Do you get paid for the waiting week on unemployment in Washington ESD?

Thanks! That's what I was hoping to hear. So if I'm not getting paid for that first week, something is definitely wrong then?

Exactly. You should contact Washington ESD to find out why that first week payment is missing. Could be a simple processing delay or there might be an adjudication issue.

How long should I wait before I start worrying? It's been about 10 days since I filed my first weekly claim.

I'd give it another week, but if you're really concerned you could try calling ESD to check on it.

Never heard of that service before. Is it legit? I'm a little nervous about using third-party services for my unemployment stuff.

Yeah it's totally legitimate. They just help you get through to ESD's phone system faster. You still talk directly to the ESD agent yourself, they just handle the calling and waiting part.

I used Claimyr too when I had an adjudication issue. Worked great and saved me so much time trying to get through those busy phone lines.

It was changed in 2018. Washington was one of the first states to eliminate the waiting week requirement completely.

damn no wonder i was confused. i haven't been on unemployment since like 2016 and back then you definitely didn't get paid for the first week

This is really helpful. So I should definitely follow up about my missing first week payment then.

Absolutely. Don't let it slide - you're entitled to that payment if you were eligible that week.

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. The regular ESD phone lines are impossible to get through to sometimes.

How much does Claimyr cost? Is it worth it just to check on one missing payment?

For me it was totally worth it because I was spending hours every day trying to call. Plus when you're missing unemployment payments, every day counts.

I was laid off due to downsizing, so it should be pretty straightforward. My employer didn't contest the claim either.

That does sound straightforward. Probably just a processing delay then, but worth checking on.

Yeah I definitely filed for it. I can see it in my account as 'processed' but no payment amount.

If it shows as processed with no payment amount, that's definitely a red flag. Something's not right there.

Yeah Washington has been pretty progressive about unemployment benefits compared to a lot of other states.

Definitely. Now if they could just make their phone system easier to get through to...

How did you finally get through to someone? Regular phone number or did you use that Claimyr thing others mentioned?

I used Claimyr actually. Tried calling myself for like 2 weeks with no luck, then used their service and got connected within an hour.

Good point. I've been taking screenshots of everything just in case.

Smart! Screenshots are perfect for this kind of thing.

The online messaging can work for some issues, but for payment problems I've found calling is usually faster.

Fair enough. The phone system is just so frustrating though.

That's why services like Claimyr exist - to deal with that frustrating phone system for you.

The elimination of the waiting week only applies to claims filed after the rule change in 2018. Claims filed before that would still have had the unpaid waiting week.

That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying!

Awesome! Glad Claimyr worked out for you and you got it sorted.

Great news! That verification flag thing happens more often than people realize.

Perfect! Sounds like the exact same issue I had. Should be all set now.