Just wanted to share my experience since I'm doing something similar! I've been doing DoorDash for about 3 months while on unemployment, making around $200-250 per week. The key things I've learned: 1) Always report your GROSS earnings (including tips) for the week you worked, not when you got paid, 2) Keep screenshots of your weekly earnings summary from the DoorDash app - this has been a lifesaver during my recent phone interview with ESD, 3) Track your hours worked because you'll need to report those too. One thing that surprised me was that ESD actually asked me specific questions about my gig work during a routine eligibility review - they wanted to know if I was turning down delivery requests during typical business hours when I should be available for job interviews. Since I only work evenings and weekends, it wasn't an issue, but it's something to consider. The income reduction hasn't been as bad as I expected - I'm still getting about 75% of my full benefit amount. Just be super accurate with your reporting and you should be fine!

I've been doing exactly what you're doing - DoorDash for about 2 hours daily while on unemployment. Here's what I've learned after 6 weeks: definitely keep reporting everything including tips, but don't stress too much about the income reduction. With your $915 WBA, you can earn up to about $305 without any reduction at all. Even if you go slightly over some weeks, the reduction isn't dollar-for-dollar harsh like some people make it sound. One tip that's helped me a lot: I schedule my DoorDash hours for 5-7pm specifically so it doesn't interfere with potential job interviews or look like I'm unavailable during business hours. Also, I use a simple spreadsheet to track date, hours worked, gross earnings (including tips), and take a screenshot of my weekly earnings summary from the app every Sunday. This has made my weekly claim filing super straightforward. The mental health benefit of staying busy and having some routine is honestly worth the small reduction in benefits. Just stay consistent with your reporting and you'll be fine!

UPDATE: Found the reopen option under Manage Claims! It was hidden in a submenu. Submitted the request and now it shows as 'pending review.' Hopefully this works without needing to call anyone. Thanks everyone for the help!

Congrats on finding the reopen option! Just a heads up - while your request is pending review, start gathering all your documentation (termination papers, any work you did between claims, etc.) in case they ask for additional verification. Also, once it's approved, you can usually start filing your weekly claims right away even if the first payment takes a bit longer to process. The key is not to let any weeks go unfiled once you're active again. Good luck!

One more thing - remember that job search activities don't just mean applying for jobs. You can also count: 1. Attending WorkSource workshops (virtual or in-person) 2. Meeting with a career counselor 3. Posting your resume on job boards 4. Creating profiles on employer websites 5. Attending job fairs Makes it easier to get your 3 activities each week if you expand beyond just applications.

Just wanted to add that if you're in manufacturing like me, there are industry-specific job search resources that count as activities too. The Manufacturing Industrial Council of Seattle has virtual networking events and job placement workshops that ESD accepts. Also, if your union has any job placement services or retraining programs, those activities count as well. I used these when my standby ended and it really helped diversify my weekly job search activities beyond just online applications.

I went through this exact same situation in December! Got the OSI message and completely panicked thinking I was being investigated. Turns out it was just because I had recently updated my address with the post office but not with all my other accounts, so there were mismatches in their system. A few tips that helped me get through faster: - Call right at 8:00 AM sharp when they open (as others mentioned) - Have ALL your documents ready before calling: driver's license, social security card, recent paystubs, utility bills - Write down exactly what information you entered on your claim so you can reference it - Be prepared to potentially email documents while you're on the phone with them It took me about 12 attempts over 3 days to get through, but once I did, the actual verification only took about 15 minutes. The agent was actually pretty nice and explained everything clearly. Got my benefits approved 4 days later with full back pay. Don't let the scary language in that message freak you out too much - it's really just their standard identity verification process, not an actual fraud investigation. You'll get through this!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Filed my claim yesterday and got that terrifying OSI message this morning. Reading through all these responses has been so helpful - I was convinced I was about to be investigated for fraud or something. It sounds like this is way more common than I thought and usually just comes down to address mismatches or similar issues. I'm going to try calling first thing tomorrow at 8 AM with all my documents ready. My situation is probably similar to yours - I recently moved and even though I updated my address with most places, there might be some database somewhere that still has my old info. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines. It's really reassuring to know that once you get through to someone, it typically gets resolved pretty quickly with back pay. The hardest part seems to be just getting through on that phone line!

One additional note based on your situation: Since you mentioned the LLC might call you back in a few months, you might qualify for "standby" status when you reopen your claim. Standby means you can receive benefits without having to do the usual job search activities because you're expected to return to your employer. For standby, you generally need: 1. A definite return-to-work date (within 8 weeks, though there are exceptions) 2. Written verification from your employer 3. A history of working for this employer (which you now have) Standby status is much easier than regular unemployment since you don't have to do and document the 3 job searches per week. Worth asking about when you speak with ESD.

I went through something similar about a year ago! For backdating, definitely be persistent - I had to call multiple times and got different answers from different agents. The key thing that helped me was having a clear, consistent explanation for why I missed filing each week. "I was confused about the appeal process and thought I couldn't file" is actually a pretty common and understandable reason, so don't stress too much about that. One tip for getting through on the phone: Try calling exactly at 8:00 AM when they open, but also try again around 4:30 PM. I found late in the day sometimes had shorter wait times because most people give up by then. For the temp job situation - definitely get documentation about the layoff being due to lack of work. And if they do mention a possible callback, get that in writing too even if it's not definite. ESD appreciates any documentation that shows the separation wasn't your fault. Good luck! The whole system is frustrating but you can get through it with persistence.