The most important thing is to answer their questions completely and honestly. Don't volunteer information they don't ask for, but make sure you fully answer what they do ask. And remember, they're not trying to trick you - they just need to verify the information on your claim.

I went through this exact same situation last year and completely understand your anxiety! The interview ended up being much less intimidating than I expected. They asked standard questions about why I left my job, my availability to work, and my job search efforts. Since you mentioned you were laid off due to company downsizing, they'll likely just want to confirm the details and make sure you're actively looking for work. One tip that helped me - have a pen and paper ready to jot down any important information they give you during the call. The whole process took about 25 minutes and the interviewer was actually quite professional and understanding. You've got this!

Glad it worked out! Just remember that if your hours increase or you get a raise that pushes you over the threshold, make sure to keep reporting accurately. The partial benefits can be really helpful while you're transitioning back to full employment.

This thread is so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - just got a part-time retail job after being unemployed for 3 months. Reading through all these responses, it's clear that the biggest mistake people make is just stopping their claims without properly reporting their new employment. I definitely would have made that error if I hadn't found this post. The partial benefits calculation that Eve explained is really useful too. Going to make sure I file my next weekly claim and report my new job accurately. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's saving me from potential headaches later!

Bottom line - yes you can potentially qualify for unemployment if you quit, but you need good cause and solid documentation. The burden of proof is on you to show Washington ESD why quitting was your only reasonable option. Don't quit impulsively, plan it out and build your case first.

I went through a similar situation about 8 months ago with a toxic manager and constant schedule changes. What really helped my case was keeping a detailed journal of every incident - dates, times, what happened, any witnesses present. I also saved screenshots of last-minute schedule changes and emails about overtime expectations. When I finally quit and filed for unemployment, Washington ESD approved my claim after about 4 weeks of investigation. The key was showing a pattern of behavior that made continuing to work there unreasonable. Start documenting everything now while you're still employed - it's much harder to build your case after you've already left.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone using Claimyr and found out my hold was because they needed to verify my job search activities. Even though I was doing everything correctly, they wanted additional documentation. Should be resolved in a few days now that I know what they need!

I went through something similar last year - my claim was on hold for almost 3 weeks with no explanation. Turns out it was triggered by a routine quality review where they randomly select claims to verify information. The frustrating part is they don't always send notifications right away, so you're left wondering what's wrong. My advice is to keep calling until you get someone who can look up your specific case and tell you exactly what documentation or information they need. Don't give up - these holds usually have simple solutions once you can actually talk to the right person.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this exact same panic! When I first saw "not adversely affected" on my Washington ESD claim status, I immediately assumed it was bad news because of how it's worded. Like others have mentioned, the term "adversely" just sounds so negative and official. I actually lost sleep over it for a couple nights before I found a forum post similar to this one that explained it's actually good news. It's really disappointing that Washington ESD doesn't provide clear, plain-English explanations for these status messages. We're already dealing with the stress of unemployment, and then they use confusing bureaucratic language that makes us worry unnecessarily. Thank you to everyone in this thread for sharing your experiences - it's so helpful to know that others have gone through the same confusion and that their payments came through fine. For anyone else reading this who's seeing the same status, don't panic like I did - it really does mean they reviewed something and decided it won't hurt your claim!

I'm experiencing the exact same thing right now! Just filed my weekly claim yesterday and saw "not adversely affected" pop up on my status page. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - I was convinced it meant they found some problem with my claim. The wording really is terrible - why not just say "reviewed and approved" or something that actually sounds positive? I've been unemployed for two months now and every little status change sends me into a panic. It's so helpful to see that everyone else had the same reaction and that their payments went through normally. Hopefully mine will process in the next few days like others have mentioned. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community is so much more helpful than trying to navigate Washington ESD's confusing website!