I'm an employment lawyer (not giving legal advice, just general info). For your hearing, organize your thoughts around these points: 1. Unsafe working conditions (uncertified forklift operation) 2. Employer's failure to remedy after reasonable notice 3. Documentation of injuries resulting from unsafe conditions 4. Timeline showing you attempted resolution before quitting During the hearing: - Answer questions directly and briefly - Don't interrupt the judge or your former employer - When describing events, stick to "I observed" or "I experienced" rather than assumptions about others' motives - If your employer makes false statements, wait for your turn to respond, then calmly present contradicting evidence I've seen many employees win these cases when they have clear documentation of safety violations that weren't addressed after being reported.

One more important tip: Be very specific about the timeline leading up to your quit. The judge will want to know: 1. When did you first report safety concerns? To whom? 2. What was their response? 3. How many times did you follow up? 4. What was the "final straw" that made you quit? 5. How much time passed between reporting and quitting? Based on what you've shared, it sounds like you have a strong case for good cause, but you need to clearly demonstrate you tried to resolve the issues before leaving. Print all your evidence in triplicate and have it organized chronologically so you can quickly reference it during questioning.

UPDATE: After reviewing the ESD handbook more carefully, I can confirm that accepting an intermittent job without actual work hours does NOT automatically disqualify you from benefits. The key factors are: 1. You must remain able and available for full-time work 2. You must continue conducting job searches (3 per week) 3. You must accurately report your employment status The issue is likely in how the employment status was reported. In the weekly claim questions, there's a distinction between "Do you have a job?" (Yes) and "Did you work during this week?" (No). This nuance matters significantly for intermittent positions. When you appeal, emphasize that you remained available for full-time work, continued job searching, and had no actual work or earnings from the intermittent position during the weeks in question.

after dealing with my appeal i learned that ESD's definition of "available for work" is super specific. they wanna know if having this intermittent job would prevent u from accepting full-time work elsewhere. if u said u were committed to this intermittent job even if it meant turning down full-time work elsewhere, that might be why they're saying ur not eligible.

I went through this exact situation last year. Here's what you can do: 1. Call the number on the back of your ReliaCard and request a temporary increase to your daily withdrawal limit. They sometimes can make exceptions. 2. If that doesn't work, ask your landlord if they'll accept a money order. You can purchase money orders at many grocery stores using your ReliaCard as a debit card. 3. Another option is to use the ReliaCard bill pay feature to send a check directly to your landlord. This can be set up through the ReliaCard website. 4. As others mentioned, you can also switch to direct deposit for future payments, which takes about 7-10 days to process. Hope this helps! The ReliaCard system definitely has its quirks.

hey did u figure this out? im curious what ended up working cuz im gonna need to pull out a large amount next week too

UPDATE: I finally managed to get through to ESD today! Turns out I won my appeal! The representative said the determination letter was sent out yesterday and should arrive by the end of the week. They're going to process my backpay within 48-72 hours. Such a relief!

This whole thing reminds me of when my uncle had an UI appeal last year. His status changed to 'determined' but then nothing happened for like 3 weeks. Turns out they sent his determination letter to his old address even though he'd updated his info online. He had to go physically to the WorkSource office to get a copy of the letter. Maybe check if your address is correct in the system?

keep ur head up n dont give up!! my coworker had the same EXACT issue and she fought it and got ALL her money plus interest. took like 10 weeks tho so hang in there

After reviewing your responses here, I suspect there may have been a system issue or misinterpretation of your weekly claim answers. This happens more often than ESD admits. For your appeal, focus on these key elements: 1. Your consistent job search activities (3+ per week) 2. Your full availability for work (no restrictions on hours/days) 3. Your willingness to accept suitable work 4. Any miscommunications or system errors that might have occurred Technically speaking, the burden of proof in these hearings shifts to ESD. They must prove you were NOT available, rather than you having to prove you WERE available. However, having solid documentation significantly strengthens your case. The current appeal process is taking about 6-8 weeks from filing to hearing, and another 1-2 weeks for the decision. Administrative Law Judges are overturning about 58% of 'able and available' disqualifications according to the most recent OAH statistics.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE PPL GIVE UP!!!! They WANT us to get frustrated and stop trying to get OUR MONEY that WE EARNED! I've been fighting with ESD for MONTHS and finally got paid last week. DON'T GIVE UP! Keep calling, keep messaging, be the most annoying person they've ever dealt with until they fix your claim just to get rid of you!!!!

heyy just wonderin if u ever got this resolved? im in same boat (6 weeks now) and freaking out

Just checking in - any progress with your claim? Did you manage to get through to ESD?

Great news! Once the adjudicator reviews your documentation, they should be able to make a determination quickly. If they rule in your favor, you'll receive all back payments for the weeks you've claimed. For anyone else reading this thread who's facing adjudication: the most common delays happen when claimants don't respond promptly to ESD's requests for information. Always check your online account daily, upload requested documents immediately, and make sure to keep filing weekly claims even when payments are pending. This ensures you'll receive full backpay once approved.

i tried emailing my legislators last week for the same reason (stuck in adjucation for 5 weeks) and haven't heard anything back yet... should i call their office instead? anyone know if calling works better than email?

Update: IT WORKED!!! Just got my determination letter today - claim APPROVED and all my backpay will be deposited next week. Total time from emailing my legislators to approval was just 3 days. I honestly can't believe how fast it happened after months of nothing. For anyone else trying this route, I emailed all three of my district representatives (both house reps and the senator). The senator's office responded first, within hours, but all three offices eventually replied saying they'd help. I'm literally crying right now thinking about being able to catch up on rent and bills. This forum has been a lifesaver - thank you all for the support!

My daughter works at ESD and she always tells people to file on Sunday for a clean start to the claim week. Makes the whole process smoother for everyone! Also remember that your first week is a waiting week (unpaid) but you STILL have to file a weekly claim for it or your claim can get messed up.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to wait until Sunday to file my initial claim. It seems like that's the best approach to avoid complications with partial weeks. I'll make sure to have all my employment information ready and set aside enough time to complete the application thoroughly. I'll also remember to file for that first "waiting week" even though it's unpaid. Really appreciate all your insights!

Has anyone tried contacting their state representative? My friend did that when her claim was stuck in adjudication for like 2 months and suddenly ESD called her within 3 days of her contacting the rep's office.

UPDATE: I used the Claimyr service that someone recommended and actually got through to ESD! The agent told me that my claim is currently assigned to an adjudicator and they're aiming to have decisions made within 10-14 days from when they receive responses to questionnaires. She said my case looks straightforward and I should hopefully hear something by the end of next week. Such a relief to at least know what's happening!