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Just remember that if you turn down suitable work, Washington ESD can disqualify you from benefits. Make sure you understand what they consider 'suitable' for your situation.
What counts as suitable work? I assume it has to be somewhat related to my experience and pay reasonably well?
This thread has been super informative. I wish Washington ESD made this stuff clearer on their website instead of people having to figure it out through forums like this.
Seriously, their website is confusing as hell. Half the time I can't find basic information about my own claim.
Exactly. And good luck getting anyone on the phone to explain things clearly. That's why services like Claimyr are probably popular.
Also remember that Washington ESD unemployment benefits max out at 26 weeks in a benefit year, so you can't collect indefinitely. The income replacement percentage matters less if you're planning to be unemployed for a long time - you need to find work within that timeframe.
Just wanted to add that if you're confused about your benefit calculation, you can always call Washington ESD and ask them to explain it. Though getting through can be challenging, services like Claimyr help with that. The agents can walk you through exactly how they calculated your weekly benefit amount.
If anyone's still having issues reaching Washington ESD about card problems, I had success using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Got through to an agent in like 20 minutes instead of calling all day.
If anyone's still worried about this, I used that Claimyr service mentioned earlier and got connected to a Washington ESD agent who explained my exact situation. Much better than guessing or stressing about it. The peace of mind was worth it.
Summary for anyone who finds this thread later: Working while collecting unemployment is legal as long as you report ALL earnings and work hours when you file your weekly claim. Not reporting is fraud and illegal, but the work itself is fine and even encouraged by Washington ESD.
KaiEsmeralda
Also worth noting that if he stops getting unemployment, you'll need to update the child support enforcement again. The withholding order only applies to the current income source.
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KaiEsmeralda
•Pretty much, yeah. DCS will need to send a new withholding order to his new employer. It's annoying but that's how the system works.
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Debra Bai
•This is why I hate dealing with child support stuff. It's always something.
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Gabriel Freeman
Just curious - did the court order specify unemployment benefits specifically, or was it just a general income withholding order? Sometimes the language matters for how quickly it gets processed.
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Aiden Chen
•I think it was general income withholding. The court clerk said it would cover any income including unemployment.
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Gabriel Freeman
•That should be fine then. General orders are actually better because they cover all income sources automatically.
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