My sister works in HR and she says all they care about is if you had been warned before about the same issue and did it anyway. Single mistakes almost never count as misconduct unless its something super serious like theft or violence. Just make sure when they ask you questions you don't accidentally admit to anything that sounds intentional.

I see a lot of comments here, but I want to clarify something important: Under ESD rules, a single unintentional policy violation typically does NOT constitute misconduct unless it caused significant harm or was extremely negligent. If you're denied benefits, you have 30 days to file an appeal. The appeal hearing is completely fresh - the Administrative Law Judge doesn't consider ESD's previous decision. Based on what you've described, you have a strong case, especially with no prior disciplinary actions. Just be patient with the process and keep documenting everything.

I called at exactly 8:00am and used the option for "questions about an existing claim" instead of the general questions line. Still took forever but at least I got through eventually!

my buddy said they only took like $40 from his check each week and he had a pretty big 401k so maybe it won't be so bad for u!!!

One other thing to check - make sure the IDs you uploaded are clearly legible. If they're blurry or have glare, the verification team might be struggling to read them. If you're worried about that, you can always upload them again (it won't hurt anything). Also, the ESD system actually places regular claims and ID verification in the same 'adjudication' category even though they're handled by different departments.

Update on my situation: I finally got through to ESD this morning after like 30 attempts calling. They said my ID verification was actually completed last week but the system hadn't updated! The agent manually released my payments. might be worth trying to call non-stop if you can.

Why is everyone saying to apply for standby?? I thought standby was only for temporary layoffs when you're going back to the SAME employer? This person has a NEW job, not going back to their old one.

Update: I applied for standby yesterday and just got approved! It shows in my eServices account now. Thanks everyone for your help - I'll still keep good records just in case, but it's a relief not to worry about job searches when I'm already set to start my new position.

One more thing to consider - if you're dealing with both L&I and a third-party claim (against the other driver), make sure you understand how these interact. If you receive a settlement from the third-party claim, L&I may place a lien on part of that settlement to recover what they paid for your medical treatment. This is standard practice, but many people are surprised by it. Your attorney should be explaining this to you. As for finding a surgeon who takes L&I, ask your claim manager for a list of approved specialists. They should be able to provide you with options within your area that are approved providers.

Based on everything you've shared, here's what I recommend: 1. Contact your L&I claim manager tomorrow and request a list of approved spine surgeons in your area 2. Have your primary doctor submit detailed documentation about why you need a specific surgical approach 3. If your claim manager isn't responsive, contact the L&I Ombuds office 4. Withdraw your ESD application for now to avoid potential overpayment issues 5. Ask your L&I claim manager about getting your time-loss rate reassessed if it's not sufficient Don't agree to pay for the surgery out-of-pocket with the promise of reimbursement later - that's risky and not how the system is supposed to work. L&I should cover approved medical treatment directly.