Does Washington ESD contact your employer when you apply for unemployment benefits?

Yes, Washington ESD does contact employers as part of the standard claim verification process. They'll send a notice to your separating employer asking them to confirm the reason for separation and your wages. If you're still working part-time, you'll need to report those wages on your weekly claims, but they typically don't contact current employers unless there's a specific issue.

They definitely contact the employer you were separated from. I got laid off in December and my former employer told me they got the notice within like 10 days of me filing. It's just a standard form asking about the separation reason and wage info.

The employer contact thing is automatic - they have to verify the separation. But honestly, if you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about your specific situation, I'd recommend checking out claimyr.com. They helped me get connected to an actual agent when I couldn't get through the regular phone lines. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

ugh yes they contact employers and sometimes it creates drama even when its not supposed to. my old boss got all weird about it even though I was legitimately laid off due to budget cuts. some employers just dont like dealing with unemployment stuff

Washington ESD has to contact employers by law to verify separation information. It's part of their fraud prevention measures. The employer gets a 'Notice of Application for Unemployment Benefits' form that they need to respond to within 10 days. If they don't respond, the claim usually gets approved based on the claimant's information.

I've been through this twice and both times my employers were contacted. First time was no problem, second time my employer tried to claim I quit when I was actually laid off. Had to go through the whole appeal process.

Pro tip: if you're worried about the employer contact, you can be proactive and let your former employer know you're filing for unemployment. Most reasonable employers understand that layoffs happen and won't hold it against you.

The whole system is designed to verify everything because of fraud concerns. They'll contact employers, check wage records, and verify your job search activities. It's just part of the process.

One thing to remember is that if you're working part-time while collecting unemployment, you need to report those wages every week. Washington ESD might contact that employer too if there are any discrepancies in what you report.

I work in HR and we get these unemployment notices all the time. It's just standard paperwork for us. We verify the separation date, reason, and wages, then send it back. Takes like 10 minutes. Most employers don't make a big deal about it unless there's something questionable about the separation.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask specific questions about your claim, I used claimyr.com recently and it was super helpful. They got me connected to an agent who could answer my questions about partial unemployment while working part-time. Way better than trying to call the regular number and getting hung up on.

Been collecting unemployment for 8 weeks now and haven't had any issues with employer contact. My former company just confirmed the layoff and that was it. I think you're worrying about nothing.

The employer contact is automatic and required by law. Washington ESD has to verify separation information to prevent fraud. But honestly, if you were legitimately laid off, there shouldn't be any issues. Most employers are used to this process.

i had to deal with this last year and it was fine. my employer got the notice, filled it out, sent it back. no drama at all. just file your claim and dont worry about it too much

Washington ESD will also verify your wages through their database systems, not just employer contact. They cross-reference everything to make sure the information matches up. It's pretty thorough.

For anyone still struggling to get through to Washington ESD for questions about their specific situation, I found claimyr.com super helpful. They have a service that helps you actually reach agents instead of getting the endless busy signals. Worth checking out if you need to talk to someone about your claim.

Bottom line: yes they contact employers, but it's routine and usually not a big deal. Just be honest on your application and report your part-time wages accurately. You should be fine.