One-week standby but ESD shows 'waiting week' status - will my mom get paid?

Unfortunately the waiting week is exactly what it sounds like - you dont get paid for the first week of an unemployment claim no matter what. Its basically a deductible week. Even on standby status, that first week is unpaid. Its dumb but thats how the system works.

Actually, there are some exceptions to the waiting week rule, but they're specific. Normally yes, the first week of any new claim is a waiting week (unpaid), even with standby status. However! If your mom had an existing claim within the past year that already served a waiting week, AND this new standby week falls within the same benefit year, she might be eligible for payment for that week. When did she last file for unemployment before this? Was it within the last 12 months?

the esd website is a JOKE... i bet theyre just showing 'waiting week' as a default status and not even looking at her prior claim history. typical government incompetence wasting everyones time!!!

I had same problem 2 weeks ago. My factory did shutdown for 10 days and first I got waiting week too but then I called ESD and they fixed it because I already had claim from last November. You NEED to call them, the website won't fix it automatically. But good luck getting through! Took me 37 calls over 3 days before someone picked up!

I had luck using a service called Claimyr to get through to ESD quickly for a similar issue. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. Basically they hold your place in the ESD phone queue and call you when an agent is about to pick up. Saved me hours of redial hell when I needed to get my standby status fixed. The agent I reached was able to correct my waiting week issue in about 5 minutes once I explained the situation.

When I called, I just had to clearly explain I had already served a waiting week within the same benefit year. The agent asked for the approximate date of my previous claim, verified it in their system, and then made the correction. Be sure to have your mom's previous claim information (dates, etc.) ready when you call. They should be able to see it in their system, but having the details ready speeds things up.

Just wanted to add that I work in HR and we sometimes see this happen with our employees on temporary standby. The waiting week rule has an exception if you've already served a waiting week in the same benefit year, but it often requires manual intervention by ESD staff. The online system isn't smart enough to automatically check for this in many cases. Just to clarify for everyone: a benefit year is the 52-week period that begins when you file a new claim (not a reopened claim). So if your mom filed initially in July 2024, her benefit year would run through July 2025, meaning she shouldn't have to serve another waiting week during this standby period.

Does anyone know if theres a specific department or option to select when calling for this specific issue? Like should I choose claims questions or payment issues or what? The phone menu has like 10 different options and I never know which one will get me to the right person fastest

UPDATE: Success! I finally got through to ESD this morning after using the Claimyr service (which worked exactly as described). The agent confirmed that since my mom had already served a waiting week in July 2024, she shouldn't have had another waiting week for this standby period. They're updating her claim now and said the payment should be processed within 48 hours. Thanks everyone for your help! For anyone else with this issue - definitely mention the "benefit year" and "previously served waiting week" specifically when you call. The agent told me their system sometimes doesn't automatically connect claims properly, especially with standby status.