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When I was getting unemployment my brother was getting married and I had to go to california for the wedding but I was worried about answering the able and available question that week and if I would get in trouble for being out of state briefly but my claim was fine and nothing bad happened. Sorry this isnt about training but similar worry I guess
That's a different issue actually. For brief travel, you're supposed to indicate that on your weekly claim (there's a specific question about being out of your local area). Short trips are allowed as long as you're still conducting job search activities. For training, it's about whether you're in a full Commissioner-Approved Training program, not short professional development courses.
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I feel much better about this now. I'll continue to mark "no" for that question since these are just short professional development courses and not a formal training program. I'll still be fully available for dispatches, which seems to be the key factor. Really appreciate all the advice!
anyone else notice that adjudication seems to take longer when the employer is fighting the claim? when i got laid off last year with no dispute my benefits started in like 10 days. but my friend who got fired for "performance" (totally bogus btw) waited like 6 weeks for adjudication. seems like they put the complicated ones at the bottom of the pile...
Yeah thats exactly what happens! My wife's claim went through in a week cause her company didn't contest it. But mine is on week 4 of adjudication because my boss is claiming I was "insubordinate" when actually I just refused to do something unsafe. ESD is definitely prioritizing the easy cases.
You're right that uncontested claims process much faster. When employers contest a claim, it automatically triggers adjudication, which requires a trained adjudicator to review evidence from both sides. ESD processes uncontested claims through an automated system, while contested claims require human review, creating a bottleneck. It's not about prioritizing easy cases - it's about the additional steps required for disputed separations.
Just wanted to update everyone - I finally got through to ESD today after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. The agent confirmed my case is assigned to an adjudicator but said they're backed up by about 3-4 more weeks. At least now I know what's happening. They also looked at my documentation and said I've done everything right so far. Thanks for all the advice and support!
That's great you were able to get through and get an update! Did they give you any idea about your chances of approval or is it too early to tell?
Have you checked with your previous employers to make sure they properly reported your wages to ESD? I had an issue where my employer had me classified wrong in their system (as a 1099 instead of W-2), so none of those hours were showing up in the ESD system. Took some back and forth with the HR department but they eventually fixed it on their end.
I went through this exact nightmare last year. My determination letter was missing almost 850 hours from two different employers! After three appeal letters with no response, I finally got through to someone on the phone who explained that sometimes hours don't transfer properly in their system if there's ANY discrepancy in how your name or SSN was entered by different employers (like using a middle initial at one job but not another). Request a copy of your wage and hour history report directly from ESD. Compare that to your actual work records. If there's a mismatch, you'll need documentation from each employer confirming your actual hours worked. Time-consuming but it worked for me.
When I needed my old claim info for a background check, I ended up having to go to the WorkSource office in person. The staff there could access my full history immediately and printed everything out for me on the spot. Might be worth trying if you have one near you and can't wait for email responses or phone calls.
I hadn't thought of going to WorkSource! There's one about 20 minutes from me. Did you need an appointment or could you just walk in? This might be my best option at this point.
Quick update on the records request option - I just checked and the public records process typically takes 5-21 business days per ESD's website, so that's probably too slow for your mortgage deadline next week. Either try Claimyr to get through by phone faster, or the WorkSource in-person option someone mentioned might be your quickest solutions.
Tasia Synder
when i was on unemployment last year i had this same question! i ended up just downloading the payment history and making my own spreadsheet to keep track of everything because the esd website is so confusing. helped me catch when they underpaid me one week too!
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Daniel White
•That's actually a really good idea. I'm an accountant so spreadsheets are kind of my thing anyway. Did you eventually get the underpayment fixed?
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Tasia Synder
•yeah but it took forever. had to send like 3 messages through the portal and finally called. they fixed it about 3 weeks later with backpay. document everything!
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Natalia Stone
my sister just went thru this. she thought she was gettin $844 but was only gettin like $720 something. she called and they said its bcuz she owes child support LOL she was so mad
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