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Can ESD deny unemployment if I quit after being told I'm getting laid off for medical reasons?
My employer just informed me that I'm being let go because I have a medical condition that prevents me from performing one of my essential job duties. They said I'd qualify for unemployment benefits when I leave, which is somewhat reassuring. The weird part is they want me to stay on until they hire and train my replacement, which could take weeks or even months. Can they legally do this? More importantly, if I decide not to stick around for this awkward transition period and just quit now, would ESD disqualify me from receiving unemployment benefits? I'm worried about being in this limbo state where I know I'm being terminated but have to keep working in a really uncomfortable situation. Has anyone dealt with something similar?
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ESD adjudication approved but weekly claims still pending - Do I wait until employer appeal deadline?
Just got my approval letter from ESD saying my adjudication was successful (finally!). The letter mentioned they sent the same notice to my previous employer, giving them until January 1st, 2025 to file an appeal if they want to contest it.\n\nHere's what's confusing me - all my weekly claims are still showing as "pending" in the system. Do I have to wait until after the employer's appeal deadline passes before my payments will be processed? Or should they start processing now?\n\nI've got bills piling up and really need to know when I might actually see some money. Has anyone been through this before? What was your timeline like after adjudication approval but before the appeal deadline?
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Just to update you - I checked the ESD handbook and confirmed that payments generally begin processing within 72 hours of adjudication approval, regardless of the employer appeal deadline. If your payments don't start by early next week, I'd recommend calling ESD directly. Their current call center hours are Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm.\n\nOne thing to watch for: make sure all your weekly certifications are complete and don't have any errors. Sometimes a single error in one week can hold up all your payments.
ESD Appeal Hearing Friday - How to Win After Taking Severance Instead of PIP?
Hi everyone, I'm really nervous about my ESD appeal hearing this Friday and could use some advice. Back in May, my employer gave me two options: accept a severance package or go through a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). I chose the severance since I'd been struggling with severe anxiety and depression throughout the past year, which affected my work performance. ESD denied my initial claim saying I voluntarily quit without good cause, but I don't think that's fair given my mental health situation. I had been seeing a therapist through my company's EAP program, but I'm not sure if that's enough evidence. Has anyone successfully won an appeal in a similar situation? What kind of documentation should I present? Should I emphasize that the PIP wasn't really a viable option for me given my mental health? Any advice would be so appreciated!
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my cousin got denied twice even with doctors notes so dont get your hopes up tbh. the system is rigged against workers
While it's true that these cases can be challenging, each case is different. The key is having the right documentation and presenting it effectively. I've seen people win appeals with proper preparation, even in voluntary quit cases involving mental health. The judge will be looking for specific elements that establish good cause, not just general statements about being unwell.
How's your appeal preparation coming along? You have about 48 hours to get everything in order. Here's my final advice based on helping several people through this process: 1. Make 3 copies of everything (one for you, one for the judge, one for employer's rep) 2. Write out answers to likely questions so you don't freeze up 3. Be honest but strategic - focus on how your condition made continuing employment impossible 4. If you stumble or get confused during questioning, it's okay to ask for a moment to collect your thoughts 5. Stick to facts rather than emotions when describing your situation One more thing - if your condition might make it difficult to participate fully in the hearing, you can request reasonable accommodations for the hearing itself. Let us know how it goes on Friday!
Thank you so much! I've been working on gathering everything. My therapist sent over a detailed letter explaining how my condition affected my work and why taking on a high-pressure PIP would have been detrimental to my health. I've also found emails showing I discussed my mental health with my manager months before the severance option. I'm feeling a bit more prepared now, though still nervous. I'll definitely update after the hearing on Friday.
Desperate solution: Has driving to ESD offices in Auburn/Olympia ever helped resolve claim issues?
Feeling at my wit's end with this whole unemployment situation. I've been trying to resolve an issue with my claim for nearly 3 weeks now, and it's like hitting a brick wall at every turn. I've called the ESD number probably 40+ times (always disconnected or 'call volume too high'), submitted 5 different messages through my eServices account (zero responses), and even tried getting help at my local WorkSource office where they basically said 'sorry, we don't handle claim issues.' I'm seriously considering just driving to either the Auburn or Olympia main ESD offices (which would be a 4-hour drive one way for me) to try and speak with someone face-to-face. Has anyone actually done this? Did they let you in? Were you able to get your issues resolved? At this point I'm desperate enough to make the drive if there's even a small chance of getting actual answers instead of automated messages. My rent is due next week and I'm running out of options here.
