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

Generally speaking, you cannot collect both short term disability and unemployment benefits simultaneously in Washington. The key issue is the 'able and available' requirement for UI benefits. If you're receiving disability payments, Washington ESD considers you unable to work, which disqualifies you from unemployment benefits.

I was in a similar situation last year with a back injury. Washington ESD will ask specifically about any disability payments when you file your weekly claims. If you're getting STD, you have to report it and they'll usually suspend your UI benefits.

Before you make any decisions, I'd suggest using Claimyr to actually talk to a Washington ESD agent about your specific situation. I found their service at claimyr.com when I had questions about my claim status. They help you get through to ESD without waiting on hold forever. There's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Much better than guessing about these complex rules.

wait i thought you could get partial unemployment if youre working part time? wouldnt partial disability be similar?

This whole system is so confusing! I had to deal with something similar when I hurt my wrist at work. Workers comp, disability, unemployment - they all have different rules and half the time nobody can give you a straight answer about what you can and can't do.

From what I understand, there might be some exceptions if your disability is partial and you're still able to do some types of work. But you'd definitely need to be upfront with Washington ESD about your restrictions and get their approval before filing.

Check your short term disability policy carefully too. Some policies have provisions about other benefits that might affect your payments. My employer's STD policy said they would reduce payments if you got unemployment, so it was a moot point anyway.

I used Claimyr when I had issues with my adjudication taking forever. Really helped me get through to an actual person at Washington ESD who could explain what was happening with my claim. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.

The timing matters too. If you stop receiving disability benefits and then become able and available for work, you could potentially file for unemployment at that point. It's not necessarily an either/or situation permanently.

Whatever you decide, make sure you're honest on all your applications and weekly claims. Washington ESD cross-references with other agencies and insurance companies. Getting caught trying to double-dip can result in fraud charges and having to pay everything back with penalties.

I think you're overthinking this. Just pick whichever one pays more and go with that. If it doesn't work out you can always try the other one later.

Has anyone here actually tried to get both at the same time? I'm curious what Washington ESD's response would be if you were completely upfront about the disability payments when filing your UI claim.

Your best bet is really to call Washington ESD directly and explain your exact situation. I know it's a pain to get through, but that's the only way to get a definitive answer. Or use that Claimyr service someone mentioned - anything to avoid the hold times.

One more thing to consider - if you're getting STD now, will you still have a job to return to when you're cleared for work? If not, you might want to preserve your UI eligibility for when you actually need it.

This thread has been really helpful. I'm dealing with a similar situation with workers comp and unemployment. It seems like the general rule is you can't get both, but talking to Washington ESD directly is the only way to know for sure.

I went through something similar when I had surgery last year. The key thing Washington ESD told me is that you have to be "able and available" for work to get unemployment benefits. If you're receiving disability payments, they assume you're not able to work, which automatically disqualifies you from UI benefits. However, since you mentioned you have partial restrictions rather than being completely unable to work, your situation might be different. I'd strongly recommend calling Washington ESD directly to discuss your specific case - they can tell you definitively whether your partial restrictions would still allow you to meet the "able and available" requirement. Don't risk filing for both without getting official confirmation first, because if they find out later you could face serious penalties.