ESD wants more info after I skipped filing for a week - what happens next?

Yes, you need to file for every week consecutively, even weeks you don't want to claim benefits for. For the week you were visiting your parents, you'll need to report that you weren't available for work. When they send the request for information, just honestly explain you were traveling and weren't seeking work that week. Your benefits will be denied for that specific week (which is what you want anyway since you're choosing not to claim it), but your claim will remain open and active for future weeks.

Thanks for explaining! Will this delay my payment for the current week I actually want to claim? I'm worried about getting my benefits on time.

omg i did this exact thing last year and it was a HUGE hassle!! they flagged my whole claim for review and i didn't get paid for like 3 weeks after. make sure u answer everything super carefully when they ask for more info

Oh no, that sounds stressful! Did you eventually get paid for the weeks you were eligible for? Did you have to do anything special to get your claim back on track?

ya i got paid eventually but had to call them like 10 times!! so annoying

When you skip filing for a week, ESD's system flags this as a potential issue that requires clarification. Here's what will happen:\n\n1. You'll receive a questionnaire about your availability for that week\n2. You should answer truthfully that you were traveling and not available for work\n3. They'll deny benefits for just that week\n4. Your claim will remain open for future weeks\n\nThe key is responding promptly to their request for information. If you delay responding, it could hold up payments for subsequent weeks. This is a common situation that's handled routinely by ESD.

This is really helpful, thank you! I'll watch for that questionnaire and respond right away.

same thing happened to me when i went to my cousins wedding last summer! just tell them u werent available that week and dont want benefits for it. ur good!

The ESD system is so frustrating sometimes!! Even when you're trying to be HONEST and NOT claim money you're not entitled to, they make it complicated! I had a similar issue and ended up waiting over a month for them to sort it out because they put me in adjudication over it. I wish they made it easier to just say

I understand your frustration, but from ESD's perspective, they need to verify any break in filing to maintain the integrity of the system. It's actually protecting your claim in the long run by ensuring everything is properly documented.

I got stuck in this exact situation a few months ago. Waited forever trying to reach someone at ESD to sort it out. Finally found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of endless busy signals. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3\n\nThe agent I spoke with just asked a few questions about why I missed filing that week, noted it in my file, and my next payment went through normally. Saved me weeks of stress!

Is that service legit? Sounds too good to be true honestly

Yes, totally legitimate. Several people in my work group used it after our restaurant downsized. It just helps you get through to ESD's phone system when it's constantly busy. You still talk directly with actual ESD agents.

One important thing to remember: when you receive the questionnaire about your missed week, be very specific about the exact dates you were traveling. If your travel didn't cover the entire week, you might still be eligible for partial benefits if you were available for work during part of that week. Also, make sure to continue filing your weekly claims on time while this is being resolved.

That's a good point about partial weeks. I was gone from Tuesday through Saturday that week, so technically I was available Sunday and Monday. But honestly, I'd rather just not claim that week at all to keep things simple.

uh oh i didn't file for 2 weeks when i was on vacation last month and now im scared! i haven't gotten any requests for info yet though...

If you've already successfully filed claims after those missed weeks, you should be fine. The system typically prompts for missed weeks when you try to file subsequent claims. If you're concerned, you can proactively call ESD to verify your claim status.

Update: I just got the questionnaire from ESD about my missed week. It's asking if I was able and available for work, if I was physically able to work, if I was out of my labor market area, etc. I'm going to fill it out honestly stating I was traveling and unavailable. Fingers crossed this gets resolved quickly!

Perfect! That's exactly what you should do. Complete honesty is always the best approach with ESD. Since you're just looking to skip that week rather than receive benefits for it, this should be straightforward. Let us know how it goes!