Can you get unemployment if you get a severance package - Washington ESD eligibility question

Thanks! So I should file now even though I won't get paid right away? I don't want to mess up my claim by filing too early.

Exactly - file now. Your benefit year starts from when you file, not when payments begin. If you wait, you could lose weeks of potential benefits later.

Did you have to report the severance on your weekly claims during those 6 weeks?

Yes, I had to report it each week even though I wasn't getting UI payments. Washington ESD tracks everything and you don't want gaps in your claim.

This is so confusing. Why make us file weekly claims if they're not paying us anything during severance?

How much did that cost? I'm already stressed about money with the layoff.

It was worth it to get actual answers instead of guessing. Much better than spending hours on hold or getting disconnected.

Never heard of this service but honestly anything beats trying to call Washington ESD directly. Their phone system is terrible.

No, you can still get unemployment - it's just delayed until the severance period ends. You're not losing your benefits, just the timing changes.

oh ok that makes more sense. so its like the severance replaces unemployment for those weeks?

Exactly right. Washington ESD sees it as you're still being 'paid' by your employer during the severance period.

Mine is structured as 8 weekly payments, so sounds like I'll have to wait. At least I know now.

Yeah, weekly payments almost always count as wages in lieu of notice. But still file immediately - that's the most important thing.

So you still have to look for jobs during the severance period? That seems like a lot of work for no payment.

Yeah, you have to meet all the requirements or risk disqualification later. It's annoying but better than losing benefits.

The job search requirement is so stupid when you're getting severance. Like let me enjoy my last few weeks of income before I stress about finding work.

Good point. My paperwork says 'severance pay' but I should double-check if there are other terms used.

Yeah, the exact wording matters. Vacation payout is usually different from severance in terms of how Washington ESD handles it.

That's reassuring. I was worried I'd lose weeks of benefits if I had to wait.

Nope, the benefit year is a full year from when you file. The severance just shifts the timing, doesn't reduce the total.

Seems like a lot of people are having success with that service. Might be worth trying if I can't get through on my own.

Yeah I used Claimyr too when I had adjudication issues. Way better than the endless hold times.

Definitely planning to report everything accurately. Don't want to deal with overpayment problems on top of everything else.

Smart approach. I've seen people get hit with big overpayment bills because they didn't understand how to report severance properly.

Yeah, I'm grateful for that. At least I can get the claim started and not lose time on the back end.

exactly. the waiting period for payments sucks but at least your benefit year clock starts ticking

Mine is definitely allocable to specific weeks - they're paying me my regular salary for 8 weeks. So I'll be waiting.

Yeah, that's pretty clearly wages in lieu of notice. But hey, at least you have 8 weeks to job search without the pressure of needing immediate income.

That's a good way to look at it. Use the severance time to really focus on finding something good instead of just taking anything.

Yes, absolutely. As long as you filed your claim and met all the requirements during the severance period, your benefits should start once the severance ends.

Good to know. At least there's some safety net after the severance runs out.

I'll try to find that handbook. Sounds like it might have more details about how they make these determinations.

Yeah, it's buried in their policy section but has good examples of different scenarios.

Thanks for the advice. I'll file my claim today and figure out the details as I go.

That's the right approach. Better to have your claim in the system than to wait and potentially lose time later.