Can I qualify for ESD unemployment after long-term disability then brief employment?

When I applied after medical leave, my "base year" was the 4 quarters before I went on disability, not the most recent 4 quarters. I think ESD has special rules for this situation. You should definitely continue with your application! For the question about being unable to work for 13+ weeks, answer honestly (yes) and provide the dates they ask for. The system might not have your disability records but the adjudicators will review everything.

This is called an "alternative base year" situation. Per ESD rules, if you were temporarily disabled for at least 13 weeks and received LTD benefits, they can use the last 4 completed quarters prior to your disability as your base year instead of the standard most recent 4 quarters. You should answer "yes" to the question about being unable to work for 13+ consecutive weeks, and provide your disability start/end dates. The system might not show your records automatically, but this triggers an adjudicator to review your claim with the alternative base year rules. Make sure to have documentation of your LTD claim with Prudential ready - ESD will likely request this to verify your disability period. For the 680 hours requirement, they'll look at your work hours before you went on disability.

i just went thru this exact thing!!! answer YES to the question about 13+ weeks disability and put your dates in. they are going to send you to adjudication anyway (mine took 4 weeks) and youll have to submit proof of your LTD claim. they ended up approving me but they used my work hours from before i went on LTD not the 2 months i worked after.

To clarify some important technical details: You're dealing with what ESD calls an "Alternative Base Year" due to temporary disability. This is covered under RCW 50.04.020(2). For the application: 1. Yes, answer honestly that you were unable to work for 13+ consecutive weeks 2. Provide accurate start/end dates for your disability period 3. Be prepared to submit documentation from Prudential confirming your LTD claim ESD will review your work history from the four completed calendar quarters prior to your disability to determine if you meet the 680 hours requirement. Note that this special provision only applies if you were receiving disability benefits through an insurance policy (Prudential qualifies) and were previously attached to the labor market before your disability. Keep filing your weekly claims while this is being determined, even if it goes to adjudication. This ensures you don't miss out on benefits for those weeks if you're determined eligible.

I had almost the exact same situation last year and spent DAYS trying to get through to ESD on the phone without any luck. The online system kept rejecting my application because of the gap in employment. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an ESD agent - they have a service that helps you reach an actual person at ESD. You can see how it works in their demo video: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent I spoke with manually processed my application with the alternative base year and I was approved within a week. Saved me so much frustration trying to do it through the online system alone.

THE ESD SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!! I had similar situation and they DENIED me saying I didnt have enough hours even though I worked 5 YEARS before disability. Had to appeal THREE TIMES before they finally approved me. Make sure you keep COPIES OF EVERYTHING and write down names of anyone you talk to!!

wait so your saying the 2 months doesnt even matter for the hours? thats weird. what if they were at a different job before the disability? does it still count?

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to proceed with my application and answer "yes" to the disability question, providing my exact LTD dates. I'll gather all my documentation from Prudential now so I'm ready when ESD requests it. It's a relief to know that they can look at my work history from before my disability period, as I definitely had more than 680 hours in those quarters. I'll update this thread once I hear back from ESD about my claim status.

I went through something very similar! I was on disability for about 8 months, then worked for just 3 months before getting laid off. The key thing to remember is that ESD will look at your "alternative base year" - the 4 quarters BEFORE you went on disability, not the most recent ones. When you answer "yes" to the 13+ weeks disability question, don't worry if the system says they don't have records - that's normal. Just provide your exact dates and continue with the application. They'll manually review your case. Make sure you have your Prudential documentation ready (approval letter, benefit statements, etc.) because they'll definitely ask for it during adjudication. The process took about 5-6 weeks for me, but I was approved because I had plenty of work hours in the years before my disability. The 2 months you worked after returning won't hurt your case at all - if anything, it shows you were actively trying to return to the workforce. Don't give up on the application!