Just to add one more important point: If your husband's employer does contest the claim and says he quit voluntarily without mentioning they were going to fire him, your husband should immediately request the full employer response records and appeal if necessary. By law, ESD must share what the employer stated as the reason for separation. If there's a discrepancy, your husband can request a fact-finding interview where both parties are present. In "quit in lieu of discharge" cases, employers sometimes try to avoid admitting they were going to terminate to prevent unemployment claims. Be prepared for this possibility.

I went through something very similar last year! After contacting the governor's office, I got a call within 3 days from an ESD specialist. The interview was actually pretty straightforward - they mainly wanted to understand why my claim had been delayed so long and what the separation issue was. For the "quit before firing" situation, definitely have your husband emphasize that termination was inevitable and imminent. I had almost the exact same scenario - my manager told me "we're letting you go tomorrow, but you can resign today if you prefer." I made sure to say those exact words during my interview. One tip: have him write down the timeline of events with specific dates and times if he can remember them. The interviewer asked me things like "what date did this conversation happen?" and "what time of day?" Having those details ready made me sound more credible. Also, don't be surprised if they schedule a follow-up interview with his former employer. That's standard procedure when there's a separation dispute. The good news is that most of these cases do get resolved in favor of the claimant if you can clearly establish the termination was going to happen regardless. Good luck to your husband! The fact that the governor's office escalated it is actually a positive sign that ESD is taking his case seriously.

One last thing - if you're thinking about going back to school or doing training while on unemployment, check with Washington ESD first. Some training programs are approved and won't affect your benefits, but others might. Better to ask before you enroll in anything.

Good luck with your job search! As someone who's been through this process, I'd also recommend looking into LinkedIn Learning or other online skill-building platforms while you're between jobs. Many public libraries offer free access to these resources, and it can help you stay competitive while job hunting. Also, don't underestimate the value of temp agencies - they often have warehouse positions that could lead to permanent work, and you can still collect partial unemployment benefits while working temporary assignments.

This has been really informative. I'm bookmarking this thread because I know I'll forget all these details by the time I actually need to know them lol

Thanks everyone for all the detailed info! I had no idea about the waiting week getting paid back eventually. I'm currently on week 4 of my claim so sounds like I've got a while to wait before I see that money again. At least now I know it's not just gone forever. The Claimyr service sounds really helpful too - I've been dreading having to call ESD about other questions but maybe I'll give that a try.

Last thing I'll add - if you ever do need to call Washington ESD about payment issues, try that Claimyr service. I used it when I had an overpayment question and it actually worked. Way better than hitting redial 100 times and getting busy signals.

This thread is so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - filed Sunday and was getting worried when Thursday came around with no deposit. Reading through all these responses really helped me understand the timing better. It's reassuring to know that Wednesday/Thursday deposits are normal for Sunday filers. The breakdown of how ESD processes claims on Tuesday/Wednesday and then banks handle the ACH deposits makes total sense. I'll definitely save this info for future reference and maybe even track my deposit dates like some of you suggested. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

Just wanted to add that you should file your claim as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Benefits are paid from the date you file, not the date you lost your job, so any delay costs you money.

Thanks everyone for all the detailed responses! This has been super helpful. Based on what I'm reading, it sounds like I should expect around $280-320 per week if I make $600/week consistently. I'm feeling much better prepared now knowing roughly what to expect. I'll definitely file immediately if anything happens and keep all my employment documents organized just in case. Hopefully I won't need to use this information, but it's good to know I have options like Claimyr if I run into issues reaching Washington ESD. Really appreciate this community sharing their experiences!