Bottom line - being fired doesn't automatically disqualify you from unemployment benefits in Washington. File your claim, be honest about what happened, and let Washington ESD make the determination. You've got a good chance of being approved if it was truly about performance and not misconduct.

I went through something very similar about 8 months ago. Got let go for "not meeting expectations" but I suspect they just wanted to restructure my position. Filed for unemployment immediately and was approved after about 3 weeks of adjudication. The investigator was actually really fair during the phone interview - they asked both me and my employer detailed questions about the circumstances. My advice: file right away, keep detailed notes about what happened at your job, and don't stress too much about the outcome. Washington ESD really does look at each case individually and performance issues rarely count as disqualifying misconduct unless there was willful negligence involved.

You're welcome! This community has been so helpful in explaining everything.

Just wanted to add that if you worked at Amazon for 8 months, you should definitely meet the minimum earnings requirements for Washington unemployment. Amazon pays well above minimum wage so your base year earnings should qualify you easily. The main thing is just making sure you file accurately and have all your employment dates correct. Good luck with your claim!

Thanks everyone for all the info! This has cleared up a lot of confusion I had about how Washington ESD calculates benefits. Definitely feel more prepared for when my claim gets processed.

This thread has been incredibly informative! I just wanted to add that for anyone who's still waiting for their claim to be processed, you can actually estimate your weekly benefit amount ahead of time using the gross wage information from your pay stubs. Washington typically replaces about 50% of your average weekly wage (calculated from your highest quarter), but there's a maximum weekly benefit amount that gets updated each year. Having a rough estimate helped me budget while I was waiting for my official determination letter.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. I'm going to try the early morning calling strategy tomorrow and also check out that Claimyr service as a backup. Will update if I make any progress.

I feel your pain - I've been in the exact same situation for the past month. One thing that finally worked for me was using an auto-redial app on my phone so I didn't have to manually keep calling the 800-318-6022 number over and over. I set it to redial every 30 seconds and just let it run while I did other things. Eventually got through after about 3 hours of auto-redialing. Also, if you have any documentation or case numbers related to your stuck claim, have those ready when you do get connected - it speeds up the process significantly.

I'm going through something very similar right now - laid off from a senior engineering role at a major Seattle tech company 3 weeks ago and still waiting on ESD approval. The whole process feels deliberately opaque and stressful. What really caught my attention in your post is the immediate healthcare cutoff. That's becoming way too common with these tech layoffs - they treat people like security risks rather than valued employees who've contributed for decades. The contrast between your husband's 23-year tenure and the brutal 10-minute dismissal is just heartbreaking. I've been documenting everything from my layoff (emails, Teams notifications, even screenshots of my deactivated badge access) based on advice I got here. One thing that might help is if your husband saved the original layoff notification email or any documentation mentioning "reduction in force" or similar language. The COBRA costs are crushing - we're in the same boat paying over $2000/month. Have you looked into any short-term bridge insurance options while waiting for his claim to process? Some are significantly cheaper than COBRA for a few months. Keep us posted on how the WorkSource visit goes tomorrow. This community has been invaluable for navigating this broken system.

The 4+ week delay is unfortunately becoming the norm for tech layoffs in Washington. I went through this exact situation after being laid off from Meta last year - senior level position, immediate termination, and ESD took 6 weeks to approve my claim. A few things that might help speed this up: 1. **Check for pending employer questionnaires**: ESD sends these to employers and they have 10 business days to respond. Many tech companies are slow to complete them, which holds up your claim. 2. **Document everything from the layoff**: Save that Teams invite, any emails mentioning workforce reduction, or internal communications about layoffs. ESD sometimes needs proof it wasn't performance-related. 3. **Consider contacting your state legislator**: After 4 weeks with no movement, their office can often get answers from ESD that regular channels can't. I wish I'd known about this option earlier. 4. **Daily message checks**: ESD sends time-sensitive requests through their portal that don't generate email alerts. Missing these can add weeks to your timeline. The $2,350 COBRA is brutal on top of everything else. Hang in there - once approved, benefits are backdated to when he first became eligible. The system is overwhelmed but it does eventually work.