The whole system is designed to be confusing on purpose. I swear they make it complicated so people give up and don't claim benefits they're entitled to. Stick with it and ask questions when you need help.

One more thing to keep in mind - if you're planning to file, do it as soon as possible after losing your job. There's a one-week waiting period before you can receive benefits, and you can't backdate your claim beyond the week you actually file. So even if you're unsure about the exact amount, it's better to file early and figure out the details later rather than lose out on potential weeks of benefits.

Bottom line: file for regular unemployment through Washington ESD if you lose your job, be prepared to explain your work capacity during adjudication, and use services like Claimyr if you need to actually talk to someone at ESD about your specific situation. The system can work for people with disabilities, it just takes some extra documentation and patience.

One thing that might help clarify your situation is knowing that Washington State also has Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) through the ESD, which is different from both regular unemployment and disability benefits. If you're currently working part-time but need to reduce hours or take time off due to your health condition, you might qualify for PFML benefits while still maintaining your employment. This could be an option to explore before you reach the point of needing to file for unemployment. The PFML program allows for intermittent leave, which might work better for managing a chronic condition while staying employed.

Just to add to what others said - if your employment doesn't work out within the benefit year (which runs for 12 months from when you first applied), you can reopen your existing claim rather than filing a completely new one. This is called "reopening" a claim and it's much simpler than starting from scratch. Just something to keep in mind just in case.

Congratulations on your new job! Based on everyone's advice here, it sounds like the key is to report your earnings accurately for any week you worked (even partially) and then just stop filing claims after that. I've been on unemployment for 3 months myself and this thread is super helpful - I'm bookmarking it in case I need it when I find work. The fraud investigation warning from Marcus is especially important to keep in mind. Good luck with your new position!

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know I got my payment this morning - took exactly 4 business days after the expedite call! All back weeks paid at once. If anyone else is stuck in adjudication hell, definitely contact your state rep or the governor's office. It really works!

So glad to see this success story! I'm currently on week 5 of waiting for my claim to be processed after filing an appeal. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like contacting the Governor's office might be my next step. For those who reached out to elected officials, did you call directly or submit through their website contact forms? And did you need to provide any specific documentation when you contacted them? Really appreciate everyone sharing their timelines - it helps to know there's light at the end of the tunnel!

Thanks for asking this question OP! I was wondering the same thing but was too embarrassed to ask. The responses here cleared up a lot of confusion I had about my own claim.

This whole quarter system was so confusing to me when I first filed too! What really helped me understand it was thinking of it like this: imagine your work year is divided into four 3-month "buckets" - that's what quarters are. Washington ESD looks at these buckets from your recent work history to see how much you earned in each period. They need to see that you worked consistently (earnings in at least 2 buckets) and they use your best earning period to help calculate your weekly benefit. It's their way of making sure you have a solid work history before qualifying for benefits. Once I understood it was just a systematic way to review my earnings over time, the whole process made way more sense!