i had almost the exact same situation last year except i quit because of workplace harassment not family reasons. took forever to get a hearing but when i finally did i won my case! hang in there and def keep all your documentation organized. the judge at my hearing was actually pretty fair once i got there.

Update: I contacted my state representative's office this morning and amazingly they were super helpful! The staff person took down all my info and said they'd reach out to ESD on my behalf. I also tried the Claimyr service that someone recommended here, and I FINALLY got through to an actual ESD agent. They told me my hearing is actually scheduled for April 8th but the notice was just sent out yesterday! Talk about cutting it close. Anyway, I'm now frantically organizing all my documentation. Thank you all for the advice and support. This system is absolutely broken, but at least I have a date now and can prepare my case.

When my claim got stuck in February, I found out that calling my state representative's office actually helped. They have constituent services that can contact ESD directly on your behalf. It took about 3 days but I got a call back from an ESD supervisor who fixed my issue right away. Worth trying if nothing else works!

Update: I tried the Claimyr service that @profile3 suggested and it actually worked! Got connected to an ESD rep in about 20 minutes this morning. Turns out they needed additional wage verification because my former employer reported different quarterly earnings than what I submitted. The agent was able to review the documents I had already uploaded and fix the issue while I was on the phone. My claim status is back to 'paid' now! Thanks everyone for your help - this community saved my sanity.

To answer your follow-up question about documentation: You typically don't need to provide documentation upfront when adding an employer. However, ESD may contact you later for verification if they can't confirm your employment through other means. If they do request verification, pay stubs, an offer letter, or direct deposit records are usually sufficient. I recommend keeping these documents handy just in case. You might also want to inform your out-of-state employer that you've filed for unemployment in Washington, as ESD may contact them to verify your employment and earnings.

You got the math right! If your weekly benefit amount is $750, you can earn up to $187.50 without reduction. If you earn $300 in a week, your benefit would be reduced to $637.50 ($750 - ($300 - $187.50)). I track mine on a spreadsheet each week to make sure I understand what my benefit should be. It helps catch any potential errors in the system before they become bigger problems. Also, an important tip: make sure you report your gross earnings for the week you WORKED, not when you got paid. This trips up a lot of people!

Yes, I got backpay for all weeks I'd claimed during the adjudication period. It came as one lump sum about 3 business days after approval. Just make sure you keep filing your weekly claims during this waiting period - that's super important for getting the backpay!

That's a relief! I've been filing religiously every week, so at least I know I'll eventually get that money if I'm approved. Thanks again!

what about taking the job with the dr and then if its really bad just quit after and get unemployment then?? just thinking out loud lol

I worked in HR for years and handled many unemployment claims from the employer side. Make sure you use very specific language in your claim: "Position eliminated due to business restructuring" or "laid off due to contract termination." Never say anything that sounds like you had a choice in the matter. Also, Washington state has pretty worker-friendly unemployment laws compared to many states. As long as you're not fired for misconduct or quitting without good cause, you should be eligible. The situation you described is a textbook case for eligibility.