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Quick update - I was able to get through this morning using one of the third-party calling services. My claim that was stuck for 5 weeks is now processing. Sometimes you just need to talk to a human to get things moving.
For what it's worth, I've had better luck with the Spanish language line even though I speak English. Sometimes there's less volume on that line and the agents are bilingual anyway.
Just want to emphasize what others have said - DO NOT try to claim unemployment while on maternity leave thinking you won't get caught. Washington ESD has ways of verifying employment status and availability, and fraud charges are serious.
Final thought for OP - since you're planning ahead, make sure you understand both the PFML application timeline and requirements. It's great that you're thinking about this now instead of scrambling after the baby arrives!
UPDATE: For anyone else reading this, I used Claimyr last week to get through to Washington ESD about a different issue. Worked great and saved me hours of calling.
Bottom line - file your unemployment claim as soon as you're laid off, regardless of severance. The worst they can do is say no, and based on everyone's experiences here, they probably won't.
One more thing - if you're doing your job search activities, you can use the card to pay for things like printing resumes or travel to interviews. Just keep your receipts in case ESD asks for documentation.
Darcy Moore
One more thing - if you quit your job, you might not be eligible for benefits unless you had good cause. They're pretty strict about that.
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Dana Doyle
•I quit because of a hostile work environment and they initially denied my claim. Had to go through the whole appeal process to get it approved.
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Darcy Moore
•Appeals can take months to resolve too. Better to have all your documentation ready upfront if you think there might be an issue.
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Liam Duke
The bottom line is that most people get somewhere between $300-600 per week depending on what they were earning before. It's not going to replace your full salary but it helps.
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Noland Curtis
•Thanks everyone for all the info! This has been really helpful in understanding how it all works.
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Manny Lark
•Yeah this thread was super informative. Way better than trying to decode the Washington ESD website!
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