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Thanks everyone for the explanations. This helps me understand why my benefits haven't changed. Guess I'll just have to wait until my benefit year ends in August.
One more thing to consider - if you do transition to unemployment, make sure you understand the work search requirements with your medical restrictions. You might need to register with WorkSourceWA and they can help with job placement accommodations.
My advice? Talk to both your disability insurance company AND Washington ESD before making any moves. Get everything in writing so you have documentation of what you were told. That way if there are any questions later, you have proof you tried to do things correctly.
And if you can't get through to Washington ESD on the phone, that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier might be worth trying. I've heard good things about it from other people in similar situations.
Does anyone know if they consider your education level when determining suitable work? Like if you have a degree, can you turn down jobs that don't require one?
Bottom line - document everything, be honest in your weekly claims, and don't stress too much about one job refusal if you have valid reasons.
Also remember that if you have trouble reaching Washington ESD customer service later (and you probably will based on my experience), there are services like Claimyr that can help you get through the phone queue when you really need to talk to someone.
Freya Ross
Important reminder: even though your first week is the waiting week with no payment, you still need to file that weekly claim! Don't skip it thinking it doesn't matter.
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Leslie Parker
•Good point. I almost skipped my first week thinking why bother if I won't get paid.
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Freya Ross
•Exactly - you need to file every week to keep your claim active, even the waiting week.
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Sergio Neal
The waiting week thing confused me too when I first filed. Once you understand it's automatic and you don't need to do anything special, it makes more sense. Just keep filing your weekly claims and the payments will start after that first week.
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Bruno Simmons
•Yeah I've got it figured out now. Thanks to everyone who helped explain it!
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Savanna Franklin
•This thread was helpful for me too. Good to see the community helping each other out.
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