What can act as a buffer against unemployment? Need Washington ESD advice

I only have about 3 months saved up, should have been more prepared. How do I apply for SNAP while my UI claim is still pending?

You can apply through Washington Connection online. Don't wait for your UI to be approved first, the SNAP process takes time too.

SNAP helped me so much when I was between jobs last year. The approval was faster than my unemployment claim too.

Good point about reporting. I was thinking about doing some consulting work but wasn't sure how that affects benefits.

Consulting income gets deducted from your weekly benefit amount. If you earn more than your weekly benefit amount, you won't get any UI that week. But you can still collect other weeks.

I've tried calling but keep getting the busy signal or hung up on after waiting 2 hours. It's so frustrating!

Same here! I spent entire days trying to call Washington ESD. Finally used Claimyr.com and got through in like 20 minutes. They have this system that keeps calling for you until someone picks up. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Never heard of that before. Is it legit? How much does it cost?

Yeah it's real, helped me get my adjudication sorted out. They don't mention pricing upfront but it was worth it to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD instead of calling all day.

I hadn't thought about contacting my mortgage company. Do they actually help or just add the payments to the end of the loan?

usually they add it to the end but some offer payment reduction programs too. better than foreclosure if things get tight

Also check with your city/county for utility assistance programs. Many have emergency funds for people on unemployment.

That's great for you but $844 doesn't cover my $2,200 mortgage plus other bills. Everyone's situation is different.

Right? And that's assuming your claim gets approved quickly. Some people wait months for adjudication to finish.

Fair point about the adjudication delays. Washington ESD really needs to fix that process.

I feel weird about using food banks when there might be families who need it more. Is that dumb?

Not dumb but you're exactly who these programs are for. You paid into the system, you lost your job through no fault of your own. Use the safety net.

This! I volunteered at a food bank and we helped tons of recently unemployed professionals. No shame in getting help when you need it.

Actually have some camera equipment I could sell. Good idea, thanks!

Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp work well for quick sales. Just price to move, don't get too attached to getting full value.

Working on the networking part now. Should have been doing more of that while I still had a job.

Never too late to start. LinkedIn, industry meetups, former colleagues - cast a wide net.

Just remember you still need to do your job search activities for Washington ESD even if you have promising leads. Keep documenting everything for your weekly claims.

6 weeks! That's crazy. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier.

I used Claimyr too after seeing it mentioned here. Got through to Washington ESD same day and found out my employer disputed my claim. Would have never known otherwise since I wasn't getting any mail from them.

Employer disputed it? How does that work?

They claimed I was fired for misconduct instead of laid off. Had to provide documentation to prove it was actually a layoff. Whole thing got sorted out once I could talk to someone at Washington ESD.

Yeah COBRA is like $600/month for me. Might have to risk going without for a while.

Don't go without! Check Washington Healthplanfinder - unemployment income might qualify you for subsidies that make coverage affordable.

Will definitely look into that, thanks for the reminder!

Yeah the waiting is brutal. Keep me posted on how your claim goes!

Will do! This thread has been super helpful for ideas I hadn't thought of.

I did get a payout for unused vacation time. Should I report that somewhere?

Yes, report it on your weekly claim for the week it covers. If you got paid for 2 weeks vacation, report it over those 2 weeks even if you got the lump sum all at once.

That's encouraging! What kind of tech work do you do?

Software development, mostly backend stuff. Lot of companies still hiring despite the layoffs you hear about in the news.

Good to hear! I'm still debating whether to try it or keep calling myself.

I spent probably 20+ hours trying to call on my own before finding Claimyr. Would have saved so much stress if I'd known about it earlier.

How exactly does it work? Do they call for you or something?

Yeah they have an automated system that keeps calling the Washington ESD number until someone picks up, then they connect you. Takes the frustration out of trying to get through.

Easy to say in hindsight. Not everyone can save 6 months of expenses, especially with how expensive everything is now.

Agreed, most people are living paycheck to paycheck. The system is broken if losing a job means immediate financial crisis.

Already canceled Netflix and a couple other subscriptions. Looking at my budget now to see what else I can trim.

Good start! Every dollar you can save now gives you more time to find the right job instead of having to take the first offer out of desperation.