Will ESD pay unemployment for 3 weeks between jobs? Started new job but claim still pending

Yes, you should still receive benefits for those weeks you were unemployed as long as you filed weekly claims for that period and met all eligibility requirements. You need to report your new employment when you file your weekly claim for the week you started working. There's a section asking if you worked or earned any money - make sure to include all hours and earnings. After that, you can stop filing weekly claims. You don't need to call ESD to close your claim - it automatically becomes inactive after two weeks of not filing.

congrads on the new job! i had simlar thing happen last yr, was out of work for like 5 weeks but my claim took 2 monts to get approved lol. they still paid me for those weeks i was unemployed even though i was already working by then. just make sure u reported ur work when u started and answered the questions right on the weekly claim form

THEY WILL ABSOLUTELY PAY YOU FOR THOSE WEEKS!!! But only if you did your weekly claims correctly for each of those weeks you were unemployed. If you missed filing even one week, you're probably out of luck for that week. And YES YES YES you MUST report when you started working on your weekly claim or they'll come after you later for fraud and OVERPAYMENT which is a nightmare to deal with!!!!!

Let me clarify some important points about your situation: 1. Yes, you'll be eligible for benefits for the weeks you were unemployed (Oct 23-Nov 10), assuming you meet all other eligibility criteria. 2. You need to file weekly claims for ALL weeks you want to receive benefits, including partial weeks when you started working. 3. For the week you started working (week of Nov 11), report all hours worked and wages earned during that week on your weekly claim. You may receive partial benefits depending on how much you earned. 4. After filing for the week you started working, you can stop filing weekly claims. 5. The fact that your initial claim is still pending doesn't change any of this. Once approved, they'll process payments for all eligible weeks you've claimed. 6. You don't need to contact ESD to inform them you're working - the weekly claim reporting is sufficient.

What happens if my weekly claims gets processed before the initial claim? Have I been wasting my time doing the weekly claims when my initial claim hasn't been approved yet?

I went through this exact situation in September - laid off for 2 weeks before starting a new job. My initial claim took forever to process, but I kept filing my weekly claims while unemployed. I reported my new job on my last weekly claim. ESD eventually approved my initial claim and deposited the money for those two weeks I was unemployed all at once, even though I was already working by then. Just make sure you've been answering the job search questions correctly - you need to list 3 job contacts for each week.

Getting through to ESD might help speed things up. I was in the same boat last year and my claim was stuck in pending for over a month. I used Claimyr.com to get through to an ESD agent (they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3). Once I talked to someone, they were able to process my claim that day and I got my benefits for the weeks I was unemployed even though I had started a new job by then. Just make sure to report your new employment on your weekly claim when you start working!

Something nobody mentioned yet - make sure you're accurately reporting your separation reason from the previous job. If you selected "laid off" but your employer reports something different (like performance issues), that can delay your claim processing because it triggers an investigation. Double-check that your separation reason matches what your employer would say.

One more important detail: When you file the weekly claim for the week you started working, make sure you answer "Yes" to the question about whether you're still seeking work for that week IF you were still actively job searching before accepting this position. Some people mistakenly select "No" because they accepted a job, but ESD wants to know if you were available and seeking work during any portion of that week before you started working.