ESD weekly claims when sick or on vacation - how to properly report unavailability?

The rule is pretty straightforward - you need to be able and available for work EACH DAY of the week you're claiming. If you're sick even for one day, technically you're not "able and available" that day. Same goes for being out of the country - you can't accept work offers while in Mexico, so you're not available. My advice: for the week you were sick, you should report that you weren't able and available for the full week. For your vacation, don't file a claim for that week at all. You can't put a "partial week" on hold - it's either the whole week or nothing. You don't want to mess with this - improper reporting can lead to overpayments and penalties down the road.

I was in kinda the same boat last month. Got food poisining for 2 days but still did my work searches. i just answerd honestly on my weekly claim that i wasnt able to work for those 2 days, and they reduced my benefit amount proprotionally i think? I got less money but not $0. Youll get the days you WERE available for work i think.

The previous responses contain some inaccuracies. Here's what ESD's policy actually states: 1. For illness: If you're sick and unable to work, you should report the specific days you weren't able and available. ESD will reduce your weekly benefit amount proportionally (by 1/7 for each day you weren't available). 2. For vacation, especially international travel: This is different. While out of the country, you're considered unavailable for work because you cannot accept job offers or interviews. For international travel, you should not file for that entire week. On your weekly claim, there's a question specifically asking if you were able and available for work each day. Answer truthfully, and the system will calculate the appropriate benefit amount. ESD reviews these claims carefully, and incorrect reporting can result in overpayment notices and potential penalties.

GUYS BE CAREFUL WITH THIS!! I made the mistake of not reporting when I was in the hospital for 3 days and ESD found out somehow. I got hit with a HUGE overpayment notice plus penalties 3 months later! They check hospital records or something. ALWAYS report exactly when you're not available/able to work. Better to get slightly reduced benefits than be accused of fraud later!! For your Christmas trip, definitely DON'T claim that week. My friend tried to claim while vacationing in Europe and ESD made him pay back everything plus a penalty. They consider international travel a complete disqualification for that week.

I think theres a way to put your claim on standby for a week if you know your gonna be unavailable. My cousin did this when she went on a cruise and didnt have any issues. She just didnt get benefits for that week but when she came back she just started filing again no problem

I was trying to reach ESD to ask this exact question last month when I had surgery and was going crazy because couldn't get through on the phone. Eventually found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an ESD agent in about 30 minutes instead of calling for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent told me exactly how to report my surgery days - had to mark those specific days as not available, and they reduced my weekly amount proportionally. Saved me tons of stress trying to guess what to do!

Just to add another data point - I recently had to deal with this when I took a 5-day trip to visit my mom in Arizona. I called ESD directly (took forever to get through) and the rep advised me to just not file for that week at all rather than report being unavailable. She said it's cleaner that way and avoids any potential issues. When I returned, I just resumed filing my weekly claims as normal. For your flu situation, I agree with what others said about reporting the specific days you were sick.

One more important thing to note: If you decide not to claim for your vacation week, your claim remains active. You don't need to reapply or anything like that. Just resume filing the week after you return. The system allows for gaps in filing without penalty. This is the cleanest approach for your Mexico trip. For the illness, follow the proportional reduction approach mentioned above. Be precise about exactly which days you were unavailable.

Just wanted to add my experience from earlier this year - I had a similar situation when I got COVID and was bedridden for 5 days. I was really worried about reporting it honestly because I needed every dollar from unemployment, but I followed the advice to report exactly which days I wasn't available. ESD reduced my weekly benefit by about 5/7ths (for the 5 days I was sick) but I still got paid for the 2 days I was able to work. The system handled it automatically once I answered the daily availability questions honestly. No issues, no overpayment notices, nothing. The key is being specific and honest about exactly which days you weren't available. Don't try to game the system - they really do check these things and the penalties for incorrect reporting are way worse than just taking the reduced payment for the days you were actually sick. Good luck with your claim and hope you're feeling better!

I've been following this thread as someone who just started collecting unemployment benefits last month, and all this advice is incredibly helpful! I haven't dealt with either illness or travel situations yet, but it's good to know what to expect. The consensus seems really clear: be completely honest about specific days you're unavailable due to illness (and get proportional benefits), but skip filing entirely for international travel weeks. The stories about ESD's ability to cross-check records are both impressive and a little scary - definitely reinforces that honesty is the only safe approach. I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference, especially the tips about keeping documentation and tracking dates on a calendar. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - this kind of practical advice is so much more helpful than trying to interpret the official ESD website language alone!