Update: I filed my claim this morning and reported the severance. The Washington ESD website was pretty clear about how to report it in the weekly claim section. Now I just have to wait to see how it affects my benefit amount.

For anyone reading this later - I had a similar situation and used Claimyr to talk to Washington ESD about severance. The agent told me that they really appreciate when people are upfront about severance from the beginning. Makes the whole process smoother.

Yes, ESD will contact your employer for their side of the story. They'll specifically ask about the performance standards, warnings given, and circumstances of your termination. If there are discrepancies between your accounts, an adjudicator may schedule fact-finding interviews with both parties. If you have any documentation of the territory reduction (emails, meeting notes, etc.), submit those with your questionnaire responses as supporting evidence. That could be very helpful for your case.

Based on what you've described, this sounds like a standard adjudication process rather than your employer actively contesting your claim. Performance-based terminations (not meeting quotas) are generally different from misconduct terminations, and you should still be eligible for benefits. A few key points for your responses: - Be completely honest about the warnings you received - Emphasize that you were making good faith efforts to meet standards - Clearly explain how the territory reduction impacted your ability to hit quotas - Include any documentation you have about territory changes or delayed training The fact that your company didn't follow their own progressive discipline policy (no formal PIP despite having one) could actually work in your favor. Just stick to facts, avoid emotional language, and provide as much context as possible about external factors that affected your performance. Good luck!

That's a great point. I'll start the application today then. Really appreciate everyone's help with this!

Just wanted to add one more thing that helped me when I was on partial unemployment - keep a simple spreadsheet or notebook tracking your weekly hours and gross pay. I'd write down each shift as I worked it, then double-check against my paystub before filing my weekly claim. This saved me from any discrepancies later and made the weekly reporting super easy. Also, if you get tips at your retail job, make sure to report those too - ESD considers tips as part of your earnings. Good luck with your application!

Former ESD employee here. When claims get stuck like this with no visible issues, it's usually one of three things: 1. Identity verification queue - sometimes the system flags accounts for additional identity verification even when documents look correct 2. Employer response issue - your former employer might have contested something or not responded, which puts the claim in a special queue 3. Able and available review - sometimes random claims get selected to verify you're truly available for work None of these will show up under 'Pending Issues' because they're internal review processes. Unfortunately, the only way to resolve is getting through to a claims specialist who can see these internal flags and clear them if appropriate. The WorkSource offices can't directly help with claim issues, but some offices have direct ESD claim specialists onsite certain days of the week. Call your local WorkSource and ask if they have any ESD staff onsite and when. That might be your best bet for in-person help.

Any luck getting through?? I'm still stuck in the same boat and getting desperate!

Final thought - if you do quit and file for benefits, respond to any requests for information from Washington ESD immediately. Don't let deadlines pass or your claim could be denied just for non-response, even if you had good cause to quit.

Also keep in mind that Washington ESD will likely contact your employer during the adjudication process to get their side of the story. Make sure all your documentation is organized and easily accessible because you may need to provide additional evidence to counter whatever your employer claims. I've seen cases where employers try to downplay harassment or claim the employee never complained, so having timestamped emails and written records is crucial.