Can you collect Washington ESD unemployment and short term disability at the same time?

I think you might have a problem here. When you're on disability, you're supposed to be unable to work, but unemployment requires you to be able and available for work. These two things seem to contradict each other.

You need to report this situation to Washington ESD immediately. Generally, you cannot collect both simultaneously because unemployment requires you to be able and available for work, while disability benefits are for when you cannot work. However, there might be exceptions if you can perform limited work duties. Contact Washington ESD to discuss your specific situation before accepting the disability payments.

I had a similar situation last year. The key question Washington ESD will ask is whether you're able to perform ANY type of work, not just your previous job. If your shoulder injury prevents you from doing physical labor but you could do office work or remote work, you might still qualify for unemployment. But if you're completely unable to work, then disability would be the appropriate benefit.

I actually used Claimyr recently to get through to Washington ESD about a different issue. They have a service that helps you connect with agents when the phone lines are busy. Might be worth checking out at claimyr.com since this is something you need to resolve quickly. They even have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ

This is so frustrating! Why doesn't Washington ESD have clearer guidance about these situations? I'm dealing with my own mess trying to get someone on the phone about my pending adjudication.

Whatever you do, don't just start collecting both without talking to Washington ESD first. That could create an overpayment situation that's really hard to deal with later.

I work in HR and see this situation occasionally. Usually what happens is the person has to choose which benefit makes more financial sense and which one they actually qualify for based on their medical restrictions. Short-term disability often pays more but unemployment lasts longer.

My cousin had this exact situation last year. She ended up having to pay back some unemployment money because she didn't report her disability status right away. Don't make that mistake!

Just wanted to follow up on the Claimyr suggestion - I used them twice now and both times got connected to Washington ESD agents within a few minutes instead of calling for hours. Really helped resolve my issues quickly.

One more thing to consider - if you're receiving workers' compensation for the shoulder injury, that adds another layer of complexity. Workers' comp, disability, and unemployment all have different rules about concurrent benefits.

The bottom line is you need to be honest with Washington ESD about your situation. They deal with these cases regularly and can guide you through the proper process.

For anyone else reading this thread, the key principle is that unemployment benefits require you to be able and available for work. If your medical condition prevents you from being available for work, you may not be eligible for unemployment during that period. But if you can perform some types of work with restrictions, you might still qualify. Always check with Washington ESD first.

Hope it works out for you. These situations are never simple but Washington ESD is usually pretty reasonable if you're upfront about everything.

Just remember to document everything - dates you called, who you spoke with, what they told you. That documentation could be important later.

One last thought - make sure you understand the timeline for both benefits. Some disability benefits have waiting periods, and unemployment has its own timing requirements for reporting changes.

Since you mentioned needing to call Washington ESD urgently, I'll mention Claimyr one more time - it really does work for getting through when you need to speak with someone quickly about these complex situations.

Thanks for posting this question - I learned a lot from reading everyone's responses. These dual benefit situations are more common than people think.

Still think Washington ESD should have better resources explaining these scenarios on their website instead of making everyone call in.

Update: I'm planning to call Washington ESD Monday morning to discuss this before accepting any disability payments. Thanks everyone for the guidance - this thread has been incredibly helpful in understanding my options and the potential issues.

Just to summarize for anyone else in a similar situation: 1) Report any changes to Washington ESD immediately, 2) Understand that unemployment requires being able and available for work, 3) Disability benefits are for when you cannot work, 4) These may be mutually exclusive depending on your specific medical restrictions, 5) Get official guidance before accepting any concurrent benefits.