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Wishing you the best with both situations. It's a lot to handle at once but you're asking the right questions and getting good advice here.
I'm in a similar situation but haven't filed yet. This thread is incredibly helpful - I had no idea that unemployment benefits were typically protected in bankruptcy. @Liam O'Sullivan, please keep us posted on how your claim goes! It sounds like you're getting great advice here about filing immediately and keeping your attorney informed. The bankruptcy process is stressful enough without worrying about basic income support.
Just remember that unemployment is insurance, not welfare. You paid into this system through your payroll taxes, so don't feel guilty about using it. But also don't treat it as a vacation - the job search requirements are there for a reason.
Last tip: if you do exhaust your 26 weeks and still haven't found work, there might be other assistance programs available through DSHS or local organizations. Don't just assume you're out of options after unemployment ends.
One thing to remember - even if your employer contests your claim, it doesn't mean you won't get benefits. Washington ESD makes the final decision based on all the information, not just what your employer says.
Just to add some perspective - I went through this exact situation last month. My employer took the full 10 business days to respond and did contest my claim, but Washington ESD still approved me after reviewing everything. The key is to make sure you have all your documentation ready (termination letter, emails, etc.) in case they need it during the review process. Don't stress too much about the pending status - it's completely normal and most claims do get approved even when contested.
This is really helpful to hear from someone who just went through it! I've been keeping all my paperwork organized just in case, but it's good to know that even contested claims can still get approved. Did the whole process take much longer once they contested it, or was it still pretty reasonable timing?
Wow, this whole thread is incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - my ESD portal shows $3,200 in backpay processed on Feb 15th, but I've only received about $1,800 so far in weird random amounts. Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel so much better that this is apparently "normal" (even though it's super stressful when you're waiting for money you desperately need). I'm definitely going to try calling ReliaCard directly tomorrow and check for any verification holds. It's crazy how many hoops we have to jump through just to get our own money! Thanks for sharing the update about your resolution - gives me hope that mine will work out too.
You're so right about all the hoops! I'm in a similar boat - been waiting 3 weeks for my full backpay to come through. The stress of not knowing when your money will actually show up is unreal, especially when you've got rent and bills due. Definitely call ReliaCard first thing - from what everyone's saying here, they seem way more helpful than trying to get through to ESD. Keep us posted on how it goes! This thread has been a lifesaver for understanding that we're not alone in dealing with this mess.
This thread has been so reassuring! I'm currently dealing with something similar - got a lump sum backpay of $5,400 showing as "paid" in my ESD portal on March 15th, but ReliaCard has been depositing it in chunks over the past two weeks. So far I've gotten $1,950, then $1,200, then nothing for 5 days, then another $850 yesterday. It's definitely stressful when you're budgeting around money that should be there but isn't! One thing I discovered that might help others - if you log into ReliaCard online and go to the "Pending Transactions" section, sometimes it shows deposits that are scheduled but haven't posted yet. Mine showed two more deposits pending for this week that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. The mobile app doesn't show pending transactions, only the website does. Also want to echo what others said about calling ReliaCard directly - their hold times are way shorter than ESD and they can actually see what's happening with your specific deposits. The agent I spoke with last week explained that they've had a lot more fraud prevention triggers lately because of increased scam activity, so larger unemployment payments get extra scrutiny.
Liam Fitzgerald
Update on my situation - finally got through to Washington ESD and confirmed no extended benefits are available right now. But the agent helped me file a new claim based on my part-time work from earlier this year. Should know within a week if it's approved.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned - took about 2 hours instead of me calling all week. Definitely worth it for something this important.
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Zara Ahmed
•I think I'm going to try that too. Thanks for the update!
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Alejandro Castro
I'm in a similar boat - my benefits are ending next month and I've been stressing about it. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like I should focus on checking if I qualify for a new claim rather than waiting for extended benefits that probably won't be available. Did some freelance work earlier this year, so maybe that'll help. The Claimyr service keeps coming up in these discussions - might be worth trying since getting through to ESD normally seems impossible. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it's really helpful to know I'm not alone in this situation.
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