Just wanted to add my experience from when I was laid off from a fintech company in Bellevue last year. I had a very similar situation - 4 months severance with a 9-month non-compete that covered pretty much every major tech company in the area. I applied for unemployment immediately and was approved while receiving severance payments. The key things I learned: 1) ESD really doesn't care about your non-compete - that's between you and your former employer 2) You MUST report the severance on your weekly claims, but it won't reduce your UI benefits 3) Keep detailed records of your job search activities, especially when you have to pass on opportunities due to the non-compete The trickiest part was documenting "suitable work" searches when so many positions were off-limits due to the non-compete. I ended up applying for roles at startups, consulting positions, and even some adjacent industries like healthcare tech and education tech that weren't direct competitors. One thing that really helped was attending virtual networking events and job fairs through WorkSource - those count toward your job search requirements and helped me find opportunities outside my usual network that wouldn't violate the agreement. Definitely don't wait to apply - I know people who lost weeks of benefits thinking they had to choose between severance and unemployment. You can have both!

I'm in a very similar boat - just got laid off from my marketing tech job in Tacoma and they're offering 10 weeks severance with a 6-month non-compete. This thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'm wondering about that I haven't seen mentioned - has anyone dealt with how the timing of severance payments affects the weekly claim filing? My HR said the severance will be paid as a lump sum upfront rather than spread out over time. I'm not sure if that changes anything for ESD reporting purposes or if I still just report it weekly even though I received it all at once. Also really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences with the non-compete enforcement. It sounds like most employers don't actively monitor job searches as long as you're not blatantly violating the agreement by going to direct competitors. I'm definitely going to start my UI application right away based on all the advice here!

I've been following this discussion and wanted to add my perspective as someone who went through multiple rounds of applications with large companies during my unemployment period last year. The advice here is spot-on - definitely count it as a separate job search activity! What I learned through my own experience is that companies like Amazon actually expect people to reapply for different positions. Their HR systems are set up to handle this, and it's considered normal practice in their industry. The most important thing is keeping detailed records. I created a spreadsheet with columns for company name, position title, job reference number, application date, and application method. When I applied to the same company multiple times, I made sure each entry was clearly distinct. During my ESD eligibility review, they actually appreciated how organized my job search documentation was. One tip that really helped me: I also started taking screenshots of the job postings themselves and saving them in a folder on my computer. That way if there was ever any question about whether applications were for different positions, I had the actual job descriptions to prove it. Amazon posts so many positions that you'll have plenty of legitimate opportunities to apply for different roles. Good luck with your application - persistence really does pay off!

This whole discussion has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently on unemployment and have been hesitant to reapply to companies that previously rejected me, thinking it might look bad or not count as a valid job search activity. Reading through everyone's experiences - especially hearing from the WorkSource caseworker and seeing so many success stories - has completely changed my perspective. I had no idea that persistence with the same company could actually be viewed positively by ESD! The documentation tips are gold too. I'm definitely going to start using that spreadsheet approach and taking screenshots of job postings like some of you mentioned. It's such a relief to know that applying to different positions at the same company is not only allowed but encouraged. This community is amazing for sharing real-world experiences and practical advice. Thank you all for taking the time to help each other navigate this confusing system!

UPDATE: My claim was approved this morning! The status changed from "BAM review pending" to "paid" overnight. I checked my bank account and the payment is pending deposit. Looks like it took exactly 14 days for the review to complete. Thanks everyone for your help and advice! For anyone else stuck in this situation, it seems like the timeframe is about 2 weeks if you're caught in this review process.

So glad to see this resolved! This is exactly the kind of information this community needs. I've been dealing with Washington ESD for years and the lack of clear communication about their processes is one of the biggest frustrations. The fact that they're showing "BAM review pending" for what sounds like regular adjudication (based on Luca's colleague's info) is a perfect example of how confusing their system can be. For future reference for anyone reading this thread - 14 days seems to be pretty typical for these kinds of reviews, whether it's actual BAM or mislabeled adjudication. The key is to make sure you've responded to all requests for information and then just wait it out. I know that's easier said than done when bills are due, but unfortunately there's not much else you can do to speed up the process. Thanks for taking the time to update us with the resolution, Anastasia!

So glad to see this got resolved! For anyone else dealing with similar issues, I'd also recommend bookmarking the direct SecureAccess Washington login page (secure.esd.wa.gov) instead of going through the main ESD site. I've noticed the main site sometimes has redirect issues that can cause authentication problems. Also, if you use a password manager like the OP, make sure to update it with your new password right away so you don't run into this cycle again. The forgot password reset trick is definitely a lifesaver when the system gets confused about your credentials!

Pro tip from someone who's been dealing with ESD issues for years: if you're using a password manager, sometimes the autofill can include invisible characters or extra spaces that cause login failures even when the password looks correct. Try manually typing your password instead of using autofill, and make sure caps lock is off. Also, I've found that ESD's system sometimes has issues during peak hours (Monday mornings, Sunday evenings when everyone is filing). If you're still having trouble after trying the reset method that worked for AstroExplorer, try logging in during off-peak hours like mid-week afternoons. The system seems much more stable then.

Wait I'm confused about one thing. If your husband is in a union, does he automatically get the job search requirements waived? My brother is a union ironworker and I thought he still had to do the job search stuff when he claimed last year? Or maybe he wasn't doing something right?

Just wanted to add from my experience - even though standby status doesn't eliminate the waiting week, it does make the whole process smoother once benefits start. I was on standby through my electrical union last winter and while I still had to serve the waiting week, I didn't have any of the usual hassles about proving I was looking for work. The key thing is making sure your union has submitted all the proper paperwork to ESD beforehand. Also, definitely keep filing those weekly claims even for partial work weeks - I made the mistake of skipping one thinking it wouldn't matter and it delayed my benefits by two weeks while they sorted it out.