


Ask the community...
Good luck with your application! The fact that you're asking these questions and doing your research shows you're approaching this the right way. Most people who qualify have pretty straightforward cases, it's just that the system can seem intimidating at first.
One last thing to remember - even after you're approved, you'll need to file weekly claims and continue meeting all the ongoing eligibility requirements. But you've got this! The initial application is usually the hardest part.
File now and don't stress too much about the attendance thing. Washington ESD sees these cases all the time and they understand that sometimes people have legitimate reasons for missing work. Your car breaking down isn't misconduct.
Just wanted to add that I also used Claimyr when I had issues getting through to Washington ESD about my claim status. Really saved me time and frustration when I needed to speak with an agent about my adjudication. The service at claimyr.com was worth it for me.
Make sure you file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. There's no waiting period in Washington for the first week, and you can't get benefits for weeks before you file your initial claim.
One last thing - make sure all your employers from the base period are listed correctly on your claim. If Washington ESD is missing wages from an employer, it will lower your benefit calculation.
One thing people don't realize is that if you quit your job, you probably won't qualify for unemployment benefits at all. Washington ESD requires you to be laid off or fired for reasons not related to misconduct. So the benefit amount doesn't matter if you can't get approved in the first place.
The whole system is so complicated. I've been trying to figure out my benefits for weeks and every website gives different information. Wish Washington ESD would just have a simple calculator that actually works.
Felix Grigori
One more tip: if you do get through to ESD, ask them to explain exactly how your overpayment was calculated. Sometimes there are errors in their calculations and you might not actually owe as much as they claim.
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Oliver Cheng
•That's a really good point. I just assumed their calculation was correct but I should probably verify it.
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Max Reyes
•This happened to my neighbor - they had calculated his overpayment wrong and he ended up owing $800 less than the original notice.
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Lilly Curtis
thanks everyone for all the suggestions. this has been super stressful but at least now I have some actual steps to try instead of just randomly clicking around the ESD website
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Savannah Glover
•Definitely try calling through Claimyr if the website stuff doesn't work out. Having an actual person explain everything makes such a difference.
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Oliver Cheng
•Agreed, I'm planning to call tomorrow morning. This thread gave me hope that I can actually get this figured out.
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