Make sure you know how long you have to appeal!!! I think its 30 days from when you got the denial but don't wait!!! The sooner you appeal the faster you'll get your hearing!!!

One more important thing - the burden of proof is on the employer to prove gross misconduct, not on you to disprove it. In your hearing, let them present their case first. They'll need to show clear evidence that you intentionally violated policies with awareness that it could harm the company. Testing errors alone usually don't meet this standard unless they can prove you deliberately skipped required steps knowing it would cause harm. Also, remember to stay calm during the hearing. It can be stressful, but judges respond better to clear, factual statements than emotional arguments. Stick to the timeline of events, the evidence you have, and the medical documentation. Don't get drawn into arguments about workplace politics or personalities.

One more thing to consider - when you file your weekly claims, make sure you answer the work search questions carefully. Since you have a medical restriction, you might be eligible for a work search exemption but you need to request it specifically. Otherwise, you'll need to do 3 job search activities each week. If you get the exemption, you'll still need to be "able and available" for suitable work that meets your restrictions. So technically you need to be looking for jobs that would accommodate your temporary medical condition. ESD can be really picky about this, and it's a common reason claims get denied even when people qualify otherwise.

To answer your specific question about what documents to upload - yes, definitely include both doctors' notes showing the similar restrictions. Also include: 1. Your termination notice/email 2. Any documentation about the accommodation they provided during pregnancy 3. Your job description 4. Recent performance reviews showing you were in good standing Don't specifically mention ADA or discrimination in your initial unemployment claim - stick to the facts about why you were terminated. The unemployment process just needs to determine if you're eligible for benefits, not whether your employer violated labor laws. If your claim goes to adjudication (which it likely will), you'll have a phone interview with an adjudicator. That's when you can explain the inconsistency between how they handled your pregnancy vs. your injury.

just wondering, has ur aunt applied for SSDI? my mom has hearing loss (not completely deaf) and she got approved after her unemployment ran out. takes forever though

The system is RIGGED against disabled people. I'm partially deaf and was denied extensions TWICE even with documentation. They don't care. Your aunt should skip the ESD runaround and go straight to DSHS for emergency assistance while figuring out something more permanent. The ESD people will just waste her time with their ableist policies!!!

I don't understand why everybody keeps calling the governor's office. That's not what the office is for. There are proper channels to resolve unemployment issues but nobody wants to follow the process. My claim took 8 weeks to process but I waited patiently like we're supposed to.

To directly answer your question: Your payment for this week should come through normally, but here's what you need to understand about the system: 1. When the Governor's office intervenes, they typically clear the specific issue holding your claim, not just push payments through 2. Future payments will process normally (2-3 business days) UNLESS a new issue arises 3. Common triggers for new holds include: missing weekly filing deadlines, answering questions differently than previous weeks, being randomly selected for ID verification or job search review, or employer disputes 4. You can check if any issues are pending by looking at your account under "Alerts" or "Issues and Decisions" on the ESD dashboard If your account shows no pending issues now, your Sunday filing should pay out this week. I'd check your account Wednesday or Thursday.

btw when mine finally processed it hit my account at like 3am lol. woke up to a surprise deposit. felt like christmas morning after all that stress

One more thing to note - when you do receive your payment, check that you received the correct amount. Calculate what you expect based on your weekly benefit amount multiplied by the number of weeks, minus any applicable taxes if you opted for withholding. If there's a discrepancy, contact ESD immediately, as correcting payment errors becomes more complicated the longer you wait.