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My advice: don't quit unless you absolutely have to. Start job hunting while you're still employed. If you find something else, you can leave without worrying about unemployment benefits. If you can't find anything and the job is truly unbearable, at least you'll have documentation and a paper trail showing you tried other options first.
One more thing to consider - even if you qualify for unemployment, the benefit amount might be less than you expect. It's typically about 50% of your average weekly wage, up to a maximum. Make sure you can survive on that amount before you make any big decisions.
Good point. I should probably calculate what the actual benefit would be and see if I can live on that for a few months while job hunting.
The bottom line is if you worked steadily for 8 months and got laid off through no fault of your own, you should qualify for unemployment. The Washington ESD system will figure out the details automatically when you file.
This thread has been super helpful! I was in a similar situation and wasn't sure about the requirements. Sounds like most people who worked consistently for several months will qualify.
One more thing - if you do get denied initially, you can always appeal. Sometimes the initial determination doesn't capture all the nuances of your situation.
And if you need help reaching Washington ESD during the appeal process, that Claimyr service mentioned earlier might be useful for getting through to an actual person.
Just remember that even if you can't get unemployment during the strike, you should be able to resume benefits once you return to work if you become unemployed for other reasons later.
Glad this thread helped clear things up for you. The Washington ESD system has a lot of moving parts but the benefit calculation is actually pretty straightforward once you understand it's based on your historical wages, not economic conditions at the time of filing.
Aisha Ali
This thread has been super helpful! I'm bookmarking it for reference. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with Washington ESD unemployment.
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Natasha Orlova
•Agreed! I feel much more prepared now. Really appreciate all the detailed advice from everyone.
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Ethan Moore
Just wanted to add one more resource - if you do run into issues getting through to Washington ESD by phone, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier really does work. I was skeptical at first but it saved me hours of trying to call. Worth checking out claimyr.com if you get stuck.
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Natasha Orlova
•Thanks! I'll definitely keep that bookmarked in case I need help reaching them.
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