If for some reason you can't find the verification letter option in your eServices account (which sometimes happens if your claim has an unusual status), you can also request an official verification through the Customer Service Contact Center. When you call, specifically ask for a "Benefit Payment Verification Letter" and make clear it's for housing purposes. The representative can generate and email this to you while you're on the phone. The document contains your name, customer ID, benefit amount, and payment schedule on official ESD letterhead, which satisfies most housing requirements.

Update: I found both the verification letter and payment history! For anyone else looking, it's under the "Your benefits" section, then scroll down to "Payment history" and look for the little link that says "Request benefit verification letter". My apartment manager accepted it with no issues. Thanks everyone for your help!

isnt there somthing called paid family leave in WA now? might be better than unimployment checks

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! After reading all your comments, I think I'm going to: 1) Continue my unemployment claims until the baby arrives, 2) Look into PFML to see if that would give us better benefits for a few weeks, and 3) Make sure I have our childcare plan documented in case ESD asks about my availability to return to work. I really appreciate all the insights - this has been weighing on my mind a lot with everything else going on right now!

wait im confused... if u were laid off from the first school and then worked at a second school and then got laid off again, shouldn't your unemployment claim have been updated? like the second school would be the one responsible for ur benefits after u worked there right? something seems off with how esd calculated this. did they think u were still claiming benefits while working at the second school maybe?

After reading all the details you've shared, I think there's a critical technical issue that might help your case. It sounds like there's been a failure to properly segment your claim periods between employers. Each period of unemployment should be treated as a separate claim event with different base year employers. If most of your benefits came after being laid off from the second school, then the first school should have no standing to contest those benefits. I'd recommend specifically requesting a "segregation of claim periods" review when you contact ESD or the Unemployment Law Project. This is a technical distinction that sometimes gets overlooked in complicated multi-employer cases. Also, if you have any pay stubs or hire/termination documentation from the second school, make sure those are front and center in your appeal. The dates of employment at the second school are crucial to establishing that the first school's testimony should only apply to a small portion of your total benefits, if any.

my sister works at a credit union and she said sometimes there are payment processing delays that aren't even ESD's fault - like ACH system stuff that affects all kinds of direct deposits. happened to me once with my tax refund too

Just to follow up - my roommate's unemployment hit his account this morning (Thursday) instead of yesterday like usual, so there definitely seems to be a one-day delay for some people this week. Hope yours came through too!

Went through an appeal back in January for something similar. One thing nobody mentioned yet - take notes during the entire hearing! The judge might make important comments or your employer might contradict themselves. Having detailed notes helped me when it was my turn to give closing remarks. Also, dress professionally even though it's probably going to be over the phone. It puts you in the right mindset. And have a glass of water nearby - your mouth gets dry when you're nervous talking for that long!

Thank you everyone for the incredibly helpful advice! I'm feeling much more prepared now. I've got all my evidence organized, written out my opening statement, and prepared questions based on your suggestions. Will update after the hearing tomorrow to let you know how it goes!