I went through this exact situation with Walmart last year - they absolutely will contest your claim, but don't let that discourage you from filing. I was terminated for what they called "policy violations" but it was clearly retaliation for reporting safety issues to management. The adjudication process took about 7 weeks, but I ultimately won my case because I had solid documentation. Make sure you keep copies of all your safety complaint emails, any responses from management, and try to get witness statements from coworkers who can verify the timeline of events. Washington ESD adjudicators are experienced with these types of cases and can usually spot legitimate retaliation claims. File your claim today - every day you wait is money lost, regardless of whether they contest it or not.

I just went through this same thing with Walmart in Washington state. They contested my claim aggressively, but I still won after about 6 weeks of adjudication. The key thing to remember is that Washington ESD makes the final decision based on the facts, not what Walmart wants. Since you have emails documenting your safety complaints, you're already in a much better position than I was. Make sure to file your claim immediately - don't let fear of their contest delay you. I actually had to use a service called Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD during my adjudication because their phone lines were so jammed, but it was worth it to get updates on my case status. The important thing is that retaliation for safety complaints is illegal, and Washington ESD adjudicators are trained to recognize these situations. Document everything, file today, and don't let Walmart intimidate you out of benefits you're entitled to.

I'm in a very similar situation - just got laid off from my software engineering job yesterday and have about 16 days of vacation pay coming in my final check. This thread has been absolutely incredible to find! I was really worried that the vacation payout might delay my unemployment benefits or create complications with my claim. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - it's clear that vacation pay is just wages you already earned while working, not income during your unemployment period. The explanation about reporting it for the weeks you actually worked (not when you receive the payout) makes perfect sense. I was definitely overthinking this whole thing! Planning to file my initial claim early next week and will make sure to be completely accurate about the vacation pay dates. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - this community knowledge is so much more valuable than trying to navigate Washington ESD's confusing website alone. It's comforting to know so many people have successfully handled this exact situation!

I just went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago when I got laid off from my retail management job. Had about 2 weeks of vacation pay coming and was absolutely panicking that it would mess up my unemployment claim. Turns out I was worried for nothing! The vacation pay didn't affect my benefits at all - I just had to report it correctly for the weeks I actually earned it while working, not when I received the lump sum. The Washington ESD rep I eventually spoke with explained that vacation pay is essentially deferred wages for work you already performed, so it's treated completely differently than things like severance pay. My advice is just be totally upfront about it on your initial claim and don't stress too much. The system is designed to handle this situation since it's super common. You've got this!

Update us when your adjudication gets resolved! I'm in week 4 myself and could use some hope that there's light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm in week 3 of adjudication myself and reading through all these experiences is both helpful and terrifying. It sounds like the timeline really varies - some people get resolved in 4-6 weeks while others are waiting months. The lack of transparency from ESD is definitely the most frustrating part. I've been keeping detailed records of all my weekly filings and any communications just in case I need them later. Has anyone had luck with submitting additional documentation proactively, or is it better to just wait for them to ask for what they need?

I went through a similar audit situation about 6 months ago and understand the anxiety you're feeling. The most important thing is to respond promptly and be completely honest about what happened. In my case, I had gaps in my job search documentation too, but I was able to reconstruct some of it using browser history, email confirmations, and even screenshots from job sites showing when I applied. The auditor appreciated that I made a genuine effort to provide what I could rather than just saying "I don't have records." They ended up finding a minor overpayment for just 2 weeks where my documentation was really lacking, but because I was cooperative and showed good faith effort, they waived the penalty. Don't give up hope - many people get through these audits without major consequences if they handle it properly.

I'm currently going through my first unemployment audit with Washington ESD and this thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding what to expect. Like many others here, I wasn't as thorough with my record-keeping as I should have been, but reading about people successfully reconstructing documentation from browser history and email confirmations gives me hope. The stress of potentially owing money back is really getting to me, especially since I was genuinely looking for work but just didn't understand how detailed the documentation needed to be. Has anyone found that Washington ESD auditors are generally reasonable when you can show you were making legitimate efforts to find employment, even if your paperwork isn't perfect? I'm trying to gather as much information as I can before I submit my response to make sure I handle this the right way.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm actually in a similar situation but with a twist - my benefit year ended last week but I started a temporary job right before it ended. I worked for 5 days and then got laid off again when the project finished. Now I'm not sure if I should file a subsequent claim or if those 5 days of work somehow reset everything? I'm worried that working those few days might have messed up my eligibility or created some kind of gap in my claim. Has anyone dealt with working briefly right around when their benefit year ended? I don't want to file the wrong type of claim and cause delays.

I'm going through this exact same process right now! Filed my subsequent claim yesterday after my benefit year ended on Saturday. Reading through all these responses is both reassuring and nerve-wracking at the same time. It's good to see that most people seem to get through it within 2 weeks without a waiting week. I'm particularly worried because I only worked about 5 months during my previous benefit year before getting laid off again. Hopefully that's enough to establish a new claim. Has anyone here dealt with having limited work history during their benefit year? I'm trying not to panic but the rent is due in 12 days and I'm already cutting it close. Thanks Oliver for posting this - it's exactly the kind of real-world info that's impossible to find on the ESD website!