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!

I'm new to this community but dealing with a very similar situation - workplace injury and complete confusion about which benefits to apply for. My employer's HR department also gave me conflicting information about filing for unemployment alongside my L&I claim. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly enlightening! I had no idea that unemployment requires you to be "able and available" for work, which obviously doesn't apply when you're medically unable to work due to injury. The explanation about L&I providing both medical coverage AND time-loss benefits (60-75% of wages) while FMLA just protects your job makes so much sense. I'm definitely going to focus on getting my L&I claim established properly first, keep detailed documentation of everything, and try that early morning calling tip to actually reach someone. The stories about people having to pay back thousands in unemployment benefits they weren't eligible for are exactly the kind of nightmare I want to avoid! Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this thread should be required reading for anyone dealing with workplace injuries in Washington. It's so much clearer now why trying to juggle multiple benefit systems at once is a bad idea.

I'm also dealing with a workplace injury right now and this entire discussion has been a lifesaver! Like so many others here, my supervisor told me to apply for "everything available" which clearly would have been a disaster based on what I'm reading about people owing back thousands in unemployment benefits. What really helped me understand the situation is realizing that these aren't competing programs - they actually work together. L&I handles the financial support and medical coverage for workplace injuries, FMLA protects your job, and unemployment is only for people who CAN work but don't have a job available. Since we're medically unable to work due to our injuries, unemployment doesn't apply. I've already started keeping that detailed log that someone mentioned earlier - documenting every phone call, email, and piece of paperwork. It's already come in handy when L&I claimed they never received a form my doctor's office faxed. Having my own records saved me from starting over. For anyone just starting this process: focus on your L&I claim first, be completely honest with your medical providers about your limitations, keep copies of everything, and don't let anyone pressure you into filing for benefits you're not eligible for. The peace of mind from doing this right the first time is worth way more than trying to rush through multiple applications.

Alice, I'm so glad you're finally pursuing this! I was in almost the exact same situation - doing freelance graphic design work when I got laid off 5 months ago, and my HR department told me any "side income" would automatically disqualify me from unemployment benefits. This turned out to be completely false information that cost me months of benefits I was entitled to. I successfully got back pay for all 5 months by filing online at esd.wa.gov and thoroughly documenting the misinformation I received. The key is that Washington ESD recognizes employer misinformation about gig work eligibility as legitimate "good cause" for filing delays. Even though most of my conversations with HR were verbal, I wrote down everything I could remember with dates and names, which they accepted as sufficient documentation. The adjudication process took about 3.5 months, which felt like forever when you're waiting for money you desperately need, but I eventually received a lump sum for all eligible weeks plus some federal supplements. Don't let the potential wait time discourage you - file your initial claim tonight to establish your filing date, then focus on documenting those conversations where you were told you wouldn't qualify. The misinformation about gig work and unemployment is unfortunately very widespread, but that's exactly why ESD has provisions for situations like ours!

I'm new to this community but going through almost the exact same situation right now! I was doing Uber and freelance tutoring when I got laid off from my office job 4 months ago. My manager told me the gig income would "complicate" my unemployment eligibility and that I probably wouldn't qualify - so I never even applied. Just found out from a friend that this was completely wrong information! Reading through all these success stories is giving me hope that I can still get those missed benefits. It's incredible how widespread this misinformation seems to be. I'm planning to file my claim online at esd.wa.gov tonight and document everything I can remember about those conversations with my manager. Has anyone dealt with a situation where they were explicitly told the gig work would "complicate" things rather than outright disqualify? I'm wondering if that kind of vague discouragement counts as misinformation for backdating purposes. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this thread is exactly what I needed to finally take action!

I've been through this exact scenario! Had my original adjudication drag on for weeks, then boom - second one appears when I started doing some delivery driving. The good news is that once they finally got to my case, both issues were resolved within a few days of each other. What really helped was calling my state representative's office after 8 weeks of waiting. They have a constituent services team that can actually get ESD to prioritize your case. I know it sounds intimidating, but they deal with unemployment issues all the time and were super helpful. Also, make sure you keep filing your weekly claims religiously - I almost gave up doing that and it would have cost me weeks of backpay. The system is definitely broken, but most people do eventually get their benefits once the adjudications are complete.

I'm going through something very similar right now - original adjudication started in September, then got a second one last month after I picked up some freelance work. It's such a relief to read all these responses and know this is actually pretty normal! The stress of not knowing what's happening or how long it will take is honestly worse than the financial strain sometimes. Based on everyone's advice here, I'm going to try calling ESD using those phone tips, gather up all my work documentation proactively, and maybe look into contacting my state rep if this drags on much longer. It's frustrating that the system doesn't communicate better about what's happening, but at least now I understand that the second adjudication for your part-time work is likely just routine verification. Hang in there - sounds like most people do get their backpay eventually!

Another important eligibility issue that hasn't been mentioned much is drug testing. If you're fired for failing a drug test at work, Washington ESD will likely deny your benefits for misconduct. Also, if you're participating in certain state or federal programs that require drug testing and you fail or refuse to take the test, that can affect your unemployment eligibility too. I learned this the hard way when helping my cousin with his claim - he thought his medical marijuana card would protect him, but Washington ESD didn't see it that way for his particular job situation.

One area that often gets overlooked is how union membership affects eligibility. If you're a union member and refuse to cross a picket line during a labor dispute, Washington ESD might deny your benefits even though you're technically "available" for work. Also, if your union provides strike benefits or other financial support during a work stoppage, that could impact your unemployment eligibility. I had a friend who was confused about this when his union went on strike - he thought he'd automatically qualify for unemployment, but it's much more complicated than that. The rules around labor disputes and union activities can be really tricky to navigate.