ESD claim ending soon - Questions about refiling, waiting week, and 401k impact

I went through a similar situation last year. Yes, you'll need to serve another waiting week when you refile - this is required for each new benefit year. The base year for calculating your 680 hours will be the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you apply. As for adjudication, it depends. If your circumstances haven't changed much, it might go faster, but they do need to verify your eligibility again. The 4-6 week processing estimate is unfortunately accurate in many cases. Regarding your 401k - it won't affect your eligibility as long as you report it correctly. Any withdrawal is considered income for the week you receive it, so it may reduce or eliminate your benefit for that specific week only, depending on the amount.

Heya, just wanted to say I feel your pain about the adjudication wait times! Took them 7 WEEKS to process my claim earlier this year and I was calling everyday with no luck getting through. I almost lost my apartment too. The system is completely broken tbh.

ur overthinking this whole thing lol. i just refiled last month and got approved in like 10 days no adjudication or anything. just make sure ur work search activities are all done each week and youll be fine

There are a few important details you need to understand about refiling: 1. Yes, every new benefit year requires a waiting week where no benefits are paid. 2. For your base year calculation, ESD will use the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before your application date. This is critical - if you haven't worked enough during that period, you won't qualify for a new claim. 3. For the 401k withdrawal - this counts as income in the week received and must be reported. Strategic timing during your waiting week is smart planning. 4. If you don't qualify for a regular claim based on hours, ask about an "alternate base year" calculation, which uses more recent quarters. 5. Processing times vary widely. While adjudication is sometimes faster for refilers, there's no guarantee. Budget for at least 3-4 weeks without payment to be safe. I recommend filing your new claim as soon as eligible (usually the Monday after your benefit year ends) to minimize gaps.

Doesnt the 401k withdrawal also have a 10% penalty if your under retirement age? something to consider

ESD is THE WORST with communication!!! When my claim was ending last year, I called to ask these exact questions and got 3 different answers from 3 different people. One even told me I didn't need to refile at all which was COMPLETELY WRONG and caused me to miss benefits. I'd take any advice you get here with a grain of salt - even from ESD themselves sometimes!

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'm going to file my new claim the Monday after my benefit year ends and plan for at least a month without benefits just to be safe. I'll probably take a small 401k withdrawal during the waiting week to cover essential bills. I'm still confused about whether I'll qualify with enough hours, but I guess I'll find out when I apply. I'll keep job hunting like crazy in the meantime and hope for the best!