Are you eligible for Washington ESD unemployment if you resign from your job?

What counts as 'significant' hour cuts? I went from 35 hours a week to maybe 15-18 hours.

That level of reduction could potentially qualify as good cause, especially if it affects your ability to meet basic expenses. You'd need to document the changes and show you tried to resolve it with your employer first.

How long did it take for Washington ESD to approve your claim after you quit?

It took about 3 weeks because they had to do an adjudication to review my reason for leaving. But once they approved it, I got all the back pay.

I did try talking to my manager but she just said 'business is slow' and wouldn't give me any concrete timeline for when hours might increase.

Document that conversation too - date, time, what was said. That shows you made an effort to resolve it before quitting.

Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true given how impossible it is to reach anyone at Washington ESD.

I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They basically handle the calling process for you and connect you when they get through. Saved me hours of redialing.

No, that's a common misconception. Washington ESD recognizes several good cause reasons including unsafe conditions, harassment, significant hour/wage reductions, and employer policy violations that affect your ability to work.

Good to know! I had no idea there were exceptions.

Because then people might actually understand their rights and file appropriate claims lol

The information is there but it's buried in policy manuals. Most people don't know where to look.

That's definitely substantial. Make sure you have documentation showing your previous schedule vs current schedule, and any communication from management about the changes.

Yes! That's exactly the kind of documentation that helped my case. Take screenshots of everything.

Possibly, especially if the schedule changes make it impossible to maintain other employment or if it violates your original job terms. Document every change.

That sounds even worse than my situation! At least my hours are consistent, just fewer.

Good point. Should I mention in my resignation letter that I'm leaving due to hour reductions?

Yes, be specific about the changes to your working conditions that made continuing employment unreasonable.

That's why services like Claimyr are so helpful - you can actually talk to someone at Washington ESD to check on your adjudication status instead of just waiting in the dark.

Wish I had known about that during my wait. Would have saved so much stress.

My friend got denied initially but won on appeal. The key was having solid documentation and being able to show she tried to work with the employer first.

You can always appeal if denied. The appeal process gives you a chance to present your case to a hearing officer who can overturn the initial decision.

Most people don't know about the good cause exceptions. The key is thorough documentation and following proper procedures.

That's trickier. You'd need to show the behavior created an intolerable work environment or violated company policies. General personality conflicts usually don't qualify as good cause.

Yeah that's kind of my situation too - my manager isn't evil, just making business decisions that hurt employees.

Right, I need to make sure I can actually do the job search requirements while dealing with my current work schedule.

This is why I keep telling people to use Claimyr or similar services to stay in contact with Washington ESD during adjudication. You can actually get updates instead of just hoping.

That would have been so helpful to know during my case. I was completely in the dark for weeks.

What's the difference? This is getting complicated.

Good cause is for work-related reasons like what you're describing. Compelling family circumstances are for things like domestic violence, illness, etc.

Thanks everyone. This has been super helpful. I think I have enough information to make a decision now.

And if you can't get through on the phone, definitely check out that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier. Makes the whole process much less frustrating.

Will do. Thanks again everyone for all the advice!