I had a somewhat similar experience last month but with mixed results. I did get through to the Governor's office right away (called around 9:30am on a Tuesday), and they took all my information and said they'd send an urgent inquiry to ESD. The good news: I did get a call from ESD about a week later. The bad news: The ESD rep who called me said they still couldn't expedite my adjudication because they were handling cases in the order received and there were "thousands" ahead of mine. She said the only cases being expedited were those facing immediate eviction or utility shutoff with formal notices. So while the Governor's office did get ESD to call me, it didn't actually speed up my claim processing. I ended up waiting another 3 weeks before my adjudication was completed (9 weeks total). Just sharing so you have realistic expectations.

Just as an update to everyone following this thread - I called the Governor's office number that OP shared (360-902-4111) this morning and also got through right away. The person I spoke with was very professional and said they'd submit an inquiry about my claim. They gave me a reference number and everything, which already feels more promising than my previous attempts to contact ESD. I'll update here if/when I hear anything back!

Anybody else think its RIDICULOUS that they can fire ppl for medical reasons and then argue against unemployment?? The system is totally rigged against workers!!! My cousin went thru something similar and had to fight for months to get benefits even tho she had cancer treatments!!!

One important distinction: There's a difference between being terminated because you were on approved medical leave versus being disqualified because you're currently unable to work due to medical conditions. If you were terminated for taking medical leave but are NOW able to work, that's generally covered by UI. If you're currently unable to work due to ongoing medical issues, that's typically not covered by regular UI (might need to look into disability instead). Based on your description, it sounds like you fall into the first category - you were terminated for taking leave, but are currently able to work. That's likely why your claim was approved. Just make sure when you answer the weekly claim questions about being able and available, you're answering based on your CURRENT status, not your status when you were terminated.

Question for anyone who's done this - do I need to have my claim ID and social security number ready when I call the governor's office? And do they transfer you directly to someone at ESD or do they take your info and have ESD call you back? Just want to be prepared when I call.

my friend works at esd and says they hate getting these govnr office escalations bcuz it makes them drop everything else. but yeah if ur desperate i guess do what u gotta do. just sayin theres real people trying their best on the other side too

THE PHONE SYSTEM IS HORRIBLE!!! I tried calling last week and it hung up on me FOUR TIMES before I could file my claim!!! ESD doesn't care that people can't get through. I don't know why they can't hire more people to answer phones when we're REQUIRED to file weekly. And don't get me started on their ridiculous job search requirements - 3 activities a week is excessive when there are barely any jobs in my field. The whole system is designed to make people give up!!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful answers! I just successfully filed by phone and you were all right - they only asked if I completed my job search activities without asking for details. I'm going to make sure my job search log is more detailed though, especially adding the job titles I was missing. Sounds like those random audits are pretty common.

One more important thing to consider: if you do quit, continue filing weekly claims while your eligibility is being determined, even though you won't receive benefits immediately. If you're eventually approved through adjudication or appeal, you'll get back payments for all those weeks you properly filed. If you wait to start filing weekly claims until after approval, you won't get paid for those missed weeks.

my frend went thru this exact thing last year!!!! he had to get his doctor to write a letter saying the hours were causing his anxiety to get worse. it took like 3 months but he got approved. dont give up!!!