Just discovered ESD has an 8-week limit on standby status per benefit year - caught me by surprise!

wait what??? i thought standby was 12 weeks total!! i'm on week 9 right now on standby from my restaurant job and nobody told me anything about a limit??!

Yep, ran into this exact thing last year. It's absolutely ridiculous how ESD expects us seasonal workers to handle this. I work in agriculture and we have multiple weather-related shutdowns throughout the year. Hit my 8 weeks in July and then had another shutdown in September. They put me in adjudication, then disqualified me because I wasn't job searching (WHY WOULD I WHEN I HAVE A JOB TO RETURN TO???). Took me filing an appeal and waiting THREE MONTHS to get it resolved. Even my employer was furious because they don't want their skilled workers taking other jobs during temporary shutdowns. The whole system is stacked against industries with seasonal work patterns.

i am on standby too lol. but i've only used like 4 weeks so far this year. good to know theres a limit thanks for sharing this!!!

This is actually a really important piece of information that many people miss. The 8-week standby limit applies to your benefit year (which is the 52-week period starting when you first filed your claim), not calendar year. If you're in a seasonal industry like construction, landscaping, or agriculture in Washington state, you should strategically plan when to use your standby weeks. Some employers aren't aware of this limit either, so they might keep issuing standby letters thinking it works indefinitely. Your options now are: 1. Start conducting and documenting 3 job search activities per week 2. See if your employer can formally lay you off instead of standby 3. Request a standby exception (though these are rarely approved outside very specific circumstances) The job search requirement is probably your best bet for immediate benefits.

Uggggh I am so tired of ESD's confusing rules! Why don't they make this stuff clear when you first file? It's almost like they WANT us to make mistakes so they can deny our claims. I spent TWO WEEKS trying to get through to someone about my adjudication status last month. Kept getting disconnected or waiting hours only to have the call drop.

One important clarification: If you work in construction, you might qualify for what's called a "lack of work" exception that extends beyond the 8-week standby limit. This is especially relevant if the work stoppage was due to inclement weather. RCW 50.20.050(3) provides some exceptions for certain industries with regular patterns of temporary unemployment. You would need to: 1. Have your employer specifically document that the unemployment is due to weather/seasonal conditions 2. Confirm you have a definite return-to-work date 3. Establish that you've worked for this employer consistently during working seasons I'd recommend specifically asking about this when you speak with an ESD agent. The standard representatives sometimes aren't aware of these industry-specific provisions.

i dont get why they make this stuff so complicated!! just let people get their benefits when theyre not working! its not like any of us are trying to game the system, we just need to pay our bills until work starts again!!!!!

For anyone else in this situation, here's a time-saving tip: Save a documented copy of your job search activities in your personal records even if you're on standby. This way, if you unexpectedly hit the 8-week limit, you'll have your job search documentation ready to upload immediately instead of scrambling to backfill activities or facing denials. The system requires 3 qualifying job search activities per week, which can include: - Job applications - Employment workshops through WorkSource - Creating accounts on job search websites - Networking events - Updating your resume and submitting it to companies Also, mark on your calendar exactly when you'll hit 8 weeks of standby for the benefit year so you aren't caught by surprise.