Does Washington ESD know if you are in jail while collecting unemployment?

Your friend needs to stop filing immediately. Washington ESD does cross-reference with Department of Corrections databases and jail records. Being incarcerated makes you ineligible for unemployment benefits because you're not available for work. He should contact Washington ESD as soon as possible to report the change in circumstances.

yeah this happened to my cousin last year. he kept filing for like 2 weeks while he was locked up and they caught it. had to pay everything back plus penalties. Washington ESD doesnt mess around with this stuff

I had to deal with Washington ESD about a similar issue when I couldn't reach them by phone. The regular phone lines are always busy, but I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Might be worth it for your friend to get proper guidance on how to handle this situation correctly.

The rule is you have to be able and available for work to collect unemployment. Being in jail obviously means you can't work, so benefits have to stop immediately. Washington ESD has access to incarceration records through the Washington State Patrol and Department of Corrections databases.

Tell your friend to stop filing RIGHT NOW and call Washington ESD to report it. I work in HR and we see this stuff all the time. The state will find out eventually and the longer he waits, the worse it gets. They consider continued filing while incarcerated as intentional fraud.

This is exactly why I hate dealing with Washington ESD. Their system is so complicated and they don't explain these rules clearly anywhere. How is someone supposed to know all this stuff?

My brother went through this exact situation in 2023. He was in county jail for 10 days and kept filing his weekly claims. Washington ESD caught it about 3 weeks later and demanded repayment of all benefits received during that period plus a 15% penalty.

I'm pretty sure they don't check that often unless someone reports it. I know people who've been in and out of jail and still collected unemployment without problems.

Seriously though, your friend should use something like Claimyr to actually get through to Washington ESD and handle this properly. I tried calling for weeks about my own issue and never got through until I used their service. It's way better than playing phone tag or hoping they don't notice.

Your friend is in a tough spot but honesty is the best policy here. Washington ESD has gotten really good at catching this stuff with their computer systems. Better to come clean now than face fraud charges later.

STOP FILING IMMEDIATELY!!! This is serious fraud territory. I used to work for Washington ESD and they have automatic flags for incarceration. Your friend needs to contact them TODAY and report this before they catch it themselves.

I hate to say it but your friend messed up big time. Even if he didn't know about the rule, ignorance isn't a defense when it comes to unemployment fraud. He needs to fix this ASAP.

The Washington State Department of Corrections shares data with Washington ESD regularly. They'll definitely find out, especially if he's in the system for more than a few days. Self-reporting is his only chance to avoid fraud charges.

I tried calling Washington ESD about a similar issue and spent hours on hold. Finally used Claimyr and got through in like 10 minutes. Worth it just to get real answers from an actual person instead of guessing about something this serious.

Bottom line - your friend needs to stop filing weekly claims right now and contact Washington ESD to report the incarceration period. They WILL find out eventually and self-reporting is always better than getting busted.

Man, the Washington ESD system is so messed up. You can't reach them when you need help but they sure can find you when you owe them money!

Hope your friend gets this sorted out. Unemployment fraud is no joke and Washington ESD takes it very seriously. The sooner he contacts them, the better his chances of avoiding criminal charges.

As someone who works in the legal field, I can confirm that Washington ESD absolutely has access to incarceration data through their data-sharing agreements with law enforcement agencies. Your friend needs to understand this isn't just about stopping benefits - continued filing while incarcerated can result in felony fraud charges if the amount exceeds certain thresholds. The best course of action is immediate disclosure to Washington ESD, preferably with documentation of the arrest date and expected release. They may allow him to resume benefits once released if he's otherwise eligible, but only if he handles this transparently from the start.