Washington Unemployment
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ESD denied my claim after substance-related termination - HR said I could take time off
I'm in a really tough situation and need advice about my UI eligibility. Last month, I got fired from my job of 16 months at a manufacturing company after missing two shifts because of a personal health crisis. Here's what happened: I've been struggling with substance use issues and had ONE conversation with HR where they specifically told me 'don't come in if you're not sober' and that they'd 'get me help' because they were concerned about my safety driving. When I had a relapse, I lost access to my phone and couldn't call in properly but was following what I thought were their instructions. When I finally managed to contact my manager through social media, they just said I was terminated and blocked me! I followed up with the company owner who confirmed the termination even after I explained the conversation with HR. I filed for unemployment and just got denied for 'misconduct' - but how is it misconduct when I was following what HR told me to do? Has anyone dealt with something similar? Can I appeal this decision? I'm completely out of money and don't know what to do.
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ESD login nightmare - account says 'associated with another email' despite updates
I'm ready to throw my laptop out the window! Been trying for THREE DAYS to start a new unemployment claim but the ESD system keeps telling me 'your account is associated with another email' even though I've updated my email address, changed my username AND reset my password multiple times. I can see in my profile settings that the new email is there, but the system won't let me proceed with filing a claim. I've tried calling the technical support helpline but get disconnected after waiting 45+ minutes. The online chat feature just says 'all agents are busy' no matter what time I try. Does anyone know if there's a secret back door into this system? Or some magic words I need to say to fix this? My last job ended unexpectedly and rent is due in 2 weeks. Any help would be appreciated before I completely lose it.
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have u tried using a diffrent browser? sometimes internet explorer works better for goverment sites (weird i kno). my husbands esd account only works on his phone not on our computer for some reason.
Thanks for the suggestion! Internet Explorer isn't available anymore (Microsoft discontinued it), but I did try Edge, Chrome and Firefox with the same results. Your husband's experience is interesting though - I'll try my phone next!
Update on this issue: ESD just published a technical bulletin about this exact problem. They're aware of the email association errors happening after their March 2025 security update. They recommend waiting 24 hours between email updates to allow their system to fully process changes. For those still struggling, they've also added a specific option in their phone tree for this issue - when you call the main number, press 2, then 4, then 1 for "account association errors" which should connect you to specialized technical support. Glad to hear the OP got their issue resolved using the method I suggested!
Wow, so they KNOW about this problem and still haven't fixed it after how many months?? And their "solution" is for US to wait 24 hours? Ridiculous. What if someone needs to file immediately because they just lost their job? ESD needs to get their act together.
Will ESD pay backpay if husband starts working before pending claim is approved?
So my husband got laid off from his construction job last month when the project finished early. We filed for unemployment right away but his claim has been stuck as 'pending' for nearly 4 weeks now. We're completely new to this process and starting to worry. The good news is he just got a job offer yesterday and will be starting in about 2 weeks. But now we're confused - if his claim finally gets approved AFTER he's already working at the new job, will ESD still pay him for those weeks when he was actually unemployed? Or do we lose that money because he found work before the claim was resolved? Any advice would be so appreciated!
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wait can someone explain why his claim is pending for so long? mine was approved in like 5 days. did you guys make a mistake on the application maybe??
Not necessarily a mistake. ESD randomly selects claims for additional verification or if there's something unusual about the employment separation. My claim went pending for 7 weeks because my employer contested it, even though I was laid off! It's totally random sometimes.
To answer your follow-up question - yes, he absolutely must continue doing and documenting 3 job search activities each week until he actually starts working (not just until he gets the offer). Once he works his first day at the new job, then he can stop doing job searches but should still file for that partial week and report his earnings. After he starts working full-time, he'll no longer need to file weekly claims. ESD will eventually process his backpay for all eligible weeks where he properly filed claims and met job search requirements. Just be patient as this can sometimes take several weeks after the claim moves from pending to approved status.
Got it! Thanks for the clear explanation. We'll make sure to keep up with everything until his first actual day of work. We really appreciate everyone's help here - this was way more confusing than we expected!
ESD weekly claim question: Starting new job Monday, is tomorrow my last filing date?
