Can a fired employee collect unemployment benefits through Washington ESD?

Yes, you can definitely apply for unemployment even if you were fired! Being terminated doesn't automatically disqualify you from Washington ESD benefits. The key question is whether you were fired for 'misconduct' or just general performance/business reasons. Since you mention no formal warnings, that works in your favor.

I went through something similar last year. Washington ESD will investigate the circumstances of your termination during the adjudication process. They'll contact both you and your employer to get both sides of the story. The whole process took about 3 weeks for me, but I did get approved because my employer couldn't prove misconduct.

I had such a hard time reaching anyone at Washington ESD when I was dealing with my termination case. Kept calling the main number but either got busy signals or got hung up on after waiting an hour. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real person at ESD. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Game changer for getting answers about whether my firing qualified for benefits.

The Washington ESD looks at whether your termination was for 'misconduct connected with work.' Things like theft, violence, or deliberate rule violations count as misconduct. Performance issues, personality conflicts, or business decisions usually don't. From what you described, this sounds like it would qualify for benefits.

ugh this system is so confusing!! why cant they just tell you straight up if youll get benefits or not instead of making everyone wait weeks for adjudication

File your initial claim online at secure.esd.wa.gov as soon as possible. Even if your claim goes into adjudication, you need to keep filing your weekly claims while they investigate. If you're eventually approved, you'll get backpay for those weeks.

I was fired from my job at a restaurant for being 'too slow' during rush periods. Never got any formal training and they fired me after just 2 weeks. Washington ESD approved my claim because they said it wasn't misconduct, just a bad fit. Don't give up hope!

Just make sure you're honest about everything when you file your claim. Washington ESD will find out the truth anyway when they contact your employer, so don't try to hide anything or exaggerate. Let the facts speak for themselves.

The safety complaint angle is actually really important here. Washington has strong whistleblower protections, and if you can show you were fired for reporting safety issues, that's not just grounds for UI benefits - you might have other legal claims too.

Been through this exact situation. Got fired for 'attitude problems' which was really just me questioning unsafe practices. Washington ESD approved my benefits after adjudication. The investigator told me that safety complaints are protected activity and can't be grounds for termination.

whatever you do dont let them intimidate you into not filing!! employers sometimes try to scare fired employees by saying they wont get benefits but thats not how it works in washington

Make sure you have documentation of the safety complaints you made. Emails, written reports, witness statements if possible. The more evidence you have that you were fired for protected activity, the stronger your case will be.

I'm going through something similar right now. Been waiting 3 weeks for my adjudication decision after being fired for 'insubordination' - really just refusing to work in unsafe conditions. It's nerve-wracking but from what I've read, Washington is pretty good about protecting workers who speak up about safety.

Pro tip: when you file your weekly claims during adjudication, there's a section for comments. Use that space to briefly document your job search activities even though you don't have to do the full job search requirement yet. Shows you're taking it seriously.

The fact that you had no formal warnings or write-ups is huge in your favor. Washington ESD looks for progressive discipline before termination. If they just fired you out of the blue for 'performance,' that suggests it wasn't really about your work.

I was skeptical about services like Claimyr at first, but honestly after spending literally days trying to get through to Washington ESD on my own, it was totally worth it. Got connected to an agent in under an hour and was able to get my adjudication questions answered directly. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person.

Bottom line: file your claim immediately, be completely honest about everything, and don't let anyone tell you that being fired automatically disqualifies you. Washington's unemployment system is designed to help workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own, and it sounds like that's exactly your situation.