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.

my claim took 6 weeks to get approved last time but i still got paid for all those weeks once it went thru. just keep filing weekly and doing job search until u hear back

Just wanted to add - I went through this exact situation last year when my claim was pending for 3 weeks. The key thing is to treat it like you're already approved from day one. I kept detailed records of every job application, networking event, and even time spent updating my LinkedIn profile. When my claim finally got approved, I received backpay for all those weeks because I had maintained eligibility the whole time. The uncertainty is really stressful, but staying consistent with the requirements is what saved me. Also, if you're having trouble finding 3 activities per week, remember that things like attending virtual job fairs, taking online career assessments, and even researching companies for future applications can count toward your requirements. Good luck with your claim!

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.