Just landed a full-time position (finally!) after 4 months on unemployment. I start Monday morning. According to my calendar, tomorrow would be my regular weekly claim filing day. Is tomorrow actually my last filing, or can I file next week for this partial week? I worked zero hours this week. I'm confused about the timing since I keep reading different things about 'working full-time' vs 'starting work' and when exactly to stop claiming benefits. Don't want to accidentally commit fraud or leave money on the table that I'm entitled to. Thanks for any clarification!
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BE CAREFUL!!!!! ESD is super picky about this stuff and will hit you with an overpayment if you mess up. My cousin got a $2,300 overpayment bill because he answered the full-time work question wrong. Make sure you answer NO tomorrow (since you haven't started yet) and YES next week (after you've started). And keep all your paystubs from the new job in case they ask for verification later. They randomly audit people all the time!
omg thats rough! did ur cousin have to pay it all back?
Yeah he did! They took it out of his tax refund the next year when he couldn't pay it all at once. ESD doesn't mess around with that stuff.
To clarify what others have said: 1. File tomorrow for this week (where you worked 0 hours) 2. File next Sunday for your first partial work week 3. Answer the "returned to full-time work" question as NO on tomorrow's claim 4. Answer the "returned to full-time work" question as YES on next week's claim 5. Report all hours and wages accurately on next week's claim 6. Continue completing 3 job search activities until your very last claim ESD calculates your eligibility for partial benefits using this formula: If your gross earnings for the week are less than 1.33 times your weekly benefit amount, you may receive partial benefits. The system automatically makes this calculation based on what you report. Congratulations on your new position!
Thank you for breaking it down so clearly! This really helps me understand exactly what to do for these final claims.
WorkSource UI Liaison helped me check my claim status without calling ESD
Just found out something SUPER helpful today I wish I'd known months ago! Apparently some WorkSource offices have ESD UI Liaisons/Ambassadors who can actually look up your unemployment claim status right there at their computer! I've been stressing for 3 weeks waiting to hear about my claim (got laid off from construction work when our project lost funding), and I was about to waste another day trying to call ESD. Instead, I walked into the WorkSource office in Everett to use their job search computers, and overheard someone talking to a UI Liaison. They pulled up my claim info and told me staff hadn't started processing it yet but everything looked properly submitted and I just needed to keep filing weekly while waiting - no issues flagged that would need adjudication. They couldn't speed anything up, but at least I know what's happening and don't have to keep calling ESD! Has anyone else used these UI Liaisons at WorkSource? Are they at all locations or just certain ones? The staff helping me said they can't make decisions on claims but can see what's happening with them.
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I don't understand why people waste time with WorkSource when you could just CALL ESD directly!!! I got through after only 5 attempts and resolved my issue in one call. All these "shortcuts" people keep suggesting sound more complicated than just being persistent with the main phone line!!
wow ur lucky then. i called 32 times in 1 day last month and never got thru. ended up having to use that claimyr service someone mentioned here just to talk to someone after trying for a week
Update: I went back to the WorkSource in Everett today and got more info about the UI Liaison schedule. Turns out they're only there Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-3pm. The woman I spoke with confirmed they can see the same things the phone reps can see but don't have to deal with the massive call volumes so they can spend more time explaining things. I also signed up for 2 workshops while I was there (resume building and interview skills) which will count for my job search activities. So even if you can't see the UI Liaison, still worth checking out WorkSource for the workshops!
Their resume workshop is actually really good! I thought it would be basic but they helped me completely restructure mine for construction jobs and I've gotten way more callbacks. Good luck!
Anastasia Romanov
Just saw ur other comments - if u didn't document the HR convo ur gonna have a hard time. My friend went thru this and the employer straight up LIED about what they had told him. Its ur word against theirs... try to find any coworkers who might have overheard anything?
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Chloe Wilson
ya this happened to me too, my manager denied ever having our conversation about my schedule change. esd pretty much always believes the employer unless u have proof
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Omar Fawzi
Regardless of how strong your case is, appeal and continue filing weekly claims while you're waiting. The appeal process in 2025 is taking about 6-8 weeks right now from filing to hearing date. That's a long time to go without income, so you should also look into emergency assistance programs like basic food benefits and HEN referrals for housing assistance while you wait. If you're dealing with substance use issues, there might be additional support services available to you.
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CosmosCaptain
AuthorThank you for this practical advice. I didn't realize appeals were taking that long - I definitely need to look into those assistance programs. This whole situation has been a wake-up call that I need more support for my recovery too.
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