What does not adversely affected mean Washington ESD unemployment - confused about job search requirements

This usually refers to whether you had any physical or mental conditions, transportation issues, or other circumstances that would prevent you from accepting suitable work during that week. If you were able and available for work without any limiting factors, you'd answer that you were 'not adversely affected.

I think it also covers things like childcare issues or lack of transportation that would make you unable to take a job that week. Washington ESD wants to know if you were genuinely available for work.

Been dealing with Washington ESD for months now and this question trips up a lot of people. The key is thinking about it from the employer's perspective - if someone offered you a suitable job that week, would you have been able to accept and start working? If yes, you were not adversely affected. If something would have prevented you from taking the job, you were adversely affected.

If you're struggling to get through to Washington ESD to clarify questions like this, I found this service called Claimyr that actually gets you connected to an agent. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ - saved me hours of calling. Their website is claimyr.com if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD directly.

i always just answer no to that question and it works fine. never had any issues with my weekly claims

The wording is confusing because it's a double negative. 'Not adversely affected' means nothing was preventing you from working. I wish Washington ESD would use clearer language on these forms.

Here's what counts as being adversely affected: serious illness, injury, lack of childcare, no transportation, family emergency, or anything else that would make you unable to accept work. If none of those apply, you were not adversely affected.

I made the mistake of answering this wrong once and it flagged my claim for review. Took 3 weeks to get it sorted out with Washington ESD. Make sure you understand what they're asking before you submit your weekly claim.

The Washington ESD handbook explains this but it's buried in like page 47 of their PDF. Basically they want to know if you met the 'able and available' requirement for that week.

Been filing claims for 6 months and I think this question is their way of checking if you're actually looking for work or just collecting benefits. If you're consistently saying you were adversely affected, they might question your eligibility.

I had surgery and couldn't work for 2 weeks. During that time I answered that I WAS adversely affected and my benefits were put on hold until I could work again. So make sure you only claim weeks when you're actually able to work.

Another way to think about it: if a perfect job for you was offered that week, would you have been able to say yes and start working? If the answer is no because of health, transportation, childcare, etc., then you were adversely affected.

I used Claimyr when I was confused about this exact question. The Washington ESD agent I talked to explained it really well. Sometimes you just need to speak to a real person to get clarity on these forms.

The question is poorly worded but the intent is clear - they want to know if you were genuinely available for work that week. Answer honestly based on your actual circumstances and you'll be fine.

Pro tip: if you're ever unsure about how to answer these weekly claim questions, you can call the Washington ESD customer service line. Though good luck getting through without help - that's why services like Claimyr exist.

Bottom line: 'Not adversely affected' = you were able and available for work that week. 'Adversely affected' = something prevented you from being able to accept work. Keep it simple and answer based on your actual situation.