Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I'm going to review my paperwork tonight and then contact OAH tomorrow to start the withdrawal process. You've all given me a much better understanding of what's involved.

Just wanted to add that timing can be important when withdrawing an appeal. If your hearing is scheduled soon, you'll want to contact OAH as quickly as possible to avoid any complications. They usually need at least a few business days notice to properly cancel everything and notify all parties involved. Don't wait until the last minute if you've made your decision.

Thanks everyone for all this info! This thread has been really helpful. I was so confused about whether to report plasma donation income, but now I know exactly what to do.

This is such valuable information! I had no idea plasma donation counted as income for unemployment purposes. I've been thinking about starting plasma donation to help with expenses, but I was worried it might complicate my UI benefits. It's reassuring to know that as long as I report it correctly as "other income" and stay under the earnings threshold, I should be okay. The record-keeping tips are really helpful too - I'll definitely set up a spreadsheet to track everything from day one if I decide to start donating.

my cousin had this exact thing happen last month and he just kept calling the number back every few hours for 2 days. the adjuticator finally picked up and it was just about verifying his identity because someone else with a similar name had filed a claim in oregon. took like 5 minutes to fix. i think they just leave those scary voicemails to make sure people call back tbh

Glad you got through Connor! This is a great reminder for everyone that calling right at opening time (8 AM) is usually the best strategy. The early morning hours have much shorter wait times. Also, for future reference, if you can't get through to the adjudicator directly, you can sometimes get helpful info by calling the main ESD customer service line and asking them to check your account for any pending issues or deadlines. They can't resolve adjudication matters, but they can often see what the adjudicator is investigating and confirm whether you have any outstanding requirements.

One important update based on your situation: If your employer is claiming they let you go for misconduct when it was actually a layoff, you need to appeal immediately if you get a denial. You only have 30 days from the date of the determination notice to file an appeal. While you're waiting, make sure you continue filing weekly claims every week without fail, even while in adjudication. Otherwise, you could lose benefits for those weeks even if your claim is eventually approved. The WorkSource offices can sometimes help get your issues escalated too. They have direct contacts with ESD that regular claimants don't have access to.

I'm going through something similar right now - been stuck in adjudication for 7 weeks after being laid off from my marketing job. What's helped me so far is keeping a detailed log of every contact attempt with ESD (date, time, what happened) and all the steps I've taken. One thing I discovered is that you can also contact your local legislators through the "Request Assistance" forms on their websites rather than just calling. I filled out the form for both my state rep and senator last week explaining my situation in detail. The senator's office responded within 2 days and said they'd contact ESD on my behalf. Also, if you have any coworkers who were also laid off in the same restructuring, having them as potential witnesses to back up your story could strengthen your case. Document everything and don't give up - the system is broken but people do eventually get through it.

Just want to say thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. The Washington ESD forms can be so intimidating when you're already stressed about being unemployed. Having a community to help figure out these confusing questions makes such a difference.

I'm dealing with this same confusing question right now! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. It sounds like the consensus is that they're asking about benefits during your current, continuous period of unemployment - not historical benefits from years ago or previous unrelated unemployment spells. For those of us filing for the first time during our current unemployment period, the answer would simply be "no." I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences, especially those who actually spoke with Washington ESD agents to get official clarification. The tip about using the comments section to explain your situation if you're unsure is brilliant too. Thanks for making this stressful process a little more manageable!