Can you receive disability and unemployment at the same time in Washington?

Thanks for the info! Do you know if the disability income counts against the weekly benefit amount, or is it handled differently?

Yes, Social Security Disability is considered unearned income and will reduce your weekly unemployment benefit dollar-for-dollar. So if you qualify for $400/week in UI and get $800/month in SSDI, your weekly UI would be reduced by about $185.

I had the same problem trying to get through to them about my adjudication issue. Have you tried using Claimyr? It's this service that helps you get through to ESD agents - claimyr.com. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling.

I'm hoping I won't need to call but if I do I'll look into that service too. The online application seems straightforward enough but I have a feeling they'll want to review my case manually.

6 weeks?! That's a long time to wait. Did you end up qualifying for benefits? And did it affect your disability payments at all?

Yes, I did qualify but my weekly benefit was pretty small after they deducted the SSDI. It didn't affect my disability payments from Social Security though - they have different rules about work attempts.

This is good to know. I'm on SSDI too and have been wondering if I could try working part-time without losing everything. Sounds like there might be options.

Unfortunately there's a lot of misinformation about this. The welfare office person was probably thinking of other benefit combinations. Unemployment and Social Security Disability can potentially be received simultaneously if you meet the specific criteria for both programs.

That makes sense. There's so much conflicting information out there about all these programs.

I feel your frustration but getting angry doesn't really help solve the problem. The rules are complicated but they do exist for reasons.

Easy for you to say when you're not trying to survive on disability payments that don't cover basic living expenses!

I get the frustration too but there are people here trying to help with actual information. Maybe focus on that instead of just venting?

That's really helpful advice. What kind of records should I be keeping? Just job applications or other things too?

Keep copies of all job applications, interview schedules, medical documentation about your work capacity, and any correspondence with either agency. Also track your job search activities since Washington ESD requires that anyway.

It's confusing because there are different levels of disability. Some people can do limited work within certain restrictions. Social Security has programs that encourage work attempts, and unemployment benefits can bridge the gap while you're looking for suitable employment.

oh that makes more sense. i always thought it was all or nothing

Good point. I hadn't thought about how the job search requirements would work with my limitations. Did you have to provide additional documentation about why you were only applying to certain types of jobs?

Yes, I had to explain my medical restrictions and show that I was genuinely seeking work within those limitations. It helped that I had documentation from my doctor outlining exactly what I could and couldn't do.

This is why I ended up using Claimyr when I had my complex eligibility question. Instead of getting transferred around or talking to someone who didn't know the answer, I got connected to an agent who specialized in these types of cases. Worth every penny.

That's the second mention of Claimyr in this thread. Sounds like it might be worth looking into if I run into problems.

That's a good point. I've been cleared for work for about 3 weeks now and have been applying to jobs, so I should probably file soon.

Definitely don't wait. I made that mistake and it created unnecessary complications during my eligibility review.

State disability programs can have different rules, but the general principle is similar - you need to be able and available for work to qualify for unemployment. The income reporting requirements might be different though.

Thanks, I'll probably need to call Washington ESD directly to get the specifics for state disability.

Yikes, that's scary. How much trouble did they get into? Was it just paying back the money or were there penalties too?

they had to pay back like $3000 plus interest and fees. took them over a year to sort it all out

Workers compensation has its own set of rules about working while receiving benefits. That's actually more restrictive than SSDI in many cases. You'd definitely need to check with both L&I and Washington ESD about eligibility.

Thanks, I figured it would be complicated. Seems like any combination of benefits creates headaches.

That's encouraging to hear! Did you have to go through multiple rounds of review or appeals?

No appeals needed, but I did have to provide additional medical documentation during the adjudication process. Having everything organized upfront definitely helped.

This gives me hope for my own case. I've been worried about even applying because I didn't want to mess up my disability status.

Good reminder. I was focusing so much on the eligibility question that I hadn't really thought about the ongoing requirements.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information. I think I have enough to get started with my application and I know what documentation to gather. Really appreciate all the insights from people who've been through this.

Good luck with your application! Hope it goes smoothly for you.