To add to my earlier comment, there's a common misconception that unemployment can work like gap coverage for any income interruption. The key requirements for UI eligibility are: 1. You must be separated from your employer OR have a significant, ongoing reduction in hours 2. The separation/reduction can't be your fault (quitting without good cause doesn't qualify) 3. You must be able and available to accept suitable work immediately 4. You must be actively seeking work each week Since you were still employed and just temporarily unable to work due to illness, criteria #1 and #3 weren't met. For future reference, Washington state has several income protection programs with different purposes: - Unemployment Insurance: For job loss/reduction not your fault - Workers' Compensation: For work-related injuries/illnesses - Paid Family & Medical Leave: For extended health issues or family care - Short-term disability insurance: Private insurance for temporary health issues (not state-run) Now that you're back at work, none of these would apply retroactively for your situation, unfortunately.

I wonder if your employer offers any emergency assistance programs? Some companies have hardship funds for employees in situations like this. Might be worth asking HR if there's anything like that available. Doesn't solve the systemic problem but could help with your immediate financial situation.

thank you all for this info! i was confused about the same thing. starting a new job in june with higher pay and was wondering if i should wait to file until july if i get laid off again lol. good to know about both calculation methods!

@OP - One last tip: After you file, you can see which base year period they used in your determination letter. If for some reason they don't automatically use the alternative base year when it would benefit you (which sometimes happens due to system errors), you can appeal the monetary determination within 30 days. Definitely worth doing if there's a significant difference in your wages between the two potential base year periods.

Anyone else notice how they make these programs IMPOSSIBLE to find out about?? Almost like they don't want people to actually use them! My cousin works at ESD and even she says they don't advertise the good programs because they'd be overwhelmed with applications. The whole system is designed to be frustrating so people give up.

Thank you everyone for all this info! I had no idea there were so many programs available. I'm going to: 1. Try to get through to ESD directly about the CAT program 2. Make an appointment with WorkSource and specifically ask for an individual career counselor 3. Look into that Worker Retraining program since my factory skills aren't getting me anywhere I'll update this thread once I make some progress. Fingers crossed something works out because my savings are almost gone and I'm getting desperate.

My sister had this EXACT problem last month!!! The payment was late and then when she finally got through to someone they said there was a "system flag" on her account even though nothing showed up online. They had to manually remove it. You NEED to talk to an actual person. Keep calling!!!

Just got off the phone with ESD (finally got through after calling at exactly 7:59am). The representative confirmed they're having both payment processing delays AND phone system problems. She said payments are taking up to 5 business days longer than usual for many claimants. For anyone else experiencing this: she recommended NOT calling multiple times as it's creating additional system load. Instead, check your eServices account daily for updates. If your payment doesn't arrive by next Tuesday, then you should call. The weird UW Library message is a known issue where their test system voice prompts are accidentally playing in the production phone system. They expect to have it fixed by Monday.

one thing i havent seen mentioned here - if your contract has any kind of severance or final project payment coming later, make sure you report that correctly. i messed this up and ended up with an overpayment notice for $2,300 that im still paying back. if ur not sure how to report something call and ask first!!!!

One last piece of advice based on recent experience: When you file, be very careful about the "able and available" questions. ESD has been extra strict about this lately. If you say you're not available for full-time work for ANY reason (childcare issues, school schedule, transportation limitations, etc.) they'll likely deny your claim or at minimum send it to adjudication. Also, make sure you're checking your ESD account messages regularly after applying. Sometimes they request additional information with short deadlines, and if you miss those, your claim gets delayed substantially. I recommend checking daily until you're receiving payments reliably.