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The most important thing is being honest and consistent in all your communications with Washington ESD. Don't try to hide the fact that you were fired - they'll find out anyway when they contact your employer.
My advice: file the claim, be patient with adjudication, keep doing job searches, and don't assume you're disqualified just because you were fired. Many people get approved after being terminated for non-misconduct reasons.
Don't stress too much about the misconduct thing until you know if it's even an issue. File first, then deal with any challenges as they come up. You might be surprised - Washington ESD might not even flag your termination as misconduct.
Keep us updated on how it goes! This is such a common situation but there's not enough good information out there about how to handle the transition properly.
Remember that this decision affects not just your immediate benefits but also future benefit calculations. SSDI payments are based on your lifetime earnings, so timing can matter for your long-term financial security.
OP, since your hours got cut to part-time, you'll probably want to report your part-time wages when you file your weekly claims. They'll reduce your benefit amount based on what you earn, but you can often still get partial benefits. The formula is a bit complex but ESD calculates it automatically.
Yes! As long as your weekly earnings are below your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you'll get at least partial benefits. So if your weekly benefit would be $400 and you earn $200 part-time, you'd still get some unemployment pay.
The washington esd website has a benefit calculator tool that can give you an estimate of what you might receive based on your work history. It's not perfect but gives you a ballpark figure before you apply.
Good luck with your application! Don't hesitate to ask if you run into any issues during the process.
And remember that Claimyr option if you need to actually talk to someone at ESD. Sometimes you just need a human to explain things.
Effie Alexander
Last piece of advice - if you do file for unemployment, be completely honest on your application. They verify everything anyway, and any discrepancies can cause major delays or even disqualification.
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Norman Fraser
•Definitely! I wouldn't want to mess anything up by not being truthful.
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Melissa Lin
•Exactly. It's better to be upfront about everything from the start than to have problems later.
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Lydia Santiago
You got this! 8 months of work history puts you in a good position. Try not to worry too much about something that might not even happen. And if it does, at least you know you'll have some income coming in while you look for your next job.
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Norman Fraser
•Thanks for all the encouragement everyone! This thread has been incredibly helpful and reassuring.
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