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Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Going to start my application tonight. Fingers crossed it goes smoother than my first claim experience.
And remember if you need to actually talk to someone at Washington ESD about your claim, Claimyr can save you hours of waiting on hold.
I'm in almost the exact same situation - my benefits ended in October and I've been doing freelance work since then but it's nowhere near enough to pay rent. Reading through all these responses is really helpful! I had no idea I could apply for a new claim so soon after the old one ended. Definitely going to start my application this weekend. The part about reporting part-time/gig work weekly is good to know too - I was wondering how that would work with inconsistent freelance income.
UPDATE 2: I found more evidence! I discovered that my company filed a WARN notice with the state about the layoffs, which completely contradicts their claim that I was fired for misconduct. This should be pretty solid proof that they're lying to Washington ESD.
Wow, that's a smoking gun. WARN notices are filed specifically for layoffs due to business reasons, not individual terminations for misconduct. You should definitely include this in your appeal.
Wow, finding that WARN notice is huge! That's basically an official government document proving your company laid people off for business reasons, not misconduct. I'd recommend making multiple copies of it before your appeal hearing and maybe even sending a copy to Washington ESD ahead of time. At this point, your employer is going to have a really hard time explaining how someone can be simultaneously laid off (per the WARN notice) and fired for misconduct (per their unemployment claim). You've got a rock-solid case now.
To summarize for anyone reading this later: Washington state provides up to 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits. Extensions are rare and depend on federal programs or high state unemployment rates. Your benefit year lasts 52 weeks, and unused weeks can be claimed if you become unemployed again within that period. Always verify your specific situation with Washington ESD directly.
Great comprehensive discussion here! Just wanted to add that if you're approaching your 26-week limit, it's worth double-checking your benefit year end date in your ESD account. Sometimes people think they're running out of weeks when they actually have time left in their benefit year. Also, make sure you're keeping detailed records of all your job search activities - Washington ESD can audit these at any time and you don't want to lose benefits due to incomplete documentation.
This is such helpful advice! I've been worried about my documentation - I've been keeping a basic log but wasn't sure if it was detailed enough. What specific information should we be recording for each job search contact? Just company name and date, or do they want more details like contact person, method of contact, etc? I want to make sure I'm covered if they do audit my records.
You should definitely keep detailed records! For each job search contact, Washington ESD typically wants: company name, date of contact, method (online application, phone call, in-person, etc.), position applied for, and contact person if available. I also include the job posting source (like Indeed, company website, etc.) and any follow-up actions. It might seem like overkill, but if they audit you, having too much documentation is way better than not having enough. I learned this the hard way when a friend got flagged for insufficient job search records and had to provide weeks of back-documentation.
One last thing - make sure your address and contact information is up to date with Washington ESD. They'll need to be able to reach you during the claims process.
I'm also a DACA recipient and went through this process last year when I was laid off from my marketing job. Can confirm that you're absolutely eligible! The process was straightforward - I just needed my EAD card and Social Security number like everyone else. Washington ESD didn't give me any issues about my DACA status at all. The only thing I'd add is to make sure you're familiar with the WorkSourceWA website since you'll need to register there for job search activities. Best of luck with your claim!
Thanks for sharing your experience! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who's actually gone through this process successfully. I was hesitant to file because of all the uncertainty, but hearing that Washington ESD didn't give you any issues about DACA status makes me feel much more confident. I'll make sure to register on WorkSourceWA as well - I hadn't thought about that step yet. Really appreciate you taking the time to share the details!
@Freya Nielsen This is so helpful to hear from someone who s'actually been through the process! I m'the original poster and was getting really nervous about filing, but your experience gives me a lot of confidence. Quick question - how long did it take for your benefits to start coming through after you filed? And did you run into any issues during the weekly certification process? I m'planning to file tonight but want to set realistic expectations for the timeline.
Declan Ramirez
I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier when I had questions about my disqualification. Really helped cut through the confusion and get straight answers about what the disqualification meant and what I needed to do. Sometimes talking to an actual person makes all the difference.
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Yara Campbell
•Starting to think that might be my best bet for getting clear information about my specific situation.
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Declan Ramirez
•It was definitely worth it for me. The peace of mind alone was valuable when I was stressed about the whole situation.
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Emma Morales
Bottom line - disqualification from unemployment means Washington ESD thinks you don't currently meet the requirements for benefits. Could be temporary based on your situation or more serious depending on the reason. Appeals exist for exactly this type of situation where the initial determination might be wrong.
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Ravi Choudhury
•The communication issue is so real. I'm dealing with this disqualification situation right now and the original letter was basically useless - just said "misconduct" with no details about what that even means or what I can do about it. Had to come here to get actual helpful information from people who've been through it. Really wish Washington ESD would just explain things clearly from the start instead of making people hunt for answers when they're already stressed about losing income.
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Samantha Johnson
•This whole thread has been incredibly eye-opening about how broken the communication is with Washington ESD. I'm new to dealing with unemployment issues, but it's shocking that people have to come to forums like this just to understand basic things like what disqualification means or whether they can appeal. The fact that so many people are sharing similar stories of vague letters and confusing processes really shows this is a systemic problem, not just isolated cases. Makes me appreciate communities like this where people actually help each other navigate these bureaucratic nightmares.
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