Confused about 'Disqualified' first waiting week on ESD claim - is this normal?

Yes, that's completely normal! It's not actually 'disqualified' in the negative sense - it's just how the system labels your waiting week. Washington state has a mandatory one-week waiting period before benefits can be paid. You still need to file for that week to get it counted as your waiting week, but you won't receive any payment for it. It's basically the system's way of making you wait one week before collecting benefits.

I had the exact same heart attack when I saw that last month!! Thought I did something wrong. Nope - totally normal! Keep filing every week and you'll get paid starting with your second week 👍

Yeah the system SUCKS with how they word things!! "Disqualified" makes it sound like you did something wrong when it's actually just their stupid way of marking your waiting week. I remember panicking too. Just wait till you see "paid $0" for that week which is another confusing status that actually means the same thing lol. ESD really needs to update their terminology to something that doesn't give people heart attacks.

Everyone has a waiting week in WA state unemployment. What's interesting is that during the peak COVID period they actually waived the waiting week so people got paid right away, but they went back to the regular rules in September 2021. So now everyone's first week is unpaid and shows as 'disqualified' in the system. Just keep filing your weekly claims and you should see your second week as 'paid' if everything else about your claim is in order.

my first wek showed disqualified too and i started FREAKING OUT called esd like 57 times couldnt get thru finally my neighbor who works at worksource told me its just the waiting week thing. they really should call it something else!!! who thought "disqualified" was a good label for the waiting week?!?!

Just to add some clarification: the waiting week requirement is actually written into Washington state law (RCW 50.20.010(2)). Every new claim has one waiting week per benefit year where you must meet all eligibility requirements but won't receive payment. The system shows this as "disqualified" or sometimes "waiting week" depending on where you look in your account. This is completely normal and everyone experiences it. If you're having trouble reaching ESD by phone to clarify anything else about your claim, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that helps you get through to an ESD agent much faster than calling directly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. I know several people who've used it successfully when they had urgent claim issues.

Another tip: print out the job search log form from the ESD website and start tracking your activities right away. You need 3 job search activities EVERY week (including that first waiting week). They can audit you at any time and ask for proof of your job searches going back weeks or months!

Just curious - did you verify your identity with ID.me yet? That's a separate step that trips up a lot of people. The waiting week is normal as everyone has mentioned, but make sure you've completed identity verification too, otherwise you might face payment delays on your second week and beyond.