Can I withdraw my unemployment claim and start over - Washington ESD options?

I think I got my last day of work wrong by a few days, and I'm not sure if I reported all my employers correctly from the past 18 months.

Those are definitely fixable issues. You'll want to contact Washington ESD to make corrections rather than trying to start over.

How did you contact them? I've been trying to call but can't get through.

That's the biggest challenge - their phone lines are always swamped. I actually used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual Washington ESD agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

I just panicked thinking I messed everything up and they'd deny my claim.

Don't panic! Minor mistakes in dates or employer info are super common and Washington ESD deals with corrections all the time.

That makes sense. I didn't realize withdrawing could affect my benefit amount.

Exactly. Your benefit amount is calculated based on wages from a specific base period. Starting over could change which quarters they use for that calculation.

So once it's filed, it's filed? That's actually reassuring in a way.

Right, which is why it's better to focus on making corrections rather than trying to undo everything.

Mainly dates - I think I put my last day worked as a Friday when it might have been the following Monday. And I may have missed listing a part-time job I had briefly.

Those are definitely correctable. The part-time job is more important to fix since it affects your wage calculation.

Agreed. Missing employer information can significantly impact your weekly benefit amount, so definitely get that corrected.

How does that service work exactly? Do they just call for you?

They handle the calling process and get you connected when an agent becomes available. Much better than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected.

That's good to know from someone who deals with this professionally. I feel better about just fixing the mistakes.

Exactly. Plus, new claims go through the full adjudication process again, which could delay your benefits for weeks.

Oh no! What happened with your appeal?

eventually got approved but it took months. definitely fix your mistakes now while you can

This is exactly why it's important to make corrections early rather than hoping small mistakes won't matter.

I can log in and see my claim status, but I don't see options to edit the information I submitted.

Yeah, for significant changes like employer information or work dates, you'll probably need to speak with an agent.

Seems like a few people here have used it successfully. Might be worth trying.

Yeah, it saved me a lot of frustration. The regular Washington ESD phone line was impossible for me to get through on.

Thanks for the professional perspective. I feel much more confident about just making the corrections now.

Good! The sooner you get those employer details corrected, the better. It can really affect your benefit calculation.

Wrong dates can affect eligibility determinations and when your benefit year starts. It's definitely worth correcting.

Yeah, I'd rather fix it now than deal with problems later.

That's reassuring to hear. I was really panicking about it.

Totally understand the panic! But you're being proactive about fixing it, which is the right approach.

Good idea about documenting everything. I'll start keeping track of my correction attempts.

Smart advice. Having documentation always helps with Washington ESD if questions come up later.

That's great to hear! I think I'm going to try that service. How quickly were you able to get connected?

It took about an hour, but that's way better than the endless busy signals I was getting before. Worth checking out their demo video to see how it works.

You're absolutely right. I'm going to stop worrying about starting over and just focus on getting the corrections made. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Perfect approach! Getting those corrections made promptly will save you headaches down the road.

Thank you! I feel so much better after reading everyone's responses. Time to make those corrections instead of worrying about them.

Thanks for sharing your experience! It's really helpful to hear from someone who actually went through the correction process successfully. I was definitely overthinking this whole situation. Did you have any trouble getting through to an agent when you needed to make your corrections?

I had some trouble initially with the phone lines being busy, but I ended up using that Claimyr service that Gabriel mentioned earlier in this thread. It really made the difference in actually getting connected to an agent. The whole correction process was pretty straightforward once I got through - they updated my employment dates and added the missing employer right there on the call. The agent even mentioned that employment history corrections are one of the most common things they handle, so don't worry about it being unusual or problematic.