one more thing - dont tell ESD ur using weed even if they ask!! washington state says its legal but esd can still use it against u. just saying u hav to be careful what u admit

I'm in a similar situation but from a different angle - I've been clean for about 6 weeks now and just started testing negative on home tests. What I learned from researching this extensively is that the timing really matters. THC can stay in your system 30-90 days depending on usage frequency, body fat, and metabolism. From what I've gathered, the safest approach is exactly what you're doing - stick to positions that don't test until you're confident you'll pass. The legal protections are there in theory, but the practical reality is that proving THC was the sole reason for rejection is nearly impossible when employers can cite other factors. One thing that helped me was expanding my search to include more remote positions and smaller companies that typically don't have formal drug testing policies. Also, many retail and food service positions don't test unless there's an incident. The 25-day mark you mentioned puts you right on the edge - some people clear by then, others need longer. If you have the financial cushion to wait another few weeks while focusing on non-testing positions, that might be the lowest-risk approach to protect your benefits.

Good luck OP! Remember that taking care of your child is not something to feel guilty about. You're doing the right thing.

I'm going through something similar right now - my childcare situation fell through unexpectedly and I'm trying to figure out if I should quit or try to make other arrangements work. Reading through all these responses has been so helpful! The documentation requirements seem overwhelming but it's good to know there are people who have successfully navigated this. @Logan Chiang I hope your claim gets approved quickly - it sounds like you did everything right by documenting your efforts with your employer and the daycare search.

Glad we could help. Remember, the work search requirement is there to support your job hunting efforts, not make your life harder.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm also new to the unemployment work search requirements and was feeling overwhelmed. One thing I wanted to add - I've found that creating a simple spreadsheet with columns for date, company name, position applied for, method (online, email, in-person), and any follow-up actions has been really helpful for staying organized. It makes it so much easier when I'm filling out my weekly claim and I don't have to try to remember what I did earlier in the week. Plus having everything in one place helps me track which applications I should follow up on.

Does anyone know if they're actually working through these in order? Like do they take the oldest cases first? I'm wondering if calling repeatedly actually helps or if we're all just in a giant queue that moves at a snail's pace no matter what we do.

I'm going through something similar right now - filed in early February after being laid off from my retail job and I'm at week 4 of adjudication. What's really frustrating is that I was clearly laid off due to store closure (not fired or quit) but they're still reviewing it as a "separation issue." I've been keeping detailed records of all my calls and the different timeframes I've been told. First it was 2-3 weeks, then 4-6 weeks, now they're saying 6+ weeks. The financial stress is unreal - I'm having to rely on family help just to cover basic expenses. Has anyone had success with documenting all the delays and using that when contacting representatives or ESD supervisors?

if you're still having trouble getting through to talk to someone at washington esd about your specific calculation, i had good luck with claimyr too. they got me connected pretty quickly when i was stuck in adjudication and needed to talk to an agent

I just went through this same process a few months ago and it was so confusing at first! Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like you're on the right track. With your $52k income, you'll want to look at your highest earning quarter from your base period. Since you mentioned variable hours, that overtime probably helped boost one of your quarters significantly. From my experience, the actual amount usually ends up being pretty close to what the online calculator shows once you get the quarters right. The hardest part is just figuring out which quarters count as your base period - but once you have that, the rest falls into place. Good luck with your claim!