The bottom line is that substantial hours reduction CAN be good cause for quitting in Washington. You have pay stubs showing the reduction and you tried to work with your employer. That's a reasonable foundation for a claim. File it and see what happens.

I went through almost the exact same situation a couple years ago in Washington. Had my hours cut from about 35 hours a week down to maybe 8-10 hours, and I couldn't afford to stay. When I filed, Washington ESD did approve my claim for good cause quit. The key things that helped me were: 1) I had documentation showing the dramatic hours reduction (pay stubs), 2) I could show I had asked my supervisor multiple times about getting more hours, and 3) I demonstrated that the reduced income made it impossible to meet basic living expenses. The adjudication process took about 4 weeks, but I kept filing my weekly claims during that time like others mentioned. Don't let the complexity of the system discourage you - your situation sounds very similar to mine and it worked out. Just be thorough and honest when you explain everything in your application.

Just wanted to mention - my sister works at WorkSource and she said they offer free workshops on preparing for unemployment appeal hearings. Might be worth checking if your local office has something similar? They can help you organize your evidence and practice answering the types of questions the judge might ask.

I'm in a similar situation - just filed my appeal this week after being denied for "voluntary quit" when I was clearly laid off due to company restructuring. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and nerve-wracking! It sounds like 6-8 weeks is the current norm for getting a hearing date, which is honestly better than I expected based on horror stories I've heard from previous years. I'm definitely going to take the advice about continuing weekly claims and keeping up with job search activities - the last thing I want is to win the appeal but lose out on backpay because of a technicality. Has anyone had success with getting their former employer to correct the separation reason directly with ESD? That seems like it could potentially save a lot of time and stress if they're willing to cooperate.

Whatever you decide, file your claim immediately after your last day of work. Don't wait! The sooner you file, the sooner the process starts, even if it goes to adjudication.

I went through a similar situation a couple years ago with a toxic supervisor. One thing I learned is that Washington ESD really wants to see a paper trail showing you tried to resolve things internally before quitting. Even if there's no formal HR, sending an email to the owner documenting the harassment and requesting it be addressed can strengthen your case significantly. Keep a copy of that email and any response (or lack of response). Also, if you have any coworkers who witnessed the inappropriate behavior, see if they'd be willing to provide written statements. The adjudication process can be stressful, but having solid documentation makes a huge difference in the outcome.

Sounds like you've got good advice here! Just file the claim and see what happens. With steady work history and being laid off, you should be fine. Good luck with the job search too!

You should definitely qualify based on what you've described! Eight months of steady work at 32 hours/week will easily meet Washington's base period requirements. Since you were laid off due to restructuring (which is considered involuntary separation), that checks the "no fault of your own" box too. The key is to file your claim ASAP since benefits only start from when you actually file, not when you lost your job. Make sure you have your employment dates, employer info, and separation details ready when you apply online. Don't let the ESD website overwhelm you - the actual application is pretty straightforward once you get started. You've got this!

Just wanted to add - if you need help reaching Washington ESD for any reason during this process, that Claimyr service people mentioned actually worked great for me too. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works. Made dealing with Washington ESD way less stressful.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share that I went through something very similar. I quit a job due to a hostile work environment, then got laid off from my next position about 10 months later. I was terrified that the quit would disqualify me, but it didn't affect my benefits at all since my most recent separation was involuntary. Washington ESD really does focus on your last job when determining eligibility. With your work history spanning 14 months across two jobs, you should definitely meet both the earnings and quarter requirements. Don't overthink it - just apply online and let them make the determination. The worst case scenario is they say no, but based on what you've described, you have a strong case for approval.