How to continue unemployment benefits after first claim period ends?

You'll need to check if you're eligible for an extension. Washington ESD doesn't automatically continue benefits after your benefit year ends. If you've exhausted regular UI, you might qualify for Extended Benefits (EB) if the state unemployment rate is high enough.

I went through this last year. You need to file a new claim if your benefit year expires, even if you haven't exhausted all your benefits. It's called a new benefit year claim. Make sure you have your work history ready.

Good luck getting through to Washington ESD on the phone to ask about this! I've been trying for weeks to get clarification on my claim status. The wait times are insane and half the time they just hang up on you.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! I've been waiting 6 weeks just to get my adjudication resolved and now you're telling me I might have to start all over again? This is ridiculous!

Update: I called Washington ESD this morning and they said I need to file a new claim since my benefit year is ending. The rep said I should file online about a week before my current claim expires.

Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even during the transition period. Don't let there be any gaps or you might lose benefits.

I'm in the same boat. My benefits end next month and I'm freaking out about the paperwork. Do I need to resubmit all my employment history again?

Pro tip: screenshot everything from your current claim before it expires. I lost access to my old claim information and it made filing the new one harder.

Wait, I thought there was some kind of automatic extension program? My cousin in Oregon said his benefits just continued automatically.

The timing on this is so stressful. What if there's a delay in processing the new claim? Will there be a gap in payments?

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to get help with my benefit year transition. The Washington ESD agent explained everything clearly and helped me understand the timing. Definitely worth it if you're confused about the process.

Just wanted to add that if you've worked since filing your original claim, that new work history might affect your benefit amount on the new claim. Could be higher or lower depending on your wages.

The WorkSourceWA job search requirements continue during the transition, right? I don't want to mess that up.

This thread has been super helpful. I was about to panic thinking my benefits would just stop with no warning.

One more thing - make sure your contact information is up to date before filing the new claim. Washington ESD might need to reach you during processing.

Thanks everyone for the help. I feel much more prepared now. Going to file my new claim next week and hopefully everything goes smoothly.

I tried calling Washington ESD about this same issue but couldn't get through. Ended up using Claimyr like others mentioned and got connected right away. The agent walked me through the whole benefit year extension process step by step. Much better than trying to figure it out from the website alone.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My benefit year ends in about 10 days and I was totally lost about what to do next. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea I needed to file a completely new claim. I've been unemployed for almost the full year and was worried my benefits would just disappear. Now I know to file the new claim online next week and keep all my documentation ready. The tip about screenshotting everything from my current claim is gold - definitely doing that tomorrow. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!