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ESD Standby for dental office staff with multiple unpaid weeks - when to apply and what about waiting week?
Hi everyone! I'm an office manager at a dental practice where our dentist takes 8 weeks of unpaid time off annually (spread throughout the year). Our staff has never applied for unemployment during these periods before, but with costs rising, we're looking into Standby unemployment for the first time. Our first week off is March 31, 2025. I'm totally confused about the timing: 1. When exactly should our staff apply for standby? Right when the week starts? Before? 2. I read something about a "waiting week" - does this mean no one gets paid for the first week off? 3. For our scattered time off (1 week in March, 1 week in July, 2 weeks in August, etc.), do we need to file weekly claims during the weeks we're working just to maintain the claim for the next unpaid period? Really appreciate any guidance from those who've navigated Standby unemployment before! This process seems so complicated and I want to make sure our team gets the support they need during these unpaid periods.
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Final UI payment after getting a new job - report or just stop claiming?
I just got hired at a new company (started yesterday) after months of searching! I have potentially one more UI payment left if I'm eligible. For those who've been in this situation - if I file my weekly claim this Sunday and report that I'm now employed, will that trigger some complicated process or extra paperwork? Or is it simpler to just stop filing claims altogether and be done with it? I don't want to deal with a bunch of back-and-forth with ESD if I can avoid it, but also don't want to leave money on the table if I'm still eligible for partial payment.
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I just wanna say congrats on the new job!! 🎉 That's awesome and must be such a relief after being on unemployment.
Thank you! It really is a huge relief. The job search was way more stressful than I expected.
One more thing to be aware of: if you earned more than your weekly benefit amount in that final week, you won't receive payment, but it's still important to file and report. It properly closes out your claim cycle and prevents any issues down the road. Good luck with the new position!
Thanks for the extra info and well wishes! I'll definitely file and report everything accurately.
ESD $0 determination for part-time instructor - Reasonable Assurance issue wrongly applied?
I'm completely stumped with my ESD determination and can't reach anyone for help! Just filed for UI on Monday (6/24/2025) as my community college teaching contract ended and I have NOTHING lined up for fall quarter. Today I received an 'Initial Monetary Decision' alert saying I'm eligible for $0 weekly benefit. ZERO! The alert mentions something about 'Reasonable Assurance' (some RCW law) and claims I 'did not return to work and earn enough to qualify for a new claim.' Both of these are WRONG! I have NO reasonable assurance - no contract, no benefits, nothing promised for future work. And I've definitely been working and earning since 2021 through now - the wage details they show are actually correct and should qualify me! I've been calling ESD repeatedly but just get disconnected or stuck on hold forever. Has anyone dealt with this 'Reasonable Assurance' issue as a part-time educator? How do I get this fixed when I can't reach anyone??
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I want to clarify something important about the 'did not return to work and earn enough to qualify' message. This is separate from the Reasonable Assurance issue. It means the system is saying you didn't earn enough in your base year to qualify for a new UI claim. If your previous benefit year ended and you're filing a new claim, you need to have worked and earned wages in at least 680 hours during your base year. Double-check your base year wages in eServices to verify you met this requirement. If the information there is incorrect, you'll need to address that as well.
That's a really helpful clarification. I checked my base year wages and I definitely worked way more than 680 hours - it's showing about 820 hours. So I'm really confused why they'd say I don't qualify when their own system shows I do! It's like they're applying two different wrong reasons to deny me.
Have you tried going to WorkSource? Sometimes they have ESD people there who can look at your claim without going through the phone nightmare. That's what I did last year when I had an issue with my claim.
I hadn't thought of that! There's a WorkSource office about 20 minutes from me. I'll try calling them tomorrow to see if they have anyone who can help with UI issues. Thanks for the suggestion!
ESD delaying payments over 'Able and Available' issues - organizing for action
Hey everyone, I'm getting desperate about these ridiculous ESD payment delays and want to see how many others are in the same boat. I've been waiting for 7 weeks now with my claim stuck in limbo because of some 'able and available for work' flag that suddenly appeared in my account. I've submitted all the requested documentation THREE TIMES, and still nothing! Is anybody else experiencing these extended delays? How long have you been waiting? What bizarre 'issues' is ESD claiming they need to resolve before paying you? I'm reaching my breaking point and think we need to take collective action. I'm planning to: 1. Contact several local news outlets (KING5, KOMO, Seattle Times) 2. Reach out to law firms that handle class action cases 3. Flood the Governor's office with calls If enough of us speak up, maybe they'll actually do their jobs! The entire point of unemployment insurance is to provide support DURING unemployment, not months later when you're already facing eviction! If you're dealing with this too, please comment with your situation. Also consider: - Calling Governor Inslee's office: (360) 902-4111 (option 2 for comments, option 3 for help escalating your claim) - Emailing Commissioner Feek: cfeek@esd.wa.gov (keep it respectful but firm) The leadership at ESD needs serious accountability. These systemic failures are devastating real families across WA state!
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Update on my situation: I finally got my benefits released yesterday after 9 weeks of waiting! What finally worked was getting my state senator's office involved (thanks to whoever suggested that). Their constituent services staff contacted ESD directly and suddenly my claim was "prioritized." Seems wrong that it takes political connections to get what you're legally entitled to, but at this point I'm just relieved to have rent money. For those still waiting - don't give up, and definitely try the state representative/senator route!
Congrats! That gives me some hope. I just emailed my representative this morning with all my claim details. Did they tell you what the actual holdup was with your claim? Was it really the "able and available" issue or something else?
@OP - Yes, it was indeed the able and available issue. Apparently the system had flagged me because I mentioned in one weekly claim that I had attended a family event out of state (was only gone for a weekend). That triggered the A&A review because they thought I might not be available for work. The ridiculous part is that once someone actually looked at my claim, it took them less than 10 minutes to resolve it. It just sat in a queue for 9 weeks with nobody looking at it!
ESD updated bank info - how long until I get my 7 weeks of backpay?
So frustrating! I just got approved for unemployment but realized ESD had my old closed bank account on file. I'm owed payments for 7 weeks now! Finally got through to someone this week who helped me update my banking info, but they were super vague about when I'll actually see the money. Has anyone been through this? How long does it typically take for ESD to process the bank account change and release backpay? Getting desperate as bills are piling up and I was counting on this money weeks ago. 😩
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Danielle Mays
One more important detail - when your staff applies, they need to indicate they're requesting standby status and provide the specific return-to-work date after each period off. So for your March 31 week, they would enter the date they're returning to work in April. For scattered weeks, this gets updated with each period of unemployment. Also, everyone should set up their ESD account and claims BEFORE the first day off work. The system can be glitchy, and you don't want authentication issues delaying benefits.
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Arnav Bengali
AuthorThat's great advice about setting up accounts early. I'll have everyone create their ESD accounts next week so we're prepared. For the return-to-work dates, I'll make sure each staff member has a calendar with all the specific dates. Thanks for all your help!
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Sayid Hassan
Also be prepared for SOME of your staff to have their claims go into adjudication for no apparent reason! ESD randomly flags some claims and then it can take WEEKS to resolve!!! Make sure everyone has some savings just in case because there's no predicting who might get stuck waiting!!
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