Great advice from everyone here! Just want to emphasize one more important point - if you're switching from unemployment to work, make sure you understand how your final paycheck timing might affect your last claim. If you get paid for your first few days of work during the same week you're filing your final unemployment claim, you need to report those earnings accurately. Washington ESD calculates benefits based on when you actually performed the work, not when you receive the paycheck. Better to be overly cautious with reporting than risk an overpayment situation later.

Just to add another perspective - I went through this exact situation last year when I started a new job. The key thing that helped me was logging into my Washington ESD account one final time after my last claim to make sure everything looked correct. You can see your claim status change from "active" to "inactive" after a few weeks of not filing, which gives you peace of mind that everything processed properly. Also, keep your login credentials saved somewhere safe - you never know if you might need to access your account later for tax documents or if your employment situation changes. The W-2 forms from Washington ESD are important for tax season!

I've been lurking on this thread and finally decided to create an account to share my experience! I was in adjudication for 10 weeks (yes, 10!) and did DoorDash for about 6 of those weeks to keep my head above water. The anxiety about whether it would mess up my case was eating me alive, but reading posts like this kept me going. I'm happy to report that I was eventually approved and got all my back payments, including the partial benefits for the weeks I did gig work. The most important thing I learned is that ESD's adjudication timeline has absolutely nothing to do with whether you're working part-time - they're investigating your job separation, not your current survival tactics. I used a simple Google Sheets document to track everything: date, hours, gross earnings, and platform (I also did some Instacart). When my claim was approved, having those detailed records made the back payment calculation super smooth. For anyone still on the fence about starting gig work while waiting - DO IT. The financial stress is bad enough without adding unnecessary worry about something that's completely allowed. Just be honest on your weekly claims and keep good records. You've got this!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - been in adjudication for 6 weeks and my financial anxiety is through the roof! Reading through everyone's experiences in this thread has been incredibly reassuring and educational. It's clear that the overwhelming consensus is: do the gig work, report everything honestly, keep detailed records, and don't worry about it affecting your adjudication timeline. What strikes me most is how many people emphasized that the adjudication decision (about your previous job separation) is completely separate from your current weekly eligibility calculations (which include part-time earnings). That distinction really helps clarify why gig work won't interfere with the process. I'm planning to start DoorDash this week and will definitely use the screenshot method several people mentioned for tracking daily earnings. The Google Sheets approach also sounds really smart for staying organized. It's also incredibly encouraging to hear about all the partial back payments people received once their claims were approved - knowing that you can still get some benefits for those gig work weeks takes a huge weight off. The financial pressure of waiting weeks with zero income while bills pile up is brutal, but at least now I know there's a legitimate way to survive the wait without jeopardizing my claim. Thanks to everyone who shared such detailed and helpful experiences - this community is a lifesaver when you can't get through to ESD!

The military specialist line is 800-318-6022, but honestly it's just as hard to get through on that line as the main one. That's why I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with them. Once I got an actual person on the phone and explained my military hardship situation, they were able to flag my case. Just be prepared with all your documentation - they'll want your spouse's orders, your resignation letter, and your case ID number.

I'm going through something similar right now - been waiting 8 weeks for my appeal hearing after ESD denied my claim for quitting due to my husband's military deployment orders. The frustrating part is that the law is so clear about military spouse exceptions, yet they keep making these obvious mistakes. I've been following all the advice here about continuing to file weekly claims and keeping all my documentation organized. Has anyone had success contacting their congressional representative's office? I've heard they sometimes have more pull with federal agencies, and since this involves military families, they might be more responsive than just state reps.

As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - each interview absolutely counts as a separate activity! I had 4 rounds with Microsoft (phone screen, technical interview, team interview, and final interview with the hiring manager) and counted all 4 separately on my weekly claims. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track everything. I included columns for date, company, position, contact person, type of activity, and outcome. This made it super easy to fill out my weekly job search log and gave me solid documentation in case ESD ever questioned anything. Also, don't forget that if you do any prep work that involves contacting the company (like calling to confirm interview details or asking questions about the role), those phone calls can sometimes count as additional job search contacts too. Just make sure you're documenting who you spoke with and when. Sounds like you're doing everything right though - good luck with the rest of your interview process with TechBridge Corp!

Hey Louisa! I went through something similar a few months ago and can confirm what everyone's saying - each interview definitely counts as a separate activity. I had a 3-round interview process with a local marketing firm and counted each one separately without any issues. One tip I'd add is to make sure you're noting the TYPE of interview in your documentation (phone screening, video interview, in-person, etc.) since ESD sometimes asks for that level of detail. Also, if they gave you any specific instructions or materials to review between interviews, documenting that preparation work can sometimes count as additional job search activity too. Sounds like you're being really thorough with your record-keeping which is awesome! Hope the rest of your interviews with TechBridge Corp go well - multiple rounds usually means they're seriously considering you. Good luck!

I want to echo what others have said about being prepared for an initial denial - it's unfortunately very common with hostile work environment claims. But don't let that discourage you from filing! The fact that you have recordings, emails, and documented the progression over 8 months puts you in a strong position. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple timeline document before filing - just dates, brief description of incident, and what action I took (reported to HR, sent email, etc.). Having that overview made it much easier to fill out ESD's detailed questionnaire later and helped me stay organized during the phone hearing. Also, if your former employer does contest (which they probably will), remember that the burden is on them to prove you left without good cause. Your documentation shifts that burden back to them to justify why a reasonable person would have stayed in that environment. The process is stressful, but you're doing everything right by documenting thoroughly and prioritizing your mental health. Good luck with your claim!

I'm currently in a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly reassuring. What I've learned from everyone's experiences is that the key seems to be treating this like building a legal case from day one. For anyone else dealing with workplace harassment, I'd recommend starting a "evidence journal" immediately - document every incident with date, time, witnesses present, what was said/done, and how it made you feel in the moment. I wish I had started this earlier because trying to reconstruct everything from memory months later is much harder. Also, something that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your workplace has security cameras that might have captured incidents, you might want to request that footage through HR before leaving (if possible). Once you quit, accessing that evidence becomes much more difficult. @Vincent Bimbach - your preparation sounds thorough and the fact that you stayed for 8 months while documenting everything actually works in your favor. It shows you genuinely tried to make it work before reaching your breaking point. The recordings you have could be game-changing evidence, especially if they capture the hostile behavior directly. Stay strong through this process. From what I'm reading here, people with solid documentation like yours tend to succeed, even if it takes going through the appeal process.