have u tried calling ur state representative? thats what i did and they contacted esd for me and fixed everything in like 3 days. look up who ur rep is and call their office

This is actually excellent advice. State representatives' offices often have liaison contacts at ESD who can escalate claims. Just be sure to provide your representative with your claim ID, full name, contact information, and a signed authorization allowing them to inquire about your case.

One thing that helped me was gathering evidence that other employees had similar accommodations granted. Do you know if anyone else at your company ever received the same or similar accommodation that you requested? That could really strengthen your case with ESD by showing the company was being discriminatory specifically to you.

Based on what you've shared, I think you have a strong case. ESD typically considers these factors in determining if you quit or were effectively discharged: 1. Did you take all reasonable steps to preserve your employment? 2. Was the employer's action or inaction the real cause of separation? 3. Would a reasonable person in your situation with your medical constraints feel compelled to leave? The fact that your doctor specifically stated you should seek other employment if accommodations weren't possible creates a compelling argument that you had no reasonable alternative. Just make sure ESD has this documentation clearly spelled out. 8 weeks is unfortunately not unusual for complex adjudication cases, especially those involving medical issues and potential discrimination.

One more important thing - since her employer is in New York, there might be a slight delay as Washington ESD requests her wage information through the interstate system. This is normal, but it could add an extra week or two to the process. She should still file in Washington ASAP though, as the filing date matters for when benefits can begin. Also, Washington requires 3 job search activities per week that must be documented. New York has different requirements, but she'll need to follow Washington's rules since that's where she's filing.

Thanks everyone for the super helpful advice! I just talked to my friend and she's going to file her WA claim tonight. She's feeling much more prepared knowing what to expect with the interstate wage verification and the potential for adjudication. She also found that position elimination email and is going to save everything. Really appreciate all the insights!

There's also a timing factor with strikes that most people don't realize. The labor dispute disqualification has a "waiting week" too - so sometimes very short strikes (under a week) don't even come into play with unemployment because by the time you could file and serve your waiting week, you're back at work anyway. Probably why there's so much confusion about this topic.

my mom works for esd (not saying this as official advice just what she told me) and she said the big difference is that with strikes theyre looking at if you are "directly involved in the labor dispute" vs if you quit they're looking at if you had "good cause" which is a totally different standard. so its not really a fair comparison to begin with

This is why I always tell people to KEEP A SEPARATE BROWSER just for unemployment stuff! Don't use it for anything else. Just ESD. I have Firefox that I ONLY use for ESD and haven't had a single login issue since I started doing that in 2025. Too many cookies and trackers from other sites mess with the secure login process.

btw when i had this happen it was because my account got flagged for "suspicious activity" even tho it was ME trying to login from MY SAME COMPUTER I ALWAYS USE!!! make sure to ask them to check if your account is flagged when you get through to someone!!