employer payment schedules, which can vary widely. Keep in mind that when you report earnings, you should report gross wages (before taxes and deductions) for the week in which the work was performed. If you performed work over multiple weeks but received a lump sum payment, you should divide the earnings according to when the work was actually done. If you ever receive a questionable determination or notice about this issue, you have the right to appeal within 30 days.
Aisha Mahmood
To answer your follow-up question - when you do reach an ESD agent, have this information ready: 1. Your claim ID number 2. The specific week (date range) where your job search log is stuck in draft 3. Details of your job search activities for that week 4. Screenshots or documentation if possible Make sure to specifically ask them to add a note to your claim about the job search log technical issue. Also ask them to confirm that your weekly benefits won't be affected by this. In my experience, as long as you did actually perform the job search activities and can document them, ESD is reasonable about system limitations. The key is getting through to actually speak with someone.
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GalaxyGazer
AuthorGot it! I have all of this information ready to go. I'll make sure to ask for a note on my claim specifically. Really appreciate everyone's help with this - was having a major panic moment thinking I'd lose benefits over a technical error.
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QuantumQuester
Just as a follow-up since I saw your question - when I used Claimyr to reach ESD about my job search log issue, they got me through to an agent in the claims department. The agent asked for my SSN, claim ID, and the specific week I was having trouble with. They confirmed I could still receive benefits as long as I actually did the job search activities, even if the system wouldn't let me submit the log retroactively. The whole call took about 15 minutes once I got through.
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GalaxyGazer
AuthorThat's so helpful to know! I'm going to try this today. I was worried I'd wait forever just to be told I reached the wrong department or something. Fingers crossed I get someone as helpful as you did!
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