dont forget 2 look into rental assistance and utility help programs while waiting!! most counties have emergency programs 4 single parents. also food banks saved me when i was waiting on my claim last year

One more tip - download and save a copy of your determination letter and appeal confirmation. ESD's website can be glitchy, and you don't want to lose access to important documents. I take screenshots of everything now because I've had stuff disappear from my online account before.

Don't overthink this too much. ESD just needs to verify you didn't quit or get fired from a job. Since you worked such a small amount for this company, it likely won't affect your benefit amount much if at all. The important part is explaining clearly in the comments section. I'd personally select "Lack of work/Laid off" since that most accurately describes that they didn't have more work for you after those fill-in days. For dates, just use March 2 to April 7. In the explanation field, specify exactly how many days you worked (5 total) and that this was just fill-in work while you were employed full-time elsewhere. Your actual benefit calculation will be based primarily on your main job if that's where the vast majority of your hours were worked.

One more thing I should clarify - when you file your weekly claims, if you worked ANY days during a week (for ANY employer), you need to report those hours and earnings for that specific week. This is separate from the employer separation issue we're discussing, but equally important to get right.

i dont understand why they do system maintenance on weekends when thats when most people file their weekly claims?? why not do it like tuesday night when hardly anyone is filing??

Important update from ESD's technical support team: If you were affected by this issue, once your payment is manually processed, you should receive an email confirmation. If you don't receive this email within 24 hours of speaking with an agent, call back to verify the manual process was completed. Also, for future reference, any time you file a weekly claim and the confirmation page looks different than usual or cuts off early, it's recommended to call within 48 hours to verify your claim was properly processed. ESD has published a notice about this issue on their website under the System Alerts section. They expect all affected claims to be identified and fixed by Friday, but it's faster if you call directly.

my brother had this problem with his claim when the restaurant he works at closed for renovations last month. he had to file an appeal but while waiting for the hearing he called esd and they fixed it over the phone once they saw he was on valid standby. took him forever to get through tho

To address your concern about backdating: Yes, when ESD corrects a standby-related disqualification, they will typically backdate the fix and release any held payments once they confirm your standby status was valid. Be sure to continue filing your weekly claims during this process, even though they'll show as "disqualified" until the issue is resolved. This ensures you'll receive all payments once the standby status is verified. For your weekly claims going forward, remember to: 1. Answer "No" to job search question 2. In the notes/comments section, type "ON APPROVED STANDBY UNTIL 9/15/2025" 3. If asked for work search activities, enter "STANDBY" for each required slot This properly documents your standby status each week and helps prevent future flags.

One more thing about the WorkSource appointment - it's usually a group orientation first (about 30-45 minutes) and then one-on-one time with a counselor. Don't be late or you might have to reschedule the whole thing, which could affect your benefits. The group part covers general services and the individual part is where they review your specific situation and job search logs.

Also, a tip - if there are specific industries or companies you're interested in, bring that info with you. My counselor actually knew someone at a company I was interested in and made an introduction. They can't help with those connections if they don't know what you're looking for!