What does waiting week mean on unemployment - Washington ESD confusion

So I file my weekly claim but don't get paid? That seems really unfair when people are already struggling financially.

Yeah it's frustrating but it's the law in Washington. The good news is it's only one week and then your regular payments should start coming through.

Pretty much everyone has to serve the waiting week unless you're on standby status through your employer. Regular UI claims all have the waiting week requirement.

Do I still need to do the work search activities during the waiting week even though I'm not getting paid?

Yes absolutely! You need to log your job search activities for every week you claim, including the waiting week. If you don't meet the requirements, it can affect your future payments.

This is so annoying. You're unemployed, need money immediately, but they make you jump through hoops for a week without pay. The system is broken.

Is that legit? I've been trying to call Washington ESD for days about my claim status.

Yeah it worked for me. I was stuck trying to understand some adjudication stuff and couldn't get through on my own. The service got me connected to someone who could actually explain things.

Wait so if I get hired and then laid off again later this year, I don't have to do another waiting week?

Correct, as long as it's within the same benefit year. The waiting week is per benefit year, not per claim.

Because the government likes to make everything more complicated than it needs to be. It's probably some old rule from the 1940s that no one bothered to update.

It's actually supposed to encourage people to find work quickly rather than rely on benefits, but in practice it just causes financial hardship for people who are already struggling.

So if I was laid off mid-week, how does that work? Do I only count the days I was actually unemployed?

You'd need to report the partial week earnings when you file your claim. Washington ESD will calculate how the waiting week applies based on your specific situation.

That's exactly why I used Claimyr. The regular phone lines are impossible. At least with their service you know you'll actually talk to someone instead of getting hung up on constantly.

I might have to try that. This is ridiculous that you can't get basic information about your own claim.

Exactly! It's especially cruel during economic downturns when people desperately need that first week of income to keep their lights on and buy groceries.

Thank you for clarifying that! I was wondering if I could just skip filing for that week since there's no payment.

Yeah this is super important. I know someone who skipped their waiting week filing thinking it didn't matter and it screwed up their whole benefit schedule.

That's really common! Washington ESD should do a better job explaining this upfront instead of leaving people to figure it out on their own.

You still have to serve the waiting week even with partial unemployment. You'll report your reduced earnings but that first week is still unpaid by Washington ESD.

That's what I was afraid of. Thanks for the info though.

Of course they keep voting to keep it. Politicians don't care about regular people trying to survive between jobs.

How much does it cost? At this point I'm willing to pay something to actually talk to a human being.

It's really reasonable compared to the time and frustration you save. Check out their video demo to see how it works before deciding.

Oh wow, that would definitely confuse me! I would think there was a mistake if my claim showed paid but I got no money.

Yeah I called in a panic thinking something was wrong. The rep explained that 'paid' just means processed, not that you actually receive money for the waiting week.

Which makes no sense because they already verified your employment history and reason for separation before approving your claim. It's just bureaucratic nonsense.

Good point! I'll make sure to log my job search activities even for the waiting week. Better safe than sorry.

I feel you. When you're already worried about paying rent and buying food, having to wait an extra week for benefits is really rough.

That's reassuring to hear. I was worried the whole process would be this confusing. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Agreed! The waiting week is the hardest part to understand. Once you're in the regular payment cycle, it's much more straightforward.

Yeah I'm definitely going to try that. Reading about it online only goes so far when you need specifics about your own situation.