I'm a newcomer here but dealing with this exact same frustrating situation! Just filed my third weekly claim and all three weeks show "disqualified" with zero explanation letters anywhere in my account. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - it's such a relief to know this is a widespread system issue and not something I messed up on my application. I'm definitely going to try the 8:02 AM calling strategy that Emma mentioned and use the specific wording about "disqualified weeks with zero decision letters." It's ridiculous that we have to jump through all these hoops just to talk to someone about a system glitch, but at least now I know what to expect when I call. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is way more helpful than anything on the official ESD website!

I'm new to this community but currently dealing with this EXACT same issue! Filed my first claim three weeks ago and all my weeks are showing "disqualified" with absolutely nothing in the letters section. I've been stressing out thinking I somehow messed up my application, but reading through all these responses is such a huge relief - clearly this is a widespread system problem with ESD's February update. The 8:02 AM calling strategy and specific wording that Emma shared sounds like a solid plan. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to become experts on navigating their broken system just to get the benefits we're entitled to, but I'm grateful for everyone sharing their experiences here. This thread has been way more helpful than hours of searching the ESD website! Going to try calling tomorrow morning and will definitely update with results.

That's awesome that you got it resolved so quickly with Claimyr! I'm dealing with a similar issue right now - been trying to get through to ESD for days with no luck. Going to give Claimyr a try based on your recommendation. It's so frustrating how these technical glitches on their end can hold up people's benefits when they need them most. Glad you didn't have to wait weeks for a response to your email!

I went through this same nightmare about 6 months ago! The system glitch that creates these flags when your benefit year expires is so common, it's honestly ridiculous that ESD hasn't fixed it yet. I ended up calling at exactly 8:00 AM on a Tuesday and got through after about 45 minutes on hold. The agent told me it's a known issue where expired claims don't properly "close" in their system, so when you try to file a new one it thinks you're trying to have two active claims. They cleared the flag in like 2 minutes and I was good to go. Pro tip: if you do get through to someone, ask them to add a note to your account explaining what was fixed - it might help if this happens again in the future. So glad to see people recommending Claimyr too, I wish I had known about that service when I was dealing with this!

One last tip - if you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD to verify your benefit amount for the marketplace application, I've had good luck using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Much faster than trying to call directly.

Bottom line: yes, unemployment counts as income for health insurance marketplace purposes. Report it accurately, keep your documentation handy, and update your application if your situation changes. You should still qualify for subsidies at your income level.

This exact same thing happened to me a few months ago! The portal showed the CRO petition option before I even knew what my hearing decision was. It's definitely a system glitch where the appeal option automatically appears once any decision is entered, regardless of whether you've actually received it yet. I ended up waiting about 8 days for my decision letter to arrive by mail. In my case, I won my appeal too, so I didn't need to worry about the CRO petition. The whole experience taught me that the ESD portal isn't always reliable for real-time updates. I'd suggest calling OAH directly if you don't get your letter within 10 business days - they can at least confirm whether a decision has been made. Try not to stress too much in the meantime, the letter will come!

This is such a common issue and it's really frustrating how the ESD system creates this unnecessary confusion! I went through something similar last year where the portal was showing next steps before I even knew what the current decision was. It's like the system is designed backwards. The good news is that from everything I've seen, when the CRO petition option appears, it usually means a decision has been made and is just working its way through their mail system. I'd definitely recommend calling OAH directly using the number from your hearing notice rather than the main ESD line - they're usually much more helpful and can actually look up your specific case status. Don't panic about missing any deadlines since you haven't even received the decision letter yet. The 30-day clock doesn't start ticking until the official mail date. Hang in there!

Connor, I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago when my warehouse job ended and ESD took forever to process my claim. Here's what I learned that might help you: 1. YES, you can absolutely do Instacart during your review period - just report everything properly on your weekly claims 2. Focus on weekend morning grocery runs (Friday 6pm-Sunday 8pm) - that's when I made the most consistent money 3. Track EVERYTHING in a simple spreadsheet: date, hours worked, gross earnings before Instacart's cut 4. Try to stay under that 25% threshold others mentioned if possible - for me that was about $225/week The thing that really saved me was diversifying beyond just delivery apps. Since you mentioned manufacturing background, check out Thumbtack for handyman gigs - I made way more per hour fixing things than delivering food. Also look into moving/labor gigs on Craigslist - people always need help and it pays $20-25/hour cash. My review took 5 weeks total but when it finally cleared, I got full backpay for everything I'd properly reported. The key is being 100% transparent with ESD from the start. Keep filing those weekly claims even with no payments coming through yet. One last tip - set aside about 20% of your gig earnings for taxes since you'll get 1099s at year end. I learned that the hard way! Hang in there, this phase sucks but it does end. You're being smart by planning ahead and asking these questions upfront.

I've been following this thread and wanted to add something that might help with your specific situation. Since you mentioned your final paycheck from manufacturing is on hold due to a dispute, you might want to document that situation carefully too. If that paycheck does eventually come through, make sure you report it for the correct week periods (when the work was actually performed, not when you receive payment). Also, regarding Instacart specifically - I found that keeping a simple daily log helped me stay organized: date, start/end times, number of batches completed, gross earnings before Instacart's cut. This made my weekly claim filing much easier and gave me solid records if ESD ever had questions. One thing that worked well for me was setting a weekly earnings target (like that $200 threshold others mentioned) and stopping once I hit it. It's tempting to keep working when orders are good, but staying disciplined about that limit helped me avoid reducing my UI benefits more than necessary. The review period is frustrating but you're handling it the right way by asking these questions upfront. Better to understand the rules now than deal with complications later. Keep filing those weekly claims even while under review - that's crucial for getting proper backpay when everything gets resolved.