Next Adventure: Navigating Unemployment Benefits

I've been laid off three times in my career. While each time is different, there are some things that are constant and aren't always part of the knowledge base. "Next Adventure" is an article series that covers some of the basics, especially if you find yourself involuntarily unemployed. My background is not in recruiting or hiring, my voice is from the candidate perspective after spending more than 7 collective years in job search mode. I hope you will find value here.

Once severance papers are signed (and sometimes before) the next thing a candidate usually does is to sign up for unemployment benefits in their state. The laws, rules, compensation, and benefits of unemployment vary greatly from state to state. I'll be speaking from the perspective of Washington State, where the benefits are some of the most generous in the nation. However, know that these options may still be available to you regardless of the state you live in.

(Learn more details about registering for unemployment in your state on the Department of Labor site: https://tinyurl.com/munkfx4n)

(Find out about unemployment and other state benefits: https://tinyurl.com/mry97byk)

When you are ready to apply for unemployment, do so via desktop or laptop, give yourself at least an hour, and have the following items handy:

• Government issued photo ID
• Social Security Card
• Smartphone (to assist with photo verification)
• Most recent pay stub
• Your bank information (account and routing number for direct deposit)
• Severance agreement (if applicable)
• Paper and writing instrument of choice
• Make sure your printer has ink and paper (if you have one)

Since the pandemic began in 2020, state governments have overhauled their systems for security, as there were many fraudulent claims made. As a result, you may be asked to upload copies of your government issued ID and social security card via a secure third party website such as ID.me. This action is required in order to receive benefits. (Read more about uploading to ID.me here: https://tinyurl.com/3e55reb2 )

There are many detailed questions on the initial registration form and the process will take some time. In Washington it will also time out after 15 minutes of inactivity so be ready to plow through it. Give yourself time to focus and answer each question clearly with the information you have. For example, it will ask your most recent hourly pay (even if you were salaried), make sure you take exactly that information from your paycheck. The slightest disagreement in your answers compared to the answers from your employer (they submit your status too) will result in a delay in benefits. Sometimes this delay is significant, as it is during times with large layoffs, and it can take months to receive your payments so please be attentive to this process in order to make it through the system quickly and accurately.

Generally you are asked if you'd like taxes removed from your payments. SAY YES. They will take about 10% of the payment off the top but it will save you from paying out at tax time and you may even get money back.

If you are notified that there is a problem with your application and you need to contact the unemployment office, be prepared to wait. Call one minute before they open and keep hitting redial. You will still likely be on hold for a long time, possibly hours. I know. It's not right. But it's how the system works. (See some additional hot tips later in the article regarding phone calls.)

You will not be receiving payment each week that equals your current pay. Each state has a weekly cap: in Washington, I find the weekly payout is around half the weekly salary you would have made, whereas in Florida I've read some payments capped out at $200 a week regardless of salary.

Do not expect to be paid the first week you apply. Most states have what's known as a "waiting week." You will still need to report your searches (more below) and follow all other requirements, but you will not see a check that first week and there will not be one retroactively.

Rules of unemployment vary greatly from state to state. In the state of Washington, as of this writing in February 2023, you must make three searches and report them electronically when making your claims each week (you can do this by phone or computer, I recommend using your computer). The state of Washington lists "eligible activities" on their website here: https://tinyurl.com/mdh7e6dk. Helpful hints:

• Print the "eligible activities" and keep it handy, recheck the site for new ones.
• Keep a log of your activities. The ESD (Employment Security Department) has one on its site to download. Excel or another software tool like KanbanFlow can be helpful as well.
• Not all activities are applications! You can get credit for attending a workshop with your unemployment office (many are virtual), updating your LinkedIn profile (screenshot proof needed), joining a job team, or any number of activities you will probably be doing anyway as a part of your journey.
• Keep track of your applications and create a system for saving them. The office can audit you at any time (I was audited 3 times in 6 months during 2008, when there were no job listings!). They can do this for a time after you have stopped receiving unemployment as well so hold on to these files for at least a year after you have stopped receiving benefits. I name all my documents in a specific way, and save them in folders with the name of the employer, I then used the ESD log and an Excel spreadsheet to track dates, people, and company URL which it will ask for.
• It's not a bad idea to cut and paste the job description into a separate document and save it with the documents you used to apply. If you are audited they may ask to see the job description and it will likely be long gone from the company website by the time it's requested.

Reporting your activities happens every week by phone or computer (I recommend using your computer). In Washington the week begins on Sunday, and I would report at 12:01am on Saturday night if I was awake, otherwise as early as possible on Sunday. The sooner you report, the sooner you get paid! Sometimes the system gets very busy at that time and you will have to wait to report.

Payment will take several days to go through after reporting (most recently it took 4-5 days for me to be paid). You can choose for it to be direct deposited into your bank account. Set up direct deposit during your initial registration.

You will not be prompted to report your activities! Make sure you have a system set up to remind you to report because you cannot be paid retroactively for a week you forgot to report. If ESD puts you on pause to resolve an issue they will pay you retroactively.

Bonus Tips:

• Treat your job search like a project at work. Keep detailed records and systems.
• Bookmark important pages on the unemployment website, especially the claims page. You'll be visiting a lot.
• In Washington, you have your own account page that tracks your claims: when you reported, what you paid out, and how much longer you have on your claim. Check it often to be sure it's accurate and stay up to date. (Not so fun fact: the last week of your eligibility you are often paid less than your regular amount so plan for that.)
• Keep an eye on your physical mailbox. Paperless notifications have improved dramatically but ESD is still required to send some items via snail mail.
• Watch your email inbox daily (don't use your "junk" email address for this stuff!). You will receive frequent notifications about all kinds of things and you don't want to miss something important.
• Like an audit. I hope you will not receive one but you might. When I received my (3!) audits, I got the notification only 48 hours before I had to meet with an unemployment audit staff member and present my proof of activities. That date was also non-negotiable. Show up or risk putting your claim in jeopardy (paying back all your payments and/or losing future payments). My notifications were received via snail mail and my appointments were in person but I believe the pandemic changed most of those to digital notification and virtual meetings in my state. However, wise to be prepared for anything.
• See if the ESD has social media presence. The ESD in Washington has a very active Facebook page. While they cannot answer questions regarding specific claims on the page or via message, they will often post helpful hints. The real gold is in the comments where people share information they've received once they've gotten through via phone (and sometimes there are even insider phone numbers!).

I know this was a lot! In a few short weeks you'll be a pro at completing and logging job search activities, submitting claims, and getting paid! Your next adventure is coming soon so remember to breathe and get outside!

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