How to correctly report 'holiday furlough' when reopening an ESD claim?

When I had a holiday furlough last winter, I selected 'laid off/lack of work' as the reason. The key is to also make sure you indicate it's temporary and you have a return date. ESD understands holiday furloughs are common in some industries. Don't stress too much - just make sure to complete your weekly claims during the furlough period and report any earnings accurately. You should get approved fairly quickly since it's a standard situation.

i did this last december and just put 'temporarily laid off' i think? cant remember the exact wording but there was definitely an option that fit better than permanent layoff

I just went through this last week! The exact option you want is "TEMPORARY LAYOFF" - it's specifically for situations like furloughs where you'll be returning to work. Make sure you have your return-to-work date handy when you file. Also, be aware that ESD might still flag your claim for adjudication even though it's a simple furlough. Mine got stuck for days and I couldn't get through on the phone lines at all. I was freaking out about bills.

To add some clarity: when reopening a claim for a temporary furlough, select "TEMPORARY LAYOFF" as your separation reason. You'll need to provide: 1. Your expected return date 2. Confirmation that you'll be returning to the same employer 3. Your normal work hours and pay rate Make sure to answer "Yes" when asked if you're expected to return to your employer. This helps ESD process your claim correctly. Also, remember you still need to complete your job search activities each week unless your employer has specifically requested and been approved for standby status on your behalf. Keep all documentation from your employer about the furlough in case verification is needed later.

I had a similar holiday furlough situation last year. Definitely select "TEMPORARY LAYOFF" as others mentioned. But be prepared - ESD's systems can still get confused by these temporary situations. My claim got stuck in adjudication for over a week even though everything was filled out correctly. If this happens to you and you can't get through on the phone lines (I tried for days), check out Claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to an ESD agent without the endless busy signals. Worked perfectly for me and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Having a real person fix the issue was so much faster than waiting for the system to figure it out.

BE CAREFUL what you select!!!! I checked the wrong box during my furlow last year n my claim got STUCK for 5 weeks!!! The ESD website is sooooo confusing and they dont explain anything. Make sure u dont accidently say u quit or got fired those r RED FLAGS and will freeze ur claim forever!!

Regarding your question about standby status - this is something your employer would need to request for you. Standby allows you to receive benefits without completing job search requirements for up to 8 weeks, which is helpful for short furloughs. However, standby isn't automatic and many employers don't bother with the paperwork for very short furloughs. If your furlough is only one week, it might not be worth the administrative effort, as you'd only need to complete 3 job search activities for that week anyway. If you're returning to work after one week, just make sure to report your return to work promptly when you go back, and report any earnings accurately on your weekly claim.

Wait are holiday furloughs even eligible for unemployment? My company does this too but HR told us we shouldn't file because it's planned in advance or something. Now I'm confused if I've been missing out on benefits I could've claimed...

Update: I reopened my claim yesterday and selected "TEMPORARY LAYOFF" as everyone suggested. I made sure to enter my return-to-work date and answered "Yes" when asked if I'm returning to the same employer. The system accepted my application without any errors, so hopefully it goes through smoothly! I'll update again once I know if it gets approved or stuck in adjudication. Thanks everyone for your help!