Is unemployment retroactive - Washington ESD backdating question

What counts as good cause? I honestly just didn't know I was supposed to file right away - thought I had to wait longer.

Not knowing isn't usually considered good cause unfortunately. They look for things like illness, family emergency, or misinformation from your employer.

Six weeks?? That's so long when you need the money now. Did they pay everything at once when it finally went through?

yeah they paid it all in one lump sum but man those 6 weeks were rough

Never heard of that before but anything is better than trying to call and getting hung up on constantly. Is it legit?

Yeah it's at claimyr.com. They basically handle the calling process for you so you don't have to waste hours on hold. Really saved me when I needed to get my adjudication issue resolved.

I totally get the frustration but at least there are options now. Before Claimyr I literally spent 8+ hours a day calling for two weeks straight.

That's exactly my point though - we shouldn't NEED outside services to access our own benefits!

Do you know what form number it is? I've been looking on their website but there are so many different forms.

I think it's part of the general claim modification process but I'm not 100% sure on the exact form. Definitely worth calling to confirm.

Wait what? So I'd have to remember exactly what I did for job searches 3-4 weeks ago?

yeah exactly, they want your job search activities for each week. better start trying to remember now

What kind of documentation did he need to provide? I'm worried I don't have enough proof.

He had to show medical records and proof he was dealing with his dad's funeral arrangements. They wanted official documents for everything.

True, I guess I have nothing to lose by asking. Just don't want to mess up my current claim somehow.

Requesting backdating won't affect your current claim status, so you're safe to try.

The reason for your job separation affects your overall eligibility but shouldn't impact backdating specifically. That's more about why you delayed filing.

Thanks, that makes sense. I was worried it might complicate things.

That's really helpful to know. I think I'm going to need to call them anyway to get this sorted out properly.

Still think it's ridiculous we need a third party service but if it works it works I guess.

Good luck! Make sure to be really specific about your circumstances in your request letter.

hope it works out better for you than it did for me with the timing

Good to know there's an appeal option if needed. Hopefully it won't come to that but nice to have a backup plan.

Yeah the appeal process is a whole other thing but at least the option exists.

Ugh that's what I was afraid of. Really need something sooner than that for bills.

yeah its rough, maybe look into food banks or other assistance while you wait

Definitely doing that. Don't want to mess up anything going forward while trying to fix the past weeks.

Smart approach. Keep everything current while working on the retroactive stuff.

Technically up to one year from your filing date, but practically they rarely approve more than a few weeks unless you have really compelling circumstances.

That makes sense. Probably not worth trying for more than a month or so back then.

Oh no, I didn't even think about the job search requirements. I wasn't keeping track of applications before I filed.

yeah you need like 3 job search activities per week minimum, better start making a list of what you can remember

That's a really good point. Better to know exactly what they want than guess and potentially submit the wrong stuff.

Exactly. Saved me from wasting time on paperwork that wouldn't have helped my case anyway.

Sorry it didn't work out for the backdating, but at least you got a definitive answer instead of being in limbo.

That's exactly why I like that service - you get real answers instead of guessing what might happen.

bummer about the backdating but good you found out before spending more time on it

Yeah, definitely harder than I expected. But worth asking if you think you have a legitimate reason for the delay.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Probably going to skip trying for it and just focus on current claims.

Wish I had known that from the beginning. Definitely good advice for future reference.

Live and learn, right? At least your current claim should process normally now.