Do you get unemployment if you are fired in Washington state?

You can definitely still file for unemployment even if you were fired. Washington ESD will investigate the circumstances of your termination to determine if you qualify. If you were fired for misconduct (like theft, violence, or willful violation of company policy), you might be disqualified. But if it was for performance issues or lack of skills, you'll likely qualify for benefits. The key is that Washington ESD looks at whether your actions were deliberate and substantial violations of your employer's interests.

I went through this same situation last year. Got fired for 'not meeting expectations' but Washington ESD approved my claim. The employer has to prove misconduct, not just poor performance. Make sure you file your weekly claims even while they're investigating - you can get paid retroactively if approved.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to check on your claim status, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Really saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.

wait so if you get fired you can still get unemployment?? i thought that was only if you got laid off. this is news to me

The burden of proof is on the employer to show misconduct. Performance issues, attendance problems that aren't willful, or being a poor fit for the job generally don't disqualify you from UI benefits. Washington ESD will look at things like: was it deliberate? Did you know the rule/expectation? Was it substantial? If any of those are no, you'll likely qualify.

I'm going through the same thing right now. Filed my claim 2 weeks ago and still waiting for the adjudication decision. The waiting is the worst part because you don't know if you'll get approved or not.

File your claim TODAY if you haven't already. Don't wait. Even if you're not sure you'll qualify, it's better to file and get denied than to wait and miss out on potential benefits. The worst they can say is no.

Just want to add that if Washington ESD does deny your claim initially, you can appeal the decision. I've seen people win appeals even after getting denied at first. Don't give up if you get bad news initially.

Performance issues are definitely not misconduct in Washington state. I used to work in HR and we had employees who were just not good at their jobs - couldn't contest their unemployment claims because it wasn't willful misconduct.

I had to use Claimyr again this week to get through to Washington ESD about my weekly claim certification. Still works great - got connected to an agent in like 10 minutes instead of calling for hours.

washington esd is actually pretty fair about this stuff. they know the difference between someone who's trying but not succeeding vs someone who's being deliberately problematic. sounds like you'll be fine

Make sure you keep any documentation from your termination - the termination letter, any emails about performance issues, etc. Having that stuff can help if there's a dispute about the circumstances.

Been there! Got fired from my last job for not hitting sales targets. Washington ESD approved my claim within 3 weeks. Not hitting targets isn't misconduct, it's just not being good at the job. You should be fine.

The Washington ESD adjudication process is thorough but fair. They'll contact your employer and get their side of the story, then make a decision based on the facts. If it really was just performance issues, you should be approved.

I was denied initially because my employer claimed I was fired for misconduct, but I appealed and won. Turned out they couldn't prove their claims. Don't be afraid to fight if you get denied unfairly.

One more thing - make sure you're doing your job search activities while waiting for the decision. You still need to meet the work search requirements even during adjudication.

honestly the washington unemployment system is pretty worker-friendly compared to other states. if you weren't doing anything deliberately wrong you'll probably get approved. just file asap and start looking for work

Last tip - if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your claim, I had good luck with Claimyr helping me get through their phone system. Way better than the endless busy signals and dropped calls.

Bottom line: being fired for performance issues is NOT the same as being fired for misconduct. File your claim and let Washington ESD make the determination. You've got nothing to lose and potentially benefits to gain.