Just got fired from my management position after raising concerns about some questionable practices. They're claiming I 'couldn't perform job duties' after 6 months, but I've received zero negative feedback until I spoke up about compliance issues. I'm a single parent with no income now and trying to navigate unemployment while looking for an employment attorney. My questions about ESD: 1. Will being fired for 'performance' automatically disqualify me from benefits? (Previously I've only been laid off - never fired) 2. My previous UI claim from before this job ends October 15, 2024. When I tried reopening that claim, it said 'benefits exhausted' since I used them up in March. Should I file a new claim now or wait until Oct 15? 3. There's no option for 'retaliation' when explaining termination reason. Should I upload a separate statement explaining what happened? Any advice from people who've navigated termination vs. layoff with ESD would be really helpful. Also, if anyone knows employment attorneys who don't charge $400+ just for initial consultation, I'd appreciate recommendations.

Just finished a frustrating month-long battle with ESD about my 401K withdrawal and wanted to share what I learned for anyone dealing with the same issue. Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier:\n\n- 401K lump sum withdrawals are NOT considered reportable income for unemployment purposes (this contradicts what my former HR told me)\n\n- When ESD sent me that letter saying I "could request an interview" I had no clue HOW to actually request one. Turns out you need to upload a document specifically requesting the interview through the adjudication notice in your ESD account\n\n- I stalled on submitting the questionnaire because some questions didn't apply to my situation. BIG MISTAKE. The adjudicator told me I should have just completed what I could and submitted it anyway\n\n- IMPORTANT: The messaging system in the ESD portal is practically worthless for time-sensitive issues! Messages go into a massive backlog. Even though it creates a timestamp (which helped prove I tried to respond by the deadline), the adjudicator didn't see my message until AFTER she called me\n\nHope this helps someone else avoid the nightmare I went through trying to navigate this process while bills kept piling up. The system seems designed to trip people up rather than help.

I'm a union tradesman and recently had to file for a new unemployment claim. My previous claim in 2022 qualified me for the maximum weekly benefit amount because my work hours were reduced due to COVID. Now in 2025, I'm working on-and-off again but when I filed my new claim, ESD is telling me my benefit amount will only be HALF of what I received before! I've been checking my wage records and nothing makes sense - I've been making more money, not less. The quarters they're using for calculation show decent earnings. Has anyone else run into this issue where ESD suddenly calculates a much lower benefit amount on a new claim? Could this be an error with how they're calculating union work? I'm worried I'm missing something obvious here but the online system gives almost no explanation.

I'm in a weird unemployment situation and not sure how to report my income correctly to ESD. I was hired on a short-term teaching contract for the final 85 days of the school year. The position has been eliminated for next year, so I don't have a job for the 2024-25 school year, but my district is still paying me through summer (they're stretching my pay over 5 months). When filing for unemployment, how do I report this summer pay? It's not severance, vacation, holiday, or any of the other options ESD lists. It's just my regular pay being distributed over summer months even though I'm not actually working. Will this disqualify me from benefits until the payments end? Anyone dealt with something similar?

I'm literally at my wit's end with this whole ESD nightmare!!! My claim has been stuck in pending status for almost 2 months now with ZERO communication from anyone. I've called the regular ESD number like 50+ times but either get disconnected or told someone will call me back (spoiler alert: NOBODY EVER DOES). I've uploaded all my documents, answered every alert, and done everything they asked. My savings are completely gone and I'm about to miss another rent payment. Someone told me I should contact the governor's office since they can sometimes help push claims through. Does anyone have that number or know if this actually works? I'm desperate at this point and will try ANYTHING. Thanks in advance.