Can a caregiver collect Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

Yes, caregivers can potentially qualify for Washington ESD unemployment benefits under certain circumstances. When you quit to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition, it can be considered 'good cause' for leaving work voluntarily. You'll need to provide medical documentation proving your mom's condition and that you were the only person available to provide care.

I'm sorry for your loss. Whether you can collect unemployment depends on how you were paid and if taxes were withheld. If you were an independent contractor receiving 1099s, you might not qualify for regular UI. But if you were considered an employee with W-2 forms and had Social Security/Medicare taxes taken out, you could potentially qualify.

I went through this exact situation with my dad two years ago. Washington ESD approved my claim but it took forever to get through adjudication. They really scrutinize caregiver cases to make sure you actually had good cause to quit.

You should definitely apply anyway. Even if you were technically a contractor, there are situations where Washington ESD might reclassify the relationship as employment if you were essentially functioning as an employee. The worst they can say is no.

I went through something similar when I was caring for my disabled brother. Getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about eligibility was nearly impossible with their phone lines always busy. I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get connected to an agent who could review my specific situation. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made the whole process much easier than spending hours on hold.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to file your claim or check on adjudication, I found this service called Claimyr that actually gets you connected to agents. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.

Wait, I thought caregivers automatically qualified for unemployment if they were family members? I've been putting off applying because I assumed I wouldn't be eligible.

The key thing Washington ESD looks at is whether you had 'covered employment' - meaning your employer paid unemployment taxes on your wages. If the insurance company or care agency was treating you as an employee and withholding taxes, you probably qualify. If you were just receiving direct payments as a contractor, it's much less likely.

Wait, I thought you couldn't get unemployment if you quit your job voluntarily? This is confusing. How is caregiving different from just quitting for any other reason?

I was in almost the exact same situation last year. Cared for my dad through an agency arrangement. When I applied for unemployment, Washington ESD initially denied me because they said I was self-employed. But I appealed and provided documentation showing the agency controlled my work schedule and supervised my care duties. Won the appeal and got benefits.

This is confusing. I thought anyone could get unemployment now after COVID? My neighbor said everyone qualifies.

Have you tried calling Washington ESD directly to ask about your situation? They should be able to tell you right away if you have wages on file that would make you eligible.

You should also know that while you're caring for your mom, you still need to be able and available for work to collect unemployment. This means if a suitable job opportunity comes up, you'd need to be able to accept it. If your caregiving duties prevent you from working, that could be an issue.

The whole system is ridiculous. My sister went through this when our grandmother was dying and they made her jump through so many hoops just to prove she was a real caregiver. Like taking care of family isn't hard enough already!

Don't let the horror stories scare you - many caregiver claims are approved without issues if you have proper documentation. The key is being thorough with your initial application and having all your medical documentation ready.

I'm in a similar situation with my husband who has dementia. Filed my claim three weeks ago and it's still in adjudication. Anyone know if there's a way to speed up the process?

Even if you don't qualify for regular UI, you might be eligible for other assistance programs. WorkSource has job training programs for caregivers transitioning to other work. Worth checking out while you're figuring out the unemployment question.

Update: I started gathering all the medical records and documentation. My mom's doctor said she'd provide a detailed statement about her condition and care needs. Feeling a bit more hopeful about this process.

The unemployment system is so complicated, especially for non-traditional work situations. I spent months trying to figure out if my gig work qualified. Ultimately had to just apply and see what happened.

I'm curious about the timeline here. You said you were caregiving for 8 months - do you have other recent work history besides that? Washington ESD looks at your last 18 months of earnings to determine benefit amounts.

Whatever you do, make sure to apply soon. There are deadlines for when you can file after your last day of work, and you don't want to miss out if you are eligible.

The whole system seems designed to make it as difficult as possible to get help when you need it. Sorry you're going through this on top of everything else.

I used to work for a home care agency and can tell you that how they classify workers varies a lot. Some treat everyone as contractors to avoid paying benefits, while others properly classify as employees. Check your paystubs or tax documents to see which category you were in.

Don't forget that even if your initial application gets denied, you can appeal. The appeals process gives you a chance to present your case more thoroughly than the initial online application allows.

Has anyone had luck with the online chat feature on the Washington ESD website? Sometimes it's easier than trying to call.

Make sure you keep detailed records of everything - all your paystubs, tax forms, contracts, work schedules, anything that shows the nature of your employment relationship. You'll need it whether for the initial application or a potential appeal.

The process can take weeks even after you apply, so don't expect immediate answers. Washington ESD is still pretty backed up from all the changes over the past few years.

Just want to add that you also need to consider whether your caregiving situation is temporary or permanent. If it's permanent, unemployment might not be the right solution since you need to be seeking work.

Can you still do job search activities while caregiving? I imagine it's hard to attend interviews when you're taking care of someone full-time.

Does anyone know if there are other benefits caregivers can get besides unemployment? Like some kind of caregiver assistance program?

Be prepared for them to ask a lot of personal questions about your family situation. They wanted to know why my siblings couldn't help with care, our financial situations, everything. It felt pretty invasive.

Quick question - does it matter how long you worked before quitting to care for family? I only worked at my last job for 6 months before my dad got sick.

One more question - should I file my claim now or wait until I have all the documentation gathered? I'm worried about timing.

The whole caregiving situation is so stressful already without having to worry about finances. I hope Washington ESD makes this process easier for people in these situations.

Has anyone had success with appeals if their initial caregiver claim was denied? What was the appeal process like?

Thanks everyone for all the advice and support. I'm going to file my claim this week and see what happens. Will update if I learn anything useful during the process.

This thread has been really helpful. I'm in a similar situation with my elderly father and wasn't sure if I qualified for unemployment after quitting my job to care for him.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if you qualify, the benefit amount might not cover all your expenses. Make sure you're also looking into other assistance programs if needed.

I'm so sorry you're going through this difficult situation with your mom. As others have mentioned, Washington does recognize caregiving for immediate family members as "good cause" for voluntary separation in certain circumstances. The key factors they'll look at are: 1) medical documentation proving your mom's serious health condition, 2) proof that you were the primary/only available caregiver, and 3) that you had covered employment (meaning your previous retail job paid into the unemployment system). Since you worked retail for several months before becoming a caregiver, that should help establish your base period wages. I'd definitely recommend filing your claim soon - you can always provide additional documentation during the review process, but you can't get benefits for weeks before you file. The process can take several weeks for adjudication, especially for caregiver cases, but don't let that discourage you from applying.