Confused about ESD weekly claims with part-time respite care job - only 36 hours monthly

omg i have almost the same issue!! i do home healthcare and they only give me like 40 hrs a month. i always say 'still working but reduced hours' even on the weeks i dont work at all. been doing it this way for 6 months and havent had a problem yet but now im paranoid lol

You're selecting the correct option. 'Still working reduced hours' is the appropriate response when you have an ongoing employment relationship but aren't receiving your normal hours. The key factor for ESD is whether you're still considered an employee of the company, not how many hours you work each specific week. Since you're regularly scheduled for those 36 hours monthly, you remain employed throughout the month, just with an irregular schedule. Make sure you accurately report earnings for the week you do work, and report zero earnings for the weeks you don't work.

The ESD system is SO confusing with part-time irregular work! I swear they designed it for people who work standard jobs and then just lose them completely. I work in event catering and sometimes have zero hours for weeks then suddenly 30 hours in one weekend. I just call the standard 'still working reduced hours' because nothing else fits right. Just be super accurate with your hours/earnings when you DO work.

I've worked with several clients who have similar part-time irregular schedules. Here's what you need to know: 1. 'Still working reduced hours' is the correct option for your situation 2. You must report the week with 36 hours correctly with exact earnings 3. For zero-hour weeks, still select 'still working reduced hours' and report $0 earnings 4. Make sure to answer 'yes' to being able and available for work during ALL weeks 5. Document your schedule pattern (36 hours in one week, then zero) somewhere in case ESD ever questions it This is a common situation in healthcare, especially for respite workers and PRN staff. The key is consistency in your reporting.

if your trying to reach ESD good luck lol... i spent 3 weeks trying to get through about my weird work schedule. kept getting hung up on or waitig 4+ hrs. finally tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me through to an actual agent in like 25 mins! they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 the agent i talked to said if your still employed but hours vary week to week, 'still working reduced hours' is right even for zero hour weeks. she said its about the ongoing employment relationship not the specific hours each week.

DONT SELECT LAID OFF!!!! I made that mistake once with my part time job where I sometimes have zero hours and it created a HUGE headache. ESD put my claim on hold, sent me a questionnaire about the 'job separation' and I had to explain I wasn't actually separated from the job. Took like 5 weeks to fix and I almost missed rent. Definitely go with 'still working reduced hours' option.

Just to follow up on my earlier comment - ESD updated their guidance for irregular work schedules in 2025. The current official guidance states: "Claimants with ongoing employment relationships who experience weeks with zero hours should report they are 'still working reduced hours' and report zero earnings for those weeks. Only select 'laid off' or 'quit' if your employment relationship has been permanently terminated." So you're definitely reporting correctly.

I'm curious - have you considered looking for additional part-time work to supplement those 36 hours? With that limited schedule, you might qualify for partial unemployment benefits, but you could potentially earn more with another flexible part-time job. Just wondering what other options you've explored, since respite care hours are often so limited.

just wondering did u tell them ur available for full time work when u aplied for unemployment? because i heard if u restrict ur availability too much they can deny benefits. like if u say ur only available certain days or hours.