How long do you have to be unemployed to file for unemployment with Washington ESD?

Oh that makes way more sense! So I should go ahead and file today then?

Absolutely, the sooner the better. Washington ESD recommends filing within your first week of unemployment to avoid delays.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I found out about it from someone here and it actually got me through to a real person at Washington ESD in like 20 minutes. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Never heard of that, is it legit? I'm desperate at this point

Yeah it's real, check out claimyr.com. They basically help you get through the phone queue when you need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD.

Wait so I have to file weekly claims even for the week I won't get paid for? That seems confusing

Yes, you must file for every week you want benefits, including the waiting week. If you skip it, you could mess up your claim sequence.

Good to know! I was actually thinking about waiting to see if my old job would call me back but I guess I should just file now

Definitely file now. I waited two weeks and regretted it because those are weeks you can never get back even if you're eligible.

I totally agree, it's frustrating especially when you have rent due

While I understand the frustration, the waiting week helps prevent fraud and gives Washington ESD time to verify initial eligibility. It's been a standard practice for decades.

How do I know if I worked enough hours? I was at my job for about 8 months full time

8 months full time should be plenty. You need 680 hours in your base period which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file.

That's confusing, why wouldn't they use my most recent wages?

It's because they need a complete quarter of earnings to calculate benefits fairly. Using partial quarters would make the system too complicated.

Yeah the base period thing confused me too when I first filed. Washington ESD uses completed quarters only.

Do I need to start job searching immediately or can I take a few days to get my bearings?

You should start looking right away. The requirement is that you're able and available for work, which includes actively seeking employment.

I had the same problem with adjudication delays. Ended up using Claimyr to get through to someone and they cleared it up in one phone call. Wish I'd known about that service earlier.

Never heard of Claimyr, what is it exactly?

It's a service that helps you get through to Washington ESD when their phone lines are busy. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo that explains it better than I can.

Is the online system pretty straightforward to use?

Yeah it's not too bad, just have your employment history ready including dates and employer info for the last 18 months.

Thanks, that helps put it in perspective. I'll file today for sure.

Good plan, and don't stress too much about the process. Washington ESD's website walks you through everything step by step.

I didn't get any severance but good to know for future reference

Yeah severance can be tricky - it might push back your benefit start date depending on how much you got.

Definitely planning to be completely truthful, don't want any complications

Smart approach. It's better to take extra time getting the details right than to have issues later.

How do I remember to file every week? Is there a reminder system?

I just set a recurring calendar reminder for Sunday evenings. You can file for the previous week starting Sunday morning.

Same here, Sunday reminder works great. The weekly claims are due by the following Saturday but I always do mine right away.

This is where Claimyr really helps. I was spending hours trying to get through and then someone mentioned it here. Game changer for actually reaching a real person at Washington ESD.

I should look into that, I've wasted so much time on hold with Washington ESD