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Just wanted to add another perspective here - I work in HR and deal with this situation regularly. You're absolutely correct to file your claim this Sunday since you haven't actually started work yet. The distinction ESD cares about is when you START earning wages, not when you accept an offer. I've seen employees worry about this exact scenario countless times. As long as you're truthful about accepting the job offer and provide the start date when filing, you're completely in the clear. ESD would rather you be honest and claim legitimately than stress yourself out over doing the right thing. Enjoy your last weekend of unemployment and congratulations on the new position!
This is such valuable insight from the HR perspective! It's really reassuring to hear that this is a common situation and that ESD has clear guidelines for handling it. I think a lot of people (myself included) get anxious about unemployment rules because the consequences of making a mistake seem so severe. But you're right - being honest is always the best policy. Thanks for taking the time to share your professional experience with this!
Congrats on the new job! I actually went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago. You're totally fine to file your weekly claim this Sunday since you haven't actually worked any hours yet this week. The key thing is to answer truthfully when the system asks if you've accepted employment with a future start date - just put in your Tuesday start date. I was super paranoid about it too, but ESD actually expects this scenario and handles it routinely. One thing that tripped me up though - don't forget you still need to complete your work search activities for this week even though you got the job! I almost skipped that part thinking I didn't need to anymore. Once you start working Tuesday, you'll be earning too much to qualify anyway, so this will naturally be your last claim. You're being smart by asking questions rather than just guessing!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! It's really comforting to hear from someone who went through the exact same situation recently. I was definitely getting anxious about potentially making a mistake, but hearing all these similar experiences is putting my mind at ease. I'll make sure to complete my work search activities before filing - that's a detail I might have overlooked too. It's funny how when you're new to unemployment benefits, every step feels like you could accidentally break some rule you don't even know about. Appreciate everyone taking the time to help out!
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Just remember that even if you get disqualified initially, you can appeal the decision. You have 30 days from the date of the determination letter to file an appeal. Don't give up if you think the decision was wrong.
Good to know there's an appeal process. Hopefully I won't need it but it's reassuring that there's a way to fight a wrong decision.
The appeal process can take a while though, so make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while the appeal is pending or you could lose benefits for those weeks.
This is such a comprehensive thread! I just wanted to add one more disqualification reason that caught me off guard - not responding to requests for information from ESD within the required timeframe. They'll send you forms or letters asking for documentation about your separation from work, and if you don't respond by the deadline (usually 10 days), they'll automatically disqualify you even if you had a valid claim. I almost missed one because it went to my spam folder. Now I check my mail and email religiously and set calendar reminders for any ESD deadlines.
You can add the ESD email addresses to your safe senders list or create a filter to make sure they go to your inbox. The main ones to whitelist are noreply@esd.wa.gov and any emails ending in @esd.wa.gov. Also check your state's SecureAccess Washington account regularly since they sometimes send messages through that system instead of email. I learned this after almost missing a critical adjudication interview notice that could have cost me my entire claim.
Thanks for mentioning the spam folder issue! I just checked mine and found two ESD emails from last week that I completely missed. One was asking for additional wage information. I'm going to call them first thing Monday to make sure I don't get disqualified for late response. This whole thread has been a wake-up call about how many ways you can accidentally mess up your claim. Better to be overly cautious than lose benefits over a technicality.
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I just went through this exact situation two weeks ago! Got the dreaded "disqualified" status on my first weekly claim with zero explanation - I was absolutely panicking because I needed those benefits to cover my mortgage. After reading similar posts here, I tried the 7:30am calling strategy and actually got through to an ESD agent around 8:45am. Turns out I had accidentally answered "No" to the question about whether I was "ready and willing to accept suitable work immediately" - I somehow misread it and thought it was asking if I had turned down any job offers that week. The agent fixed it right there on the phone and explained that this particular question trips up a lot of people because of how it's worded. She also told me that as long as my overall claim status shows "Active" (which yours does based on what others are saying), it's almost always just a weekly claim issue, not a denial of your entire claim. The relief I felt when she said my back pay would be processed was incredible. Got the deposit 4 days later for the full amount. Keep filing your weekly claims while you sort this out, and definitely try calling right when they open. The wait is frustrating but so worth it when you finally get answers. You've got this!
This is exactly the kind of success story I needed to hear! Your experience with accidentally answering "No" to that confusingly worded question really resonates - I'm now second-guessing every single answer I gave on my weekly claim. The fact that the agent was able to fix it immediately on the phone and you got your back pay so quickly is incredibly reassuring. I'm definitely going to set my alarm for 7:30am tomorrow and try that calling strategy. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for the encouragement - it really helps to know that others have been through this exact situation and came out the other side successfully!
