I'm so sorry this happened to you - what an awful situation to be in after making life decisions based on a legitimate job offer! The good news is that Washington ESD should definitely approve your claim. When you quit a job to accept another position that gets rescinded due to the employer's circumstances (like budget constraints), that's considered "good cause" for leaving your previous employment. You had a formal offer with all the details - salary, benefits, start date - so this was clearly a real commitment from them, not just preliminary discussions. File your claim online immediately since you can't get benefits backdated to before you file. Save every piece of documentation - the original offer, rescission notice, your resignation from the retail job, and any email exchanges. Be completely honest about your work history including the part-time retail position. Your case will probably go into adjudication for a few weeks while they review it, but based on your circumstances, approval seems very likely. Don't beat yourself up - you made a reasonable decision based on the information you had, and this is exactly why unemployment insurance exists!

I went through almost the exact same situation in Washington about 8 months ago - got a job offer from a marketing agency, quit my part-time gig, then they rescinded due to a "client pull-out." I was panicked thinking I'd disqualified myself by quitting, but Washington ESD approved my claim after about 2 weeks of adjudication. The key things that helped my case were having the original offer email with all the specifics (which you have), the rescission notice, and being completely upfront about my employment timeline. One thing I wish I'd known - they may ask for a phone interview during adjudication where they'll want you to walk through exactly what happened and when. Having all your dates and documentation organized beforehand made that conversation much smoother. You definitely made the reasonable choice any person would make with a formal offer in hand. File as soon as you can and don't stress too much about the adjudication period - Washington generally protects workers in situations like this where the employer breaks their commitment.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact situation recently. I was a salaried project manager making $62k and got laid off during restructuring. Filed for unemployment immediately and had zero issues - Washington ESD processed my claim just like any other employee. The key is not to overthink it - if you paid into the system through payroll taxes and were laid off through no fault of your own, you qualify regardless of salary vs hourly status. The online application took me about 15 minutes and I got my first payment within 3 weeks. Don't let anyone tell you differently about salaried employees not being eligible - that's completely false information.

I'm in a very similar situation - just got laid off from my salaried position as an operations coordinator making $58k and was panicking about whether I'd qualify for unemployment. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring! It sounds like there's really no difference between salaried and hourly workers when it comes to Washington ESD benefits. I had no idea that severance could affect the timing though - that's something I need to look into since I also received a small severance package. Going to file my claim first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is so helpful for navigating these stressful situations!

I'm 62 and went through this exact situation two years ago when I got laid off from a manufacturing job. There's definitely no age limit in Washington - I collected benefits for about 4 months while job hunting. The only thing I'd add is that older workers sometimes need to be extra careful about documenting their job search activities since ESD can be pretty strict about that requirement. Keep detailed records of every application, networking event, and job fair you attend. Also, don't get discouraged if the job search takes longer - the benefits are there to support you while you find the right fit, not just any job.

I'm 58 and was in a similar situation last year when my company downsized. Can confirm there's absolutely no age limit for unemployment benefits in Washington - I collected for about 6 months while job searching. The key thing is being genuinely available and actively looking for work. Your dad's 15 years at Boeing will actually work in his favor since that shows solid work history. One tip: when he files, make sure he has all his employment dates and wage information ready, especially if he had any other jobs besides Boeing in the past 18 months. The initial application process was actually pretty straightforward online, much easier than I expected. Best of luck to your dad - the benefits are there for exactly this kind of situation!

Really glad you were able to get through to ESD and find out what your employer actually said! It's unfortunately very common for employers to tell terminated employees they won't contest the claim, then turn around and provide reasons that could potentially disqualify you. At least now you know exactly what you're up against. The fact that they claimed "failure to meet performance expectations" but provided zero documentation is actually a good sign for your case. ESD typically needs to see a clear pattern of documented poor performance and warnings for that to constitute misconduct. One unsigned probation notice from January with positive interactions since then doesn't meet that bar. 4-6 weeks is still a long time to wait when bills are piling up, but it sounds like you're in a strong position for approval. Make sure you keep filing those weekly claims - you can't get back pay for weeks you didn't file even if you're eventually approved. Hang in there! The waiting is the worst part, but it sounds like you've done everything right.

I'm going through something very similar right now! Got terminated 3 weeks ago with minimal explanation and my claim has been in adjudication ever since. It's such a relief to read your update about finding out what your employer actually told ESD - I had no idea you could do that. My former employer also told me they "wouldn't fight it" but now I'm wondering what they're actually saying behind the scenes. Definitely going to try that Claimyr service to get through and find out. The not knowing is almost worse than the waiting. Thanks for sharing your experience - it's given me hope that I can at least get some answers about what I'm dealing with. The whole process feels so opaque when you're going through it alone.

I'm in week 3 of adjudication hell and this thread is both reassuring and terrifying! Mine got flagged because I'm taking a weekend photography workshop (literally just Saturdays 10am-2pm for 6 weeks). The fact that something so minimal can trigger weeks of review is insane. What's really frustrating is the complete lack of transparency. At least when you're waiting for a medical appointment you get an estimated timeframe, but ESD just says "additional processing time needed" which could mean anything from 2 days to 2 months apparently. I've been following everyone's advice here - continuing weekly claims, uploaded my workshop schedule showing it's only weekends, and checking eServices obsessively. Seriously considering Claimyr at this point since the success stories here make it sound like the only way to actually reach a human. The regular phone line is completely useless - I've tried calling probably 50+ times and either get busy signals or sit on hold for hours before getting disconnected. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and timelines. It helps to know others have made it through this process, even if the wait times are all over the place!

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now - day 8 of adjudication for answering yes to the school question about my online coding bootcamp that's only evenings and weekends. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and anxiety-inducing! The range of wait times from 10 days to 3+ months is absolutely wild. What really gets me is how they flag something like evening classes that clearly don't interfere with normal work hours, then leave you in limbo for weeks without any real communication. I've been doing everything mentioned here - filing weekly claims religiously, uploaded my class schedule showing it's only 6-9pm Mon/Wed, checking eServices daily for updates. The Claimyr success stories are really tempting me at this point. I've tried calling ESD directly probably 30+ times and either get busy signals or sit on hold for 2+ hours before getting disconnected. If it's really just $20-30 to actually reach a human who can look at your case, that seems worth it when you're potentially facing weeks more of uncertainty. Thanks everyone for sharing your timelines and what worked - it helps so much to hear real experiences instead of just the vague "additional processing time" message from ESD!