How to get money for unemployment through Washington ESD - need help with the process

How long does it usually take to get approved? I need money coming in soon.

Usually 2-3 weeks if there are no issues, but can take longer if your claim goes into adjudication.

What kind of documents do I need exactly?

pay stubs, w2s, employer contact info, dates of employment, reason you lost your job

How many jobs do I need to apply to each week?

Washington requires 3 job search activities per week. Can be applications, networking, job fairs, etc. Keep detailed records.

And if you get called for an interview or job offer, you have to report it on your weekly claim!

How much does that cost? I'm already broke from being unemployed

It's worth it if you need to actually talk to someone at ESD. Way better than spending all day redialing busy signals.

I might try this too. I've been calling for days and getting nowhere.

Your weekly benefit amount is based on your highest earning quarter in the past year. There's a calculator on the ESD website, but roughly it's about 1/3 of your average weekly wage.

That's way less than I was making. Is there anything else I can get?

Regular unemployment is the main program. Maximum weekly benefit in Washington is currently $999 per week, but most people get much less.

Even really small jobs? I did some gig work last year.

Yes, everything counts. Better to include too much information than too little.

ikr, took me forever to figure out the weekly claims part

The worst part is when something goes wrong and you can't reach anyone to fix it

What happens if I'm sick and forget to file one week?

You can sometimes get the week back if you have a good reason, but it requires calling ESD and explaining the situation.

I missed a week due to covid and they did restore it, but took forever to process

Regular unemployment is up to 26 weeks in Washington. That's assuming you have enough earnings in your base period to qualify for the full duration.

What if I can't find a job in 26 weeks?

Then you're out of luck unless Congress extends benefits during a recession. That's why it's important to job search seriously from day one.

Is that a separate website I need to sign up for?

Yes, worksourcewa.com. You can use the same login as your ESD account I think.

Layoffs usually qualify unless it was for misconduct. If you quit voluntarily or were fired for cause, that can disqualify you.

ok good, it was definitely a layoff not my fault

What kind of things do they audit?

They cross-reference your employers, check if you're working while claiming benefits, verify your job search activities. Pretty thorough.

I might need to try that if my claim gets stuck somewhere

I used it yesterday and finally got my adjudication issue resolved. Worth every penny.

There's a one-week waiting period, so you won't get paid for your first week. After that, if everything goes smoothly, payments come 2-3 days after you file your weekly claim.

ugh so basically 3-4 weeks before any money comes in

What if I have a doctor's appointment during the week?

That's fine, they're asking about your general availability for work, not every single hour of the week.

Can I change to direct deposit later if I didn't set it up initially?

Yes but it takes a few weeks to process the change, so better to do it right away.

Yes, report any work on your weekly claim immediately. You can sometimes still get partial benefits if you're working part-time and earning less than your weekly benefit amount.

Good to know, I have a potential part-time opportunity coming up

Same here, thanks everyone for all the info

You'll figure it out as you go. The most important thing is just getting started with the application.

Great advice, I'll make sure to do that

yeah learned that the hard way when they said I never filed a weekly claim but I had

Good luck! Feel free to ask if you run into any issues.

And remember that Claimyr option if you need to actually talk to someone at ESD!

You've got this. The process seems complicated but once you get into the routine it becomes second nature.