Three years ago I got denied for misconduct but won on appeal. The key was showing that my employer's policy wasn't consistently enforced and other employees had gotten warnings for similar violations. Documentation is everything in these cases.

I went through something similar about 6 months ago. Failed a random test at my construction job and got terminated. Washington ESD initially denied my claim, but I appealed and actually won. The hearing officer said the key factor was that I had been a good employee for 4 years with no prior disciplinary issues, and my marijuana use was for chronic back pain (even though I didn't have an official medical card). It's definitely worth fighting if you have a good work history. Don't give up after the first denial - the appeals process gave me a real chance to tell my story.

Final thought - don't let the 26 week limit make you take a bad job out of desperation. Use the time to find something that fits your skills and career goals. That's what the benefit is designed for.

Just wanted to add my experience - I was in a similar situation last year and used almost all 26 weeks. The key thing that helped me was setting up a weekly schedule to track everything: job applications, networking events, and benefit weeks remaining. I created a simple calendar that showed my benefit year end date and marked off each week as I filed my claims. It really helped reduce the anxiety of not knowing exactly where I stood. Also, don't forget that you can work part-time while collecting benefits (as long as you report it properly) - that helped me bridge the gap toward the end and led to my current full-time position.

Good luck with your claim! Most people in your situation do end up getting approved. The unemployment system isn't perfect but it does generally work for people who legitimately lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

I went through something very similar last year - got terminated for "not meeting performance standards" after 18 months at my job. I was really worried about applying because I thought getting fired meant automatic denial, but that's not true at all. Washington ESD approved my claim because performance issues aren't the same as misconduct. The key distinction is whether you were fired for something you did wrong intentionally (like breaking rules, theft, etc.) versus just not being able to meet their expectations despite trying your best. From what you've described, it sounds like you have a good chance of getting approved. File your claim online at esd.wa.gov as soon as possible - don't wait because the sooner you file, the sooner your benefit year starts. Be completely honest about the reason for termination when you fill out the application. Good luck!

Update? Did you get anywhere with this? Im in the same boat now :

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now - 6 weeks into adjudication and my landlord is threatening eviction. The stress is unbearable. Thank you for posting this because I was starting to think I was the only one dealing with this mess. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service and contact my state rep like others suggested. Also going to send that secure message about housing instability - I had no idea they prioritize those cases! Please keep us updated on your situation. We're all rooting for you and hoping this gets resolved soon. The system is completely broken but at least we can help each other navigate it.

So glad to see this thread! I've been having the exact same issues since Friday - thought I was going crazy. The CAPTCHA failures are the worst part because you start questioning if you're even doing it right. I've been trying to file my weekly claim and keep getting stuck at the same spots everyone mentioned. Going to try the Edge browser suggestion right now since that seemed to work for a few people. It's really frustrating that there's no official communication from ESD about these outages - a simple "we're experiencing technical difficulties, expected resolution time X" would go a long way toward reducing everyone's stress levels!

I'm dealing with the same nightmare! Been trying to file my initial claim since Saturday and hitting the exact same CAPTCHA wall. What's really frustrating is that I'm already stressed about being unemployed, and then the system that's supposed to help me is completely broken. I tried calling the phone line this morning and after waiting on hold for 2 hours, the call just disconnected. Really hoping the Edge browser trick works - going to try that next. It's crazy that we're all having to troubleshoot their broken system instead of them just fixing it or at least acknowledging the problem publicly!