Can you collect unemployment while going to school - Washington ESD rules?

The general rule with Washington ESD is that you have to be able and available for work to collect unemployment. Going to school can sometimes interfere with that requirement, especially if your classes are during typical work hours. However, there are some exceptions for approved training programs.

I went through this exact situation last year! You can absolutely collect unemployment while going to school in Washington, but there are specific rules you need to follow. The key is that you still have to be available for work and actively seeking employment. If your school schedule conflicts with your ability to accept a job, that's where you run into problems.

Be very careful about this - I know someone who got in trouble for not reporting their school enrollment properly. You have to report any training or education on your weekly claims, and if Washington ESD thinks your school schedule interferes with your work availability, they can deny your benefits or even create an overpayment.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask about this directly, I found a service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach a human agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. I used it when I had questions about my training program approval and it saved me hours of trying to call.

Here's what I know about the specific rules: If you're in an approved training program, you may be able to receive Training Benefits which allows you to continue receiving unemployment while in school. For non-approved programs, you need to demonstrate that you're still able to work full-time and available for work immediately.

I'm in a similar boat - want to go back to school for medical assistant training but worried about my UI benefits. Has anyone specifically done healthcare training while on unemployment?

DON'T risk it without getting proper approval first. I made the mistake of assuming I could just report my school attendance on my weekly claims and it caused a huge mess with my benefits getting suspended.

The best approach is to contact WorkSource Washington first to discuss your training plans. They can help you determine if your program qualifies for Training Benefits or if you need to structure your schedule differently to maintain regular UI eligibility.

Just want to add that even if you get approval for training, you still have to file your weekly claims and report your school attendance honestly. Don't try to hide it or you'll get in big trouble later.

I used Claimyr last month when I had questions about my training program and it was super helpful. Got connected to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. Really worth it when you need answers about complex rules like this.

For nursing programs specifically, many are structured to accommodate working students, so you might be able to find evening or weekend programs that won't interfere with your work availability requirements.

Whatever you do, document everything! Keep records of your school schedule, your availability for work, and any communications with Washington ESD or WorkSource about your training approval.

The key thing to remember is that Washington ESD's primary concern is whether you're genuinely available for work. If you can honestly say you're available for full-time work and your school schedule doesn't prevent you from accepting a job, you should be okay.

I actually went through the approval process for nursing school while on unemployment benefits last year. The most important thing is to contact WorkSource Washington BEFORE you enroll - they have a specific application process for Training Benefits that can take several weeks to process. For nursing programs, they typically approve them because healthcare is considered high-demand, but you need to show that your program will lead to employment in a field with good job prospects. I had to provide documentation about the program, graduation requirements, and potential salary ranges. Once approved, you don't have to do the regular job search requirements, but you still file weekly claims and report your training status. The whole process was actually smoother than I expected once I got the right approvals in place.