I'm seeing this happen to so many people lately! Just wanted to add that you should also check if there are any "alerts" or "to-do" items in your account that might not be showing up in the obvious places. Sometimes ESD creates these tasks that need to be completed before they'll process your weekly claims, but they don't always make them easy to find. Also, when you do get through to someone (and you will!), ask them to walk you through each question on your weekly claim to make sure you understand exactly what they're asking for. I've found that ESD agents are usually pretty helpful once you actually reach them - the hard part is just getting through the phone system. One more tip: if you have a smartphone, you can try calling from different numbers (like a family member's phone) if you keep getting disconnected. Sometimes their system gets overwhelmed from certain area codes or carriers. Don't lose hope - based on all these success stories, it sounds like your situation is totally fixable!
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Just wanted to add my experience to help set expectations. I filed my claim 3 months ago after being laid off from a tech company. My case went into adjudication because my employer initially marked it as "quit" instead of "layoff" in their system - even though I had my layoff notice. It took 8 weeks to get that sorted out, but once it was resolved, I got all my back pay. The key is to keep detailed records of everything - your termination letter, final pay stubs, any communications with your employer about the layoff. Having documentation ready can really speed things up if there are any disputes. Also, definitely start applying for jobs right away and keep a log - Washington requires work search activities and it's better to be ahead of that requirement.
@Alexander Evans That s'such a valuable perspective, thank you! I m'in a similar situation - just got laid off due to budget cuts and worried about potential complications. Quick question: when you mention keeping a job search log, do you know if Washington ESD has specific requirements for how many jobs you need to apply to each week? I want to make sure I m'meeting all the requirements from day one to avoid any delays in my claim.
@Alexander Evans @Grace Durand For Washington ESD work search requirements, you typically need to make 3 job contacts per week once your claim is approved. But honestly, the requirements can change and vary based on your situation, so I d recommend'checking the current guidelines on their website or asking when you speak with an agent. The important thing is to start keeping detailed records now - date, company name, position applied for, how you applied online, in (person, etc . Even)if the requirements are slightly different, having good documentation will never hurt your case. I learned this the hard way when I had to go back and try to reconstruct my job search activities from memory!
Filing my claim tomorrow morning and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'm wondering about - should I wait until I have all my final paperwork from my employer (like my final paystub) before filing, or is it better to file right away and provide documents later if needed? I'm worried about delaying the process but also don't want to submit incomplete information that could cause problems down the line.
Don't wait for your final paystub - file right away! You can always provide additional documentation later if Washington ESD requests it. The key is getting your application in as soon as possible since there can already be delays in processing. Most of the essential info they need initially is stuff you already know - your employer details, last day worked, reason for separation, etc. Your final paystub will mainly just confirm wage information they can verify through other means. I made the mistake of waiting a few extra days to get "everything perfect" and wished I had just filed immediately. Every day you delay is potentially a day longer before you see your first payment.
NebulaNomad
Agreed! I was worried about nothing. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences.
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Yara Nassar
Just wanted to add my experience with intercepts - I had one for unpaid state taxes that I completely forgot about from 2019. Washington ESD sent me a notice about 2 weeks before the intercept started, which gave me time to understand what was happening. They took $100 per week from my $450 weekly benefit for about 6 weeks. The process was actually pretty straightforward once I knew what to expect. The key thing is they can't leave you with nothing - there are minimum amounts they have to let you keep for basic living expenses.
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Eleanor Foster
•@Yara Nassar this is super helpful, thanks for sharing! I was actually really worried about intercepts potentially wiping out my entire benefit. It s'great to know there are minimum protections in place. Do you happen to know if those minimum amounts are the same for everyone, or do they vary based on your total benefit amount or family size? Also, did you have any option to dispute the intercept amount or work out a different payment arrangement with the state tax agency before it started?
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Gael Robinson
•@Yara Nassar thanks for sharing this! It s'really reassuring to know they can t'just take everything and leave you with nothing. I was actually pretty anxious about that possibility. Do you remember if the notice explained how they calculated the minimum amount you get to keep? I m'wondering if it s'based on a percentage of your total benefit or if there s'some kind of standard minimum for basic expenses. Also, once the intercept started, was it pretty much automatic each week or did you have to do anything special when filing your weekly claims?
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