This thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! As someone who's been following Boeing's situation closely, I think the consensus here is spot on: waiting to see what happens with restructuring is definitely the smart move rather than voluntarily retiring. What strikes me most is how much the circumstances around your job separation matter to Washington ESD - it's not just about whether you're retirement age, but whether you actually chose to stop working versus being forced out by circumstances. I've been in manufacturing for 30+ years and have seen so many people get caught off guard by these nuances. One thing I'd add is that if you do end up in a situation where you're collecting UI benefits, the networking aspect that several people mentioned is huge. At our experience level, leveraging professional relationships and industry connections is often more effective than traditional job applications anyway. The aerospace industry in Washington has a pretty tight community, so your Boeing background could actually open doors you might not expect.

This has been such an informative discussion! As someone who's been working in tech for over 25 years and facing some similar decisions about timing my exit, the consensus here really makes sense - wait and see what your employer does rather than making the first move. What I find most valuable is how everyone has emphasized that Washington ESD looks at the totality of your situation, not just the immediate reason for separation. The documentation advice is gold too - I'm definitely going to start keeping better records of any workplace changes or concerning comments. One thing I'd add for anyone in this situation: consider reaching out to your company's HR or employee assistance program to understand all your options before making any decisions. Sometimes there are bridge programs or phased retirement options that aren't widely advertised but could provide a middle ground between full employment and full retirement. The remote work and consulting opportunities that several people mentioned are really worth exploring too - the flexibility could be perfect for transitioning into retirement while maintaining some income and purpose.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - both my ESD and WorkSource accounts got locked after I tried to reset my password multiple times yesterday. I had no clue about the SAW connection between the systems, which explains why they both went down at the same time. I was getting so stressed about missing my weekly claim deadline, but knowing I can file by phone at 800-318-6022 is such a relief! Going to call tonight and then wait the full 24 hours before trying the SAW portal reset. It's really frustrating that the error messages don't explain any of this - just saying "credentials invalid" doesn't help anyone understand what's actually happening. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions - this community is a lifesaver when the official systems fail us!

This thread is a goldmine of information! I just wanted to add something that might help others - if you're still having trouble after trying the SAW portal reset and waiting 24 hours, there's actually a specific "Account Recovery" option buried deep in the ESD help section that I stumbled across. You have to go to esd.wa.gov, then Help Center, then Account Issues, then scroll way down to find "Advanced Account Recovery." It walks you through a different verification process that can sometimes unlock accounts when the standard SAW reset doesn't work. I had to use it last month when even the 24-hour wait didn't resolve my lockout. Also, PSA for everyone - I started keeping a simple text file on my computer with the phone number (800-318-6022), my PIN, and the direct SAW login link (secure.wa.gov) so I don't have to hunt for this info when I'm stressed about deadlines. This community has been so helpful figuring out these system quirks that ESD should really document better!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm dealing with my first pending claim situation and this thread has been incredibly reassuring! I've been on unemployment for about 6 weeks and everything was going smoothly until my claim went pending 5 days ago. Like Marilyn, I was really panicking thinking I'd done something wrong. After reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like this is actually pretty normal and often just means they're doing routine verification. I did report some temporary work earnings a couple weeks ago, so based on what Payton and others have shared, it's probably just earnings verification. I'm going to keep filing my weekly claims like Harold emphasized and try the 8am calling strategy if it doesn't resolve soon. It's so helpful to have a community where people share their real experiences - makes the waiting much less stressful when you know others have been through it and gotten their back pay eventually!

I'm also brand new to this community and just experienced my first pending claim situation! Like so many others here, I was completely panicking when I saw "pending" appear on my Washington ESD account yesterday, thinking I'd somehow messed everything up. Reading through this entire thread has been such a lifesaver - it's incredible how reassuring it is to learn that pending status is often just routine verification rather than a disaster. I reported some part-time work earnings about a week ago, so based on everyone's experiences here, it's probably just the standard earnings verification process. I'm definitely going to follow all the advice about continuing weekly claims religiously and keeping detailed records. It's amazing to find a community where people share real, honest experiences like this instead of just generic information. Thank you everyone for making this stressful situation so much more manageable to understand!

I just wanted to add my experience for anyone still dealing with this issue. I got the same OSI verification message about 2 months ago and was absolutely terrified. Turned out it was triggered because I had a credit freeze on my account that was blocking their automated verification system from accessing my credit report. The fix was simple once I got through to them - I had to temporarily lift the credit freeze for about 24 hours so their system could verify my identity. Then I could put the freeze back in place. The whole thing was resolved in 2 days after that. I'd recommend checking if you have any credit freezes or fraud alerts on your accounts, as that seems to be a common trigger that people don't think about. Also, if you've recently disputed anything on your credit report or had any banking issues, that might cause verification problems too. Like everyone else said, getting through on the phone is the hardest part, but once you do, they're usually pretty helpful in figuring out exactly what's causing the flag. Don't give up!

I'm currently going through this same verification process after getting that OSI message last week. What really helped me was keeping a detailed log of every call attempt - date, time, and how long I waited before hanging up. This documentation ended up being useful when I finally got through because the agent could see I'd been trying to reach them for days. One thing I learned that might help others: if you get disconnected while on hold (which happened to me twice), don't just immediately call back. Wait about 10-15 minutes because sometimes their system keeps you "in queue" even after disconnection, and calling right back can actually put you at the end of the line again. Also, I found that having a headset or speaker phone ready made the long hold times much more manageable. You can get other things done while waiting instead of holding your phone to your ear for hours. The verification process itself was straightforward once I got through - just had to confirm some employment details and provide a utility bill for address verification. Stay persistent everyone, the system is frustrating but it does work eventually!

I'm dealing with a similar situation and found this thread really helpful! One thing I wanted to add based on my research is that Washington ESD actually has a specific form (Form ESD 847) that they use for pension reporting. If you can get this form filled out by your pension administrator ahead of time, it can really speed up the process. Also, for anyone who might be in a similar boat - if you have multiple small pensions from different jobs (like I do), you need to report ALL of them, even if individually they seem insignificant. Washington ESD will calculate the total impact across all pension income. The good news is that if the combined employer contribution portion is under a certain threshold, the reduction to your UI benefits might be minimal. I'm still waiting to hear back from Washington ESD about my specific case, but at least I feel prepared now thanks to all the advice shared here.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm also 62 and was just laid off, but I have a different situation - I'm receiving survivor benefits from my late husband's pension. Does anyone know if survivor pension benefits are treated the same way by Washington ESD as regular retirement pensions? I'm worried about how this might affect my unemployment eligibility since the survivor benefits aren't technically from my own employment history. The monthly amount is similar to what the original poster mentioned, and like them, it doesn't cover all my expenses so I really need the unemployment benefits to bridge the gap while I'm job searching.