Can you receive Washington ESD unemployment if you get fired from your job?

Yes, you can potentially receive unemployment benefits even if you were fired, but it depends on the reason. Washington ESD will determine if you were terminated for 'misconduct' or not. Simple performance issues usually don't disqualify you, but willful misconduct does. Since you mentioned unsafe conditions, that could actually work in your favor if you can document your complaints.

I was fired from my retail job for being late too many times and still got unemployment. It took about 3 weeks to get approved though because they had to investigate. Just be honest when you file your weekly claims about why you were terminated.

Getting through to Washington ESD to check on your claim status can be really frustrating. I spent weeks trying to call and either got busy signals or was disconnected after waiting on hold. Recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you through to a real person at ESD. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much time and stress.

The key thing is whether Washington ESD considers it 'misconduct connected with work.' Being fired for performance issues usually isn't misconduct unless you were deliberately not doing your job or violating company policies. Safety complaints often have whistleblower protections too.

ugh the whole system is so unfair. employers can fire you for basically anything and then try to block your unemployment too. i got fired from my last job for 'attitude problems' which was really just me standing up for myself when customers were being abusive.

File your claim as soon as possible regardless. Even if your employer contests it, you might still be approved after adjudication. The worst that can happen is you get denied and then you can appeal if you disagree with their decision.

Make sure you document everything about your termination. Write down dates, who was involved, what was said, etc. If it goes to adjudication or appeal, having detailed records really helps your case.

I'm in a similar situation - got fired three days ago and not sure if I qualify. This thread is really helpful. Going to file my claim tomorrow morning.

Something people don't always realize is that your employer has to prove misconduct if they want to contest your claim. The burden of proof is on them, not you. Washington ESD doesn't just take their word for it.

If your claim does go into adjudication, that's when having a way to actually reach ESD becomes crucial. I can't stress enough how much easier Claimyr made that process for me. Before finding them, I was spending hours every day trying to get through with no luck.

been there with the performance write ups thing. sometimes employers do that to build a case for termination so they can contest unemployment. but if the write ups were sudden and unusual compared to your past performance, that actually might help show it wasn't legitimate misconduct.

Washington ESD has specific guidelines about what constitutes misconduct. It has to be connected to work, deliberate, and in violation of a standard that you knew about. Simple performance issues or good faith errors don't meet that standard.

Just want to say this thread gives me hope. I was fired last month and have been too scared to apply thinking I wouldn't qualify. Going to file this week after reading everyone's experiences.

i got fired for missing too much work when my kid was sick (no FMLA at small company) and still got unemployment. took about a month to get through adjudication but they approved me. just be honest about everything when you file.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if you get approved, your employer might appeal the decision. That happened to me and it added another few weeks to the process. But I still ended up getting all my back payments once it was resolved.

Pro tip: when you file your weekly claims, there's a question about why you're unemployed. Be consistent with how you answer this every week. Don't change your story or they might flag it for review.

For anyone dealing with adjudication delays or trying to get status updates, I had success with Claimyr when my regular attempts to call failed. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to get things moving, and they made that possible when I couldn't get through on my own.

The safety complaint angle is really important. Washington has strong whistleblower protections and if you can show you were retaliated against for raising safety concerns, that strengthens your unemployment case significantly.

been following this thread and it's really helpful. i'm in HR and see this situation a lot. employers sometimes think firing someone automatically disqualifies them from unemployment but that's not how it works. the reason for termination is what matters.

Update for everyone following: I filed my claim this morning after reading this thread. Process was easier than I expected. Now just waiting to see what happens with adjudication. Thanks everyone for the encouragement and advice!