Washington ESD waiting week unemployment - do I still have to serve one?

That's a relief! So I'll get paid for the week I filed as long as everything goes through?

Exactly, but make sure you file your weekly claim for that first week. Don't skip it thinking it's a waiting week.

Wait really? I thought it was just temporary!

nope its gone for good, at least thats what i was told when i filed last year

What kind of verification processes? I'm worried my claim might get held up.

Common things include verifying your identity, work history, or reason for separation. If Washington ESD needs additional information, they'll send you a determination or request.

This is exactly what happened to me - no waiting week but my claim sat in adjudication for 3 weeks while they verified my layoff details.

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

It's worth checking out their site for pricing details. For me, the time saved was worth it since I was getting nowhere with regular calling.

I might need this if my claim gets stuck. The phone lines are always busy when I try calling Washington ESD.

I feel you. The financial stress is real when you're suddenly unemployed.

Exactly! Every week matters when you have bills due.

So even without a waiting week, I might not get paid for 1-2 weeks anyway due to processing time?

Correct. The waiting week was an additional unpaid week on top of processing time. Now you just have the normal processing delays.

This is confusing. So what's the difference between processing time and a waiting week?

Processing time is how long Washington ESD takes to review and approve your claim. A waiting week was an additional unpaid week you had to serve even after approval. We don't have the latter anymore.

Good point about filing weekly claims. I almost forgot to do that while waiting.

yeah dont skip any weeks or you might lose benefits for those weeks later

What was your adjudication for? I'm trying to figure out if mine might get flagged for review.

They had to verify my layoff because my employer was slow responding to their request for information. Nothing I did wrong, just bureaucratic delays.

Ugh employer delays are the worst. They have no incentive to respond quickly to Washington ESD.

Most states do still have waiting weeks, but several have eliminated them in recent years. Washington was one of the first to do so permanently.

That's actually really progressive of them. Wish more states would follow suit.

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

They got me through to an actual Washington ESD agent who could look up my claim and explain the delay. Made all the difference.

Two months?! That's terrifying. What did you do for money in the meantime?

borrowed from family and used credit cards. not ideal but what else can you do

The identity verification stuff has gotten crazy since all the fraud during COVID. But it hits legitimate claimants hardest.

How many job searches do I need to do per week?

It depends on your situation but generally 3 job search activities per week. Keep detailed records in case they audit you.

And register with WorkSource! That's required too and some people forget.

Exactly why I was so worried about it. Every week counts when you're unemployed.

Right? It's not like we chose to be unemployed. Why punish people with an extra unpaid week?

Good reminder. I tried to be really careful when filing but I'm still nervous I messed something up.

As long as you were honest and thorough, you should be fine. Washington ESD will contact you if they need clarification on anything.

That's smart. The not knowing is the worst part of waiting for claim approval.

Exactly. Once I knew what was holding things up, I could actually do something about it instead of just waiting blindly.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. Feeling much more confident about my claim now.

Good luck! Hope your claim processes smoothly and quickly.