Washington ESD waiting week unemployment - do I still have to serve one?
I just filed my initial unemployment claim with Washington ESD and I'm confused about the waiting week. I keep seeing conflicting information online about whether Washington still has a waiting week requirement. Some sites say it was eliminated during COVID but others mention it's back. Can someone clarify if I need to serve a waiting week before getting my first unemployment payment? I really need to know because I'm counting on that first payment to cover rent.
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Steven Adams
Washington eliminated the waiting week back in 2020 and it hasn't come back. You should get paid for your first eligible week as long as your claim is approved and you meet all the requirements.
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Grace Durand
AuthorThat's a relief! So I'll get paid for the week I filed as long as everything goes through?
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Steven Adams
Exactly, but make sure you file your weekly claim for that first week. Don't skip it thinking it's a waiting week.
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Alice Fleming
yeah washington got rid of the waiting week permanently i think, not just during the pandemic. most states still have it but we're lucky here
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Hassan Khoury
Wait really? I thought it was just temporary!
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Alice Fleming
nope its gone for good, at least thats what i was told when i filed last year
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Victoria Stark
You're correct that Washington ESD eliminated the waiting week requirement. However, there can still be delays in receiving your first payment due to adjudication or verification processes. The waiting week elimination just means you won't have an unpaid week at the beginning of your claim.
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Grace Durand
AuthorWhat kind of verification processes? I'm worried my claim might get held up.
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Victoria Stark
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.
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Benjamin Kim
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.
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Samantha Howard
If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check on your claim status, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach an agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call.
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Megan D'Acosta
How much does that cost? I'm already broke waiting for my unemployment.
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Samantha Howard
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.
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Grace Durand
AuthorI might need this if my claim gets stuck. The phone lines are always busy when I try calling Washington ESD.
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Sarah Ali
THANK GOD they got rid of the waiting week because I was PANICKING about having to wait an extra week for money. This whole unemployment system is stressful enough without that nonsense.
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Ryan Vasquez
I feel you. The financial stress is real when you're suddenly unemployed.
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Sarah Ali
Exactly! Every week matters when you have bills due.
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Steven Adams
Just to clarify the timeline - you'll still need to wait for Washington ESD to process your initial claim before payments start. This typically takes 1-2 weeks if there are no issues, longer if adjudication is needed. The elimination of the waiting week just means your benefit year starts immediately rather than having an unpaid week.
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Grace Durand
AuthorSo even without a waiting week, I might not get paid for 1-2 weeks anyway due to processing time?
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Steven Adams
Correct. The waiting week was an additional unpaid week on top of processing time. Now you just have the normal processing delays.
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Avery Saint
This is confusing. So what's the difference between processing time and a waiting week?
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Steven Adams
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.
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Taylor Chen
i remember when washington had the waiting week, it was so frustrating! glad they finally got rid of it. make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for approval though
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Grace Durand
AuthorGood point about filing weekly claims. I almost forgot to do that while waiting.
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Taylor Chen
yeah dont skip any weeks or you might lose benefits for those weeks later
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Benjamin Kim
My claim took forever to get approved but at least I got paid for all the weeks I filed once it went through. The no waiting week thing definitely helped since I was already waiting 3 weeks for adjudication to finish.
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Grace Durand
AuthorWhat was your adjudication for? I'm trying to figure out if mine might get flagged for review.
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Benjamin Kim
They had to verify my layoff because my employer was slow responding to their request for information. Nothing I did wrong, just bureaucratic delays.
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Keith Davidson
Ugh employer delays are the worst. They have no incentive to respond quickly to Washington ESD.
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Ezra Bates
Wait I'm confused - I thought ALL states had waiting weeks? This is news to me that Washington doesn't have one anymore.
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Victoria Stark
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.
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Ezra Bates
That's actually really progressive of them. Wish more states would follow suit.
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Samantha Howard
For anyone still struggling to get through to Washington ESD to check their claim status, I really recommend trying Claimyr. I was skeptical at first but it actually got me connected to a real person who could explain what was happening with my claim.
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Ana Erdoğan
Did they help resolve your issue or just get you through to someone?
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Samantha Howard
They got me through to an actual Washington ESD agent who could look up my claim and explain the delay. Made all the difference.
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Sophia Carson
honestly the whole system is still a mess even without the waiting week. took me 2 months to get my first payment because of some identity verification nonsense
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Grace Durand
AuthorTwo months?! That's terrifying. What did you do for money in the meantime?
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Sophia Carson
borrowed from family and used credit cards. not ideal but what else can you do
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Elijah Knight
The identity verification stuff has gotten crazy since all the fraud during COVID. But it hits legitimate claimants hardest.
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Brooklyn Foley
Pro tip: even though there's no waiting week, make sure you understand Washington ESD's job search requirements. You need to be actively looking for work and documenting it.
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Grace Durand
AuthorHow many job searches do I need to do per week?
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Brooklyn Foley
It depends on your situation but generally 3 job search activities per week. Keep detailed records in case they audit you.
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Jay Lincoln
And register with WorkSource! That's required too and some people forget.
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Jessica Suarez
The waiting week elimination was huge for people like me who live paycheck to paycheck. Even one extra week without income would have been devastating.
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Grace Durand
AuthorExactly why I was so worried about it. Every week counts when you're unemployed.
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Jessica Suarez
Right? It's not like we chose to be unemployed. Why punish people with an extra unpaid week?
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Marcus Williams
Just wanted to add that while Washington doesn't have a waiting week, some people still experience delays if they file their claim incorrectly or miss required steps. Double-check everything when you submit.
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Grace Durand
AuthorGood reminder. I tried to be really careful when filing but I'm still nervous I messed something up.
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Marcus Williams
As long as you were honest and thorough, you should be fine. Washington ESD will contact you if they need clarification on anything.
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Lily Young
For those dealing with adjudication delays, I had success using Claimyr to get through to someone who could at least tell me what documents they were waiting for. Turned a mystery delay into something I could actually help resolve.
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Kennedy Morrison
That's smart. The not knowing is the worst part of waiting for claim approval.
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Lily Young
Exactly. Once I knew what was holding things up, I could actually do something about it instead of just waiting blindly.
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Wesley Hallow
Bottom line: no waiting week in Washington, but still expect normal processing delays. File your weekly claims religiously and be patient. The system works but it's not fast.
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Grace Durand
AuthorThanks everyone for all the helpful info. Feeling much more confident about my claim now.
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Wesley Hallow
Good luck! Hope your claim processes smoothly and quickly.
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Amara Okafor
Just to add my experience - I filed my Washington ESD claim last month and can confirm there's definitely no waiting week anymore. Got my first payment about 10 days after filing, which was just the normal processing time. Make sure you have all your employment info ready when you file and don't forget to register with WorkSource right away - that seemed to help speed things up for me. The key is staying on top of your weekly certifications even while waiting for initial approval.
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