How to refile for unemployment benefits after previous claim ended?

Thanks! Do I need to wait until after my benefit year officially ends or can I file early?

You can file the new claim during the week your benefit year ends. Don't wait too long after it expires or you might have a gap in benefits.

Good point about the 18 months. I worked part-time during some of my claim period so I'll need to include those wages too.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I discovered it when I was having the same phone issues. It's at claimyr.com and they actually get you through to Washington ESD agents. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Never heard of that but willing to try anything at this point. Does it actually work?

Yeah it worked for me when I needed to check on my adjudication status. Way better than spending hours redialing the same busy number.

What kind of complications? I'm in a similar situation and want to avoid problems.

They made me verify all my job search activities for the gap period even though I wasn't getting paid. Plus my first payment was delayed because of the timing issues.

That's what I'm worried about. I had to take some temporary lower-paying work during my claim period.

Yeah they use all qualifying wages in their calculation so if you worked lower-wage jobs it can bring down your weekly benefit amount.

No, job search requirements continue the same way. You still need to log 3 job search activities per week and be able and available for work.

ugh ok thanks

I always reported my part-time work on my weekly claims. Should that be enough?

Yes that should be fine. Washington ESD has record of what you reported so it should all match up when they calculate your new base period.

There's no waiting week for refiling in Washington. The waiting week only applied to new claimants and they actually eliminated it completely in 2023.

Oh good, thanks for clarifying that!

That's encouraging! How long did your original claim take to process?

My first claim took about 3 weeks because they had to verify my employment. This refiling was processed in 2 days since they already have all my employer information.

Good advice. I kept good records during my claim period so hopefully I have everything I need.

Wow that's amazing! I've been trying to get through for weeks about my own refiling questions.

Yeah definitely worth trying if you need to talk to someone. Way better than the regular phone system.

They calculate a completely new base period based on when you file the new claim. So if you file now, they'll look at your wages from about 15 months ago through 3 months ago.

Thanks! So it's possible my benefit amount could go up if I had higher wages in the more recent quarters.

Exactly. It works both ways - could go up or down depending on your wage history in the new base period.

How long did that verification take?

About a week. They sent me a form to fill out with the employer's new information and then processed it pretty quickly after that.

Good catch! I definitely don't want to lose any benefits I'm entitled to.

Agreed, their website organization could definitely be better. I always have trouble finding specific information.

Your job search activities in WorkSourceWA should carry over, but you'll want to make sure you're meeting the requirements continuously. There shouldn't be any gap in your search activities.

Perfect, thanks! I've been maintaining my log consistently so that should be fine.

That's reassuring! I was dreading having to go through that whole lengthy process again.

Yeah it's definitely streamlined compared to the initial filing. Most of your basic info is probably already in their system.

I did some freelance work but reported it all on my weekly claims. Should I gather additional documentation?

If you reported it properly on your weekly claims you should be fine. They have record of what you reported.

Good luck! And remember if you run into any issues that require talking to Washington ESD, Claimyr is there as an option to avoid the phone system frustrations.

Definitely keeping that in mind. Thanks again!