How many work search activities required for Washington ESD unemployment weekly claims?

Thanks! Do I need to do this starting with my first weekly claim or is there a waiting period?

You start immediately with your first payable week. No grace period unfortunately.

It's definitely 3 now. You might have gotten lucky or they haven't audited your claim yet. I'd start doing 3 to be safe.

oh crap... guess i better start doing more then. thanks for the heads up

Interesting, never heard of that before. Did they charge you for it?

Yeah there's a fee but honestly worth it when you're dealing with urgent claim issues and can't get through normally.

I might have to try this. Been trying to reach them for weeks about my adjudication.

What if I can't find 3 different types of activities in my small town? We don't have many job fairs or networking events here.

Online activities count too! LinkedIn networking, online skills courses, virtual job fairs, industry webinars - lots of options beyond in-person stuff.

I feel your frustration but the requirements are what they are. Better to comply than risk losing benefits.

Yeah I know, just venting. It's exhausting having to document everything constantly.

How far back do they typically audit? Just wondering how long I need to keep these records.

Keep everything for at least a year after your claim ends. Better safe than sorry with overpayment notices.

Volunteering itself doesn't count, but networking you do while volunteering can count as an activity if you're making job-related contacts.

Got it, thanks for clarifying that distinction.

Is WorkSource required or just recommended? I've been tracking everything in my own spreadsheet.

Not required but highly recommended. Makes everything easier when you file your weekly claims.

Yes, interviews definitely count! Make sure to document the company, date, and position you interviewed for.

Perfect, that makes this week easier then. Thanks!

That's a good way to look at it. I've been grumbling about the requirements but you're right, they do keep you focused.

Exactly! And honestly some of the networking activities have led to better opportunities than I would have found just applying online.

They usually send a warning letter first asking you to explain the gap. If you can show good cause (illness, family emergency, etc.) they might excuse it. But repeated failures will result in disqualification.

Good to know there's some flexibility for legitimate reasons. Thanks for the info.

Clever! Never thought of that. Do you document it as 'online job search' or something more specific?

I log it as 'reviewed job postings via Google alerts' with the date and number of listings reviewed.

I used it last month when I couldn't get through about my pending adjudication. It's legit - they actually got me connected to a real Washington ESD agent who resolved my issue. Worth checking out their video demo to see how it works.

Thanks for the honest review. Might give it a shot since I've been trying to reach them for weeks.

Does this apply to teachers too? I'm on summer break but collecting unemployment.

Teachers have special rules - you might not need to do work search during reasonable assurance periods. Check with Washington ESD about your specific situation.

That's terrifying! How did they find out that person wasn't doing the activities?

Random audit. They requested documentation for a 3-month period and my friend couldn't provide adequate proof for multiple weeks.

This thread has been so helpful. Definitely going to be extra careful about documenting everything from now on.