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Has anyone actually successfully collected both at the same time? Would love to hear a real success story if anyone has one.
Bottom line is you need to talk to both Washington ESD and Social Security about your specific situation. Rules change and every case is different. Don't rely on forum advice for something this important.
Good plan. And if you use that Claimyr thing to get through to Washington ESD faster, let us know how it goes!
Bottom line from my experience: lump sum severance + unemployment benefits = totally doable in Washington State. Just be upfront and honest about everything.
One more thing to consider - if your severance includes continuation of health insurance, that typically doesn't affect your unemployment benefits either. Different benefit entirely.
Final update - got my first unemployment payment today! Ended up being $478 per week after taxes, which is pretty close to what people estimated based on my salary. Thanks everyone for the help and advice.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do! Sounds like you have some good options to explore, especially if you think you were misclassified.
Anna Xian
If your claim gets held up in adjudication for any reason, that's when services like Claimyr become really valuable. I had an issue where my previous employer contested my claim and I couldn't get anyone on the phone to explain what was happening. Used Claimyr to finally talk to someone who walked me through the fact-finding process.
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Carmella Popescu
•Wait, employers can contest claims? I hope mine doesn't do that.
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Anna Xian
•They can, but most don't unless there were performance issues or misconduct involved. Mass layoffs usually go through without any problems.
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Jungleboo Soletrain
You mentioned warehouse work - depending on your skills you might want to look into retraining programs through WorkSource. Sometimes there's funding available for certification programs or community college courses while you're collecting benefits.
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Carmella Popescu
•I hadn't thought about retraining. That could be interesting if there's financial help available.
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Jungleboo Soletrain
•Definitely worth exploring! The programs vary but there are often opportunities for people transitioning between industries.
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