I went through something similar last fall - got laid off right before a pre-booked Disney trip with my kids. Filed my claim the day after I was laid off, then when doing my weekly certifications during the vacation, I honestly answered that I wasn't available for work those specific days. ESD didn't give me any trouble about it at all. The key is being upfront about it rather than trying to hide anything. You'll miss out on benefits for those vacation weeks, but your claim will be properly established with the right effective date. Don't risk losing weeks of benefits by waiting to file - that $3,800 vacation cost could easily turn into much more in lost unemployment benefits if you delay your initial claim.

I'm a newcomer here but have been reading through this thread with great interest since I'm in a somewhat similar situation. The consensus seems overwhelmingly clear - file your initial claim immediately! What really convinced me was @DeShawn Washington's story about losing $2,700 in benefits by waiting, and @Derek Olson's Disney trip example showing that ESD handles pre-planned vacations just fine when you're honest about it. The logic makes perfect sense: establish your claim with the correct effective date now, then simply report you're unavailable during vacation weeks. You'll miss those specific weeks of benefits but won't lose your overall eligibility or potentially exclude higher-earning quarters from your benefit calculation. It seems like the biggest mistake would be waiting and risking your total benefit amount. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is incredibly helpful for those of us navigating unemployment for the first time!

Just remember that even if you get denied initially, it's not the end of the world. The appeals process exists for a reason and lots of people win their appeals when they have the right documentation.

Since you were laid off due to budget cuts, you should definitely qualify! That's a clear case of job separation through no fault of your own. Just make sure when you file your claim that you're completely accurate about the reason for separation - select "laid off" or "lack of work" rather than anything that might suggest you quit. The key things to focus on now are: 1) File your claim as soon as possible since there's usually a waiting week, 2) Register with WorkSource immediately after filing, 3) Start documenting your job search activities right away (3 contacts per week minimum), and 4) report any income honestly, even small amounts. Washington ESD can be slow to process claims, so don't panic if it takes a few weeks to hear back. Your situation sounds straightforward compared to some of the complicated cases people have shared here. Good luck!

Glad to hear you got it sorted out! For anyone else running into this issue, I've found that the ESD system sometimes has session timeout problems that can cause these weird loops. If you've been on the site for a while trying different things, the logout/login trick that worked for Andre often clears up these glitches. Also worth noting - if you're in a similar situation where you have orientation but delayed start date, you might want to call your new employer's HR to confirm when they're reporting your hire date to ESD. Sometimes there's a mismatch between when they report it and when you actually start work, which can cause these reporting issues.

I went through something very similar last month! The ESD system definitely has issues handling the gap between orientation and actual start dates. What finally worked for me was being very specific about the sequence - I reported attending the orientation as a "work activity" initially, then on subsequent weeks I made sure to answer "Yes, I am still employed" but entered 0 hours worked and marked that I was "available for work" for the entire week. The key seems to be that once you've reported any connection to an employer (even just orientation), the system expects you to account for that relationship every week until you either start working regular hours or actually separate from the company. If you get stuck in the separation loop again, try answering the employment questions in reverse order - sometimes going back and re-answering the "still employed" question first helps the system logic work properly.

Bottom line - be honest about all final payments from your employer, keep good records, and don't be discouraged if you have a waiting period. Your benefits will start eventually and you can usually get through the process if you stay on top of your weekly filings.

This is such valuable information! I'm in a similar situation where I received 3 weeks of pay in lieu of notice and was completely confused about how to report it. Reading through everyone's experiences really helps clarify that I need to be upfront about it even though it might delay my benefits. It's frustrating that the system works this way, but at least now I understand the logic behind it. Going to make sure I have all my documentation ready before I complete my application. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences!

thanks for all the insights everyone. at least now I know what to expect and that the waiting is normal. will try to be patient a bit longer before freaking out completely 😅

I'm in a similar boat - filed 3 weeks ago for a restaurant layoff and still pending. Reading through everyone's experiences is actually really reassuring. Sounds like 2-4 weeks is pretty normal for straightforward cases like ours. I've been stressed thinking something was wrong, but it seems like this is just how long the process takes. Going to keep filing my weekly claims and give it another week or two before I start worrying. Thanks for asking this question - exactly what I needed to see today!