Washington ESD shows disqualified week - what does it mean when you have disqualified week from unemployment?

I checked and it doesn't give me any specific reason, just says 'disqualified.' Should I call Washington ESD to find out more details?

Yes, calling would be your best bet to get the exact reason. They can look at your claim and tell you specifically what triggered the disqualification.

I definitely didn't turn down any work that week. Maybe it's something else?

Could be a job search issue then. Did you complete all your required job contacts that week?

I thought I did but now I'm second guessing myself. How many job contacts do we need per week?

Have you tried calling right when they open at 8am? That's usually the best time to get through.

I've tried everything - early morning, lunch time, different days. Nothing works.

I actually found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. It's been a lifesaver for getting my issues resolved.

Wait, is it 3 job contacts per week? I thought it was 2. Could that be my problem?

It's been 3 per week since they updated the requirements. If you only did 2 that week, that would definitely cause a disqualification.

Actually I think it depends on how long you've been claiming. New claimants might have different requirements.

One disqualified week won't affect your other weeks or require you to pay anything back. It just means you won't get paid for that specific week.

Okay that's a relief. But I still need that money from that week!

You can appeal the disqualification if you believe it was done in error. You have 30 days from the date of the determination notice.

I didn't know WorkSourceWA was connected to my weekly claims. How often do they check that?

They can audit your job search activities at any time. It's all connected to your Washington ESD claim.

Right?? And good luck getting anyone on the phone to explain it!

That's exactly why I started using Claimyr. I got tired of spending hours trying to reach someone. Now I can actually talk to an agent when I need to understand these issues.

I didn't work at all that week so it's not an income issue. This is so frustrating.

Then it's probably job search related. Did you keep detailed records of your job applications that week?

I think so but maybe I'm missing something. I wish I could just talk to someone at Washington ESD to figure this out.

Really? How does it work exactly?

You just give them your info and they call Washington ESD for you, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Way better than sitting on hold forever.

Is there a cost for using Claimyr? Sounds too good to be true.

How do I prove I was available for work? That seems hard to document.

Usually your job search activities serve as proof that you were actively seeking work. Keep records of applications, networking contacts, and any interviews.

Oh no, I hope I didn't do that! Those questions can be confusing sometimes.

Yeah, you have to be really careful. The wording is tricky on some of those questions.

Thanks for the clear options. I think I'll try calling first to understand what happened.

Good luck with that. I've been trying to reach them for two weeks about my own disqualified week.

That's the perfect situation for Claimyr. They specialize in getting you through to agents for exactly these kinds of questions about claim status and disqualifications.

That's reassuring to hear. I was worried this would mess up everything.

Nope, just focus on figuring out what went wrong so you can avoid it in the future.

I'll check my mail pile. I might have overlooked something important.

Yeah, mine just says 'disqualified' with no explanation. I definitely need to talk to someone.

I had the same vague message. Turned out it was a system glitch and they fixed it once I got through to explain the situation.

Yeah, seems like a lot of people deal with this. At least we're not alone!

The key is just figuring out what caused it so you can prevent it from happening again.

That's smart! I'll start doing that from now on.

I also keep a notebook with my job search activities written down each week. Helps if I ever need to reference what I did.

Will do! Thanks everyone for all the advice and support.