What is RESEA unemployment program in Washington ESD?
I got a letter from Washington ESD saying I need to attend something called RESEA but I have no idea what this is. The letter mentions it's required and if I don't show up my benefits could be affected. Has anyone been through this program? What should I expect? I'm worried because I've been doing my job searches every week and thought I was following all the rules correctly.
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Ally Tailer
RESEA stands for Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment. It's a federal program that Washington ESD uses to help people get back to work faster. You'll meet with a counselor who reviews your job search activities and helps you develop better strategies for finding employment.
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Callum Savage
•Thanks for explaining! Do I need to bring anything specific to the appointment?
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Ally Tailer
•Yes, bring your job search log, resume, and any documentation of work you've applied for. They'll want to see what you've been doing.
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Aliyah Debovski
I went through RESEA last month and it wasn't bad at all. The counselor was actually pretty helpful and gave me some tips on improving my resume. It's mandatory though - you HAVE to attend or they'll stop your benefits.
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Miranda Singer
•How long did your appointment take? I'm trying to figure out if I need to take time off work for it.
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Aliyah Debovski
•Mine was about an hour and a half. They go through your job search activities pretty thoroughly.
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Cass Green
If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about your RESEA appointment, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Really saved me from sitting on hold for hours.
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Finley Garrett
•Is that legit? I'm always suspicious of third-party services when it comes to unemployment stuff.
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Cass Green
•Yeah it's totally legitimate. They just help you get through the phone system - you still talk directly to Washington ESD agents.
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Madison Tipne
RESEA is basically Washington ESD's way of making sure you're actually looking for work and not just collecting benefits. They'll review your job search log and might give you additional requirements like attending job fairs or workshops.
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Holly Lascelles
•That sounds intimidating. What if my job search log isn't detailed enough?
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Madison Tipne
•Just be honest about what you've been doing. They're there to help, not punish you. But make sure you're meeting the minimum job contact requirements.
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Miranda Singer
I'm scheduled for RESEA next week and I'm nervous because I haven't been keeping the best records of my job applications. Will they really cut off my benefits if my documentation isn't perfect?
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Ally Tailer
•They won't cut you off for imperfect records, but they might give you additional requirements. Start documenting everything from now on.
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Malia Ponder
•Same boat here. I've been applying to jobs but not writing everything down like I should have been.
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Kyle Wallace
The RESEA program actually helped me land my current job. The counselor connected me with resources I didn't know existed and helped me target my applications better. Don't stress about it too much.
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Callum Savage
•That's really encouraging to hear! I was worried it was just bureaucratic hassle.
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Ryder Ross
•How long after RESEA did you find work? I'm wondering if the program actually makes a difference.
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Gianni Serpent
Make sure you don't miss your RESEA appointment! My cousin missed his and they suspended his benefits immediately. He had to go through a whole appeal process to get them reinstated.
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Henry Delgado
•Wow that's harsh. Did he eventually get his benefits back?
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Gianni Serpent
•Yeah but it took like 3 weeks and he missed two payments. Definitely not worth skipping.
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Olivia Kay
RESEA appointments are usually at WorkSource offices, not Washington ESD offices. Make sure you go to the right location or you'll be sitting around confused like I was.
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Joshua Hellan
•Good point! The address should be in your appointment letter though.
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Callum Savage
•I'll double-check my letter to make sure I have the right address. Thanks for the heads up!
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Jibriel Kohn
The whole program is just another hoop to jump through honestly. But it's mandatory so you gotta do it. At least it's only once unless they select you again later.
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Edison Estevez
•Wait, you can get selected multiple times?
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Jibriel Kohn
•Yeah if you're on benefits for a long time they might call you back for additional sessions.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
I had trouble reaching Washington ESD to reschedule my RESEA appointment and someone recommended Claimyr. It actually worked great - got through to an agent in like 10 minutes instead of calling for hours. Definitely worth checking out if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD.
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James Johnson
•How much does that service cost? I hate paying extra just to reach government agencies.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
•It's reasonable considering how much time it saves. Better than taking a whole day off work to keep calling.
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Sophia Rodriguez
The RESEA counselor will also review your WorkSourceWA profile to make sure it's complete and optimized. Mine needed some updates that I hadn't thought about.
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Mia Green
•I completely forgot about updating my WorkSource profile. Thanks for reminding me!
