Washington ESD - how to get unemployment check after filing claim?

I checked and it just says 'paid' for last week but no dollar amount or date. Should I be worried?

No that's normal, sometimes the payment details take a day or two to update with the actual amount and deposit date.

I've been super careful with those weekly questions. I haven't worked at all so I always put zero hours and zero earnings.

That's good. Also make sure you're actively looking for work and keeping a job search log, Washington ESD requires 3 job contacts per week minimum.

Wait, I need to keep a log? Nobody told me that when I filed!

How much does that cost? I'm already broke waiting for my unemployment money.

It's worth it when you need to actually talk to someone. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get hung up on.

I've heard of that service too, my friend used it when her claim got stuck in adjudication.

So if I filed my weekly claim on Sunday, I should see money by Friday?

Potentially yes, but the first payment often takes longer because they're still verifying your eligibility and setting up your benefit year.

Did you check if there are any unresolved issues in your account? Sometimes there's a flag that isn't obvious.

i looked everywhere and cant find anything wrong. this is ridiculous

Try calling the customer service line early in the morning around 8 AM, that's when you have the best chance of getting through.

Good point, let me verify that. I think I entered it correctly but better safe than sorry.

Yeah definitely worth checking. The bank info section is under your profile settings.

Hang in there, once the payments start they're usually pretty consistent. The first one is always the hardest wait.

You might want to contact your landlord and explain the situation. Most are understanding about unemployment delays.

Where exactly do I report these job contacts? I've been applying to jobs but didn't know I needed to log them anywhere specific.

You don't submit them with your weekly claim, but you need to keep your own detailed log in case Washington ESD audits your job search. Include company names, dates, positions applied for, and method of contact.

I keep mine in a simple spreadsheet. Date, company, job title, how I applied. Takes 2 minutes each time.

How do you set that up? I don't see text alerts anywhere in my account.

Should be under notification settings or account preferences. Might be called 'payment notifications' or something similar.

Wait what? Nobody mentioned a waiting week to me. So I won't get paid for my first week at all?

That's right, it's like a one-week deductible. You'll get paid starting from your second week of unemployment.

That seems really unfair when people are already struggling financially.

Did they actually help resolve your issue or just get you connected to someone?

They got me connected to an actual Washington ESD representative who was able to look at my account and tell me exactly what was holding up my payments. Turned out there was a simple verification issue.

Good call, I'll check that right now.

Also add washington.gov email addresses to your safe sender list so they don't get filtered out.

That sounds like a nightmare. Did you try appealing the overpayment notice?

Yeah I'm working on that but the whole appeals process is another mess entirely.

For overpayment issues, definitely file an appeal if you think it's wrong. You have 30 days from the notice date to request a hearing.

Will do! Hopefully it's soon, bills are piling up.

Same here, following this thread because I'm in the exact same situation.

How do I check if my identity verification is complete? I uploaded my documents when I first applied.

Look for a section called 'Identity Verification' or 'Document Upload' in your account. It should show the status of each document you submitted.

Mine took 2 weeks just for the identity verification to go through, even though I submitted everything correctly the first time.