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I was having the same issue last month - couldn't get through on phones, no response to messages, and my claim was stuck in limbo. I ended up using the Claimyr service someone else mentioned above and it actually worked. Got through to an agent in about 40 minutes who was able to see that there was a flag on my account that needed to be removed. She fixed it while I was on the phone and my payment was processed the next day. If your issue is that your claim is in adjudication (saw you mention this in another comment), unfortunately even getting through to someone may not speed things up much. Adjudication has its own timeline and even ESD phone agents can't always expedite it. But at least they can tell you exactly what's happening and what to expect.
That's a good point about adjudication having its own timeline. Maybe just getting clear information about what's happening and how long it typically takes would help ease my anxiety about it. At this point, just knowing what's going on would be better than this complete information vacuum. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr based on the recommendations here - seems worth it to actually get through to someone who can at least see what's happening with my claim.
Following up on your mention of quitting due to unsafe working conditions - this type of claim almost always requires adjudication because ESD needs to determine if your reason for quitting qualifies as "good cause" under Washington law. The standard adjudication time for voluntary quit cases is currently 4-6 weeks (though it can sometimes take longer). Your best course of action is to: 1. Continue filing your weekly claims while waiting for adjudication 2. Make sure you've uploaded all documentation about the unsafe conditions to your eServices account 3. Be available for when they call for your adjudication interview (they often don't schedule these in advance) 4. Contact your state representative if it goes beyond 6 weeks Driving to an office won't speed up this particular type of issue since it's in a specialized adjudication queue. Focus your energy on making sure your documentation is thorough and continuing to file weekly claims.
Thank you so much for explaining this! No one had told me the typical timeframe for adjudication on voluntary quit cases, so knowing 4-6 weeks is normal actually helps me feel a bit better. I've been continuing to file my weekly claims and I've uploaded everything I could think of related to the safety issues (photos, emails to management, doctor's note about my related injury). I'll keep an eye out for a call from them - good to know they might not schedule it in advance. Really appreciate your expert advice on this!
ESD payments arriving on Thursday afternoons now instead of Wednesday?
Has anybody else noticed that their unemployment deposits have switched to Thursdays lately? For the first 2 months of my claim, I always got paid Wednesday mornings like clockwork - now suddenly it's showing up Thursday afternoons (like after 2pm). Just wondering if ESD changed something in their processing schedule or if it's just happening to me? I'm not complaining since the money is still coming through, just throws off my bill payment timing a bit. Anyone else experiencing this?
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my cousin works at the bank and he said sometimes the ACH transfers get delayed in the federal reserve system or something like that
That's not quite accurate in this case. While ACH transfers can occasionally be delayed in the Federal Reserve system, what we're discussing is a systematic change in the ESD payment schedule. You can confirm this by checking your payment status in eServices - the payment initiation date changed, not just the deposit date. Bank delays would be random, not a consistent pattern shift.
Natasha Orlova
Anyone else think it's super weird they're making OP train their replacement when they're letting them go for medical reasons? Like, if they can't do an essential job duty because of a medical condition, how are they supposed to train someone else to do it? This whole thing sounds fishy to me.
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Oliver Schulz
EXACTLY!!! This sounds like the employer is trying to manipulate the situation! They probably want to claim it was a medical separation for their own liability reasons but are trying to squeeze every last bit of work out of OP before letting them go. Classic corporate exploitation tactic!
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Malik Thomas
That's a good observation. It depends on the situation - it's possible OP can explain how to do the task even if they can't physically perform it themselves. But if there's inconsistency in the employer's reasoning, documenting that could be important if there's ever a dispute about the nature of the separation.
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Javier Cruz
Update for 2025: Just to clarify current ESD practices, when they evaluate a claim where someone quit after being told they would be laid off, they look at several factors: 1. Was there a definite layoff date communicated? 2. Was the reason for the upcoming layoff documented? 3. How long was the employee expected to continue working? 4. Was the work environment hostile or did conditions deteriorate? If you can document that you were told you'd be laid off for medical reasons, but they refused to give you an end date and expected you to continue indefinitely, you might have a case for "good cause" to quit. However, each case is evaluated individually, and having the official layoff on record is always the most straightforward path to benefits.
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CosmicCowboy
AuthorThank you for this updated information. I had a meeting with my manager today and asked for a specific end date. They said they expect the hiring process to take "4-6 weeks" but wouldn't commit to an exact date. I got this in an email, so at least I have some documentation of a general timeframe. I think I'll try to stick it out since that's not indefinite, but it's good to know what factors ESD considers if things change.
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