Reapplying for unemployment after benefit year ends - timing and approval process?

Yes, you can definitely apply for a new benefit year when your current one expires in October. The key thing is that you've worked enough hours during your base year to qualify for a new claim (roughly 680+ hours depending on circumstances). As for timing, you can actually apply for the new claim up to one week before your current benefit year ends. I'd recommend doing exactly that - apply during that final week of September rather than waiting until October. This helps minimize any gap in payments. Regarding processing time, it shouldn't take anywhere near 9 weeks this time around. Since you've been in their system recently and they have your wage information, it typically processes much faster - often 1-2 weeks if there are no issues requiring adjudication.

make sure u check ur monetry eligability on the ESD website before u apply!! i thought i had enough hours last time but they counted different quarters than what i expected and i got denied. the quarters they look at for base year might not be exactly what u think.

I WENT THROUGH THE EXACT SAME THING last year!!! Let me tell you what happened to me - I tried to file a week before my benefit year ended and the system gave me some weird error message. I called and called and could NEVER get through to anyone!!!! So frustrating!!! I ended up having to wait until the exact day after my benefit year ended to file the new claim. AND THEN they put me in adjudication for 6 WEEKS because they said they needed to "verify my job separation" even though they already had all that info!!! The whole system is designed to make us wait and suffer I swear.

I had a similar situation earlier this year. Tried applying online the week before my benefit year ended but kept getting errors. Called ESD for three days straight but could never get through - always busy signals or disconnections after waiting on hold. Finally found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual ESD agent within 20 minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent told me my new application was getting rejected because my old claim was still technically active. She helped me apply correctly so I didn't lose any weeks of benefits. Saved me a lot of stress during an already stressful time.

You should know that when you reapply, ESD will determine if you qualify for a new claim OR need to continue with your existing claim through what's called the "benefit year end" (BYE) review process. If your new potential weekly benefit amount would be at least 15% higher than your current benefit, they'll put you on the new claim. Otherwise, they might just extend your current claim for the remaining 16 weeks. Also, be prepared that when you apply after your benefit year ends, you need to serve a new waiting week (the first week is unpaid). This is standard procedure for new claims even if you had a previous claim.

whatever u do make sure u keep filing your weekly claims during the transition!!! even if your applying for a new benefit year, keep claiming every week. i messed this up and lost 2 weeks of benefits because i thought i had to wait until the new claim was approved before filing weekly claims again.

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I really appreciate all the detailed information. I'll definitely apply the week before my benefit year ends and keep filing my weekly claims during the transition. And I'll check my monetary eligibility first to make sure I have enough hours in the right quarters. If I run into problems getting through to ESD, I'll try that Claimyr service that was mentioned. I'm feeling much better prepared for October now!

Just wondering has anyone else noticed that the claims filed in October seem to get processed slower? I swear ESD is always backed up right when the fiscal year changes. My friend and I both applied in early October last year and we both waited like 5-6 weeks. But my sister applied in December and got approved in 10 days. Just something to be aware of maybe?