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Emma Bianchi
•Yeah they check everything - resume, profile, job search activities. Come prepared.
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Lucas Kowalski
Don't worry too much about RESEA. I was stressed about it but the counselor was really understanding and helpful. They want you to succeed, not fail.
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Olivia Martinez
•That's reassuring. I've been losing sleep over this appointment.
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Charlie Yang
•Same here. Good to know they're not out to get us.
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Grace Patel
If you're self-employed or doing gig work while on partial unemployment, make sure to mention that during RESEA. They need to know about all your work activities.
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ApolloJackson
•Good point. I do some freelance work and wasn't sure if I should bring it up.
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Grace Patel
•Definitely mention it. They need the full picture of your work search and activities.
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Isabella Russo
The RESEA program is actually federally funded, which is why all states have some version of it. Washington ESD just administers it here. It's not going away anytime soon.
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Rajiv Kumar
•Interesting. I wondered why this was mandatory if it's supposed to be helpful.
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Aria Washington
•Federal requirements mean they have to track participation and outcomes pretty carefully.
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Liam O'Reilly
I used Claimyr again last week when I had questions after my RESEA appointment. The counselor had given me some conflicting information and I needed clarification from Washington ESD directly. Much easier than the regular phone line.
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Chloe Delgado
•What kind of conflicting information? Now I'm worried about my upcoming appointment.
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Liam O'Reilly
•Nothing major - just confusion about how many job contacts I needed to make per week. Got it cleared up quickly.
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Ava Harris
One thing to know about RESEA - they might refer you to additional services like skills assessments or training programs. These are usually optional but can be helpful if you're struggling to find work in your field.
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Jacob Lee
•Are those training programs free? I could use some skill updates.
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Ava Harris
•Most are free through WorkSource, especially if you're on unemployment. Definitely worth asking about.
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Emily Thompson
Just completed my RESEA last week. Bring a list of all the jobs you've applied for with dates and company names. They really do check your work search activities thoroughly.
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Sophie Hernandez
•Did they ask for proof of applications like screenshots or confirmation emails?
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Emily Thompson
•They didn't ask for proof but having details ready made the conversation go much smoother.
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Daniela Rossi
Remember that RESEA is separate from your regular weekly claim filing. You still need to file your weekly claims on time even if you have a RESEA appointment scheduled.
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Ryan Kim
•Thanks for clarifying that. I wasn't sure if the appointment replaced filing that week.
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Zoe Walker
•Nope, keep filing as usual. The appointment is additional, not a replacement for anything.
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Elijah Brown
Overall RESEA isn't as scary as it sounds. Go in with a positive attitude and be prepared to discuss your job search strategy. They really do want to help you find work.
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Callum Savage
•Thank you everyone for all the helpful information! I feel much more prepared for my appointment now.
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Maria Gonzalez
•Good luck with your RESEA appointment! You'll do fine.
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Liam O'Donnell
I went through RESEA about 6 months ago and it was actually pretty straightforward. The counselor spent about 45 minutes reviewing my job search activities and helped me refine my resume. One tip - if you've been using online job boards, write down the specific job titles and company names because they'll ask for details. They also helped me set up some job alerts I didn't know about before. Don't stress too much about it - they're genuinely trying to help you get back to work, not catch you doing something wrong.
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Zainab Omar
•That's really helpful advice about writing down specific job titles and companies! I've been applying through Indeed and other sites but wasn't keeping detailed records. Did they ask you about which job boards you were using or just the specific applications? Also curious about those job alerts you mentioned - were they through WorkSource or other platforms?
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CyberSamurai
•They asked about both - which platforms I was using and specific details about applications. I showed them my list of companies and job titles, and they were satisfied with that level of detail. The job alerts were a mix - some through WorkSource WA and some through other sites like LinkedIn Jobs. The counselor actually helped me set up better search parameters so I wasn't getting bombarded with irrelevant postings. If you're starting to track now, even a week or two of detailed records will show you're taking it seriously.
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Liam Cortez
•This is such good advice! I'm in a similar situation where I've been applying through multiple job sites but my record-keeping has been pretty sloppy. I'm wondering - when they review your job search activities, do they expect you to have applied to a certain number of jobs per week, or is it more about the quality and variety of your search efforts? I've been focusing on jobs that are really good matches for my skills rather than just applying to everything, but now I'm worried that might not look like enough activity to them.
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