ESD adjudication for termination with 'just cause' - 6+ weeks & counting?

Unfortunately, 'just cause' terminations often take longer to process because ESD has to thoroughly investigate both sides. In your case, they'll need to review your medical documentation and your employer's attendance policy. My neighbor went through something similar (fired for alleged policy violation) and his adjudication took almost 8 weeks before being approved. The key is making sure you've submitted ALL your medical documentation through your eServices account. Did the agent say if they've already contacted your employer?

my claim took 9 weeks after i got fired for 'attendance' too!! its ridiculous but hang in there. make SURE ur still filing ur weekly claims even tho u arent getting paid yet!!!

I CANNOT BELIEVE they're still using the pandemic as an excuse in 2025!!! That's absolutely ridiculous. I was fired in November for "performance issues" (complete BS, my manager just didn't like me) and my claim took 11 WEEKS to get through adjudication. The system is designed to make people give up. Keep calling EVERY DAY - that's what finally worked for me. The squeaky wheel gets the grease with these people.

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to an ESD agent faster? I was in the same situation (fired for "policy violation") and was getting nowhere with regular calls. Claimyr connected me to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of hours on hold. The agent I spoke with actually looked into my case and found it was missing some employer documentation, so they were able to flag it for the adjudicator. Might be worth trying - their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. My claim was approved about a week after that call.

As someone who has helped many people through the unemployment process, here's what's happening with your claim: When there's a separation due to alleged misconduct (which is what "just cause" often implies), both you and your employer must provide statements. The adjudicator then has to evaluate whether the termination meets the legal standard for misconduct under Washington law. The medical documentation you provided is crucial because it may establish that your attendance issues were not misconduct, but rather protected absences. Here's what you should do: 1. Continue filing weekly claims as others mentioned 2. Check your eServices account daily for any new correspondence 3. If you haven't already, submit a detailed written statement explaining how your absences were medically necessary 4. Request an expedite based on financial hardship if you're facing eviction Regarding timeframes, the current processing time for misconduct cases is averaging 7-9 weeks. This is longer than the standard 3-4 weeks for regular claims, unfortunately.

My sister's boyfriend's claim took 12 weeks! It's completely insane. And then they backdated his payments when he got approved but he had already taken out payday loans with crazy interest to cover bills... so he still ended up in a hole. The whole system feels designed to crush people when they're already down.

my adjudication was only 4 weeks for a just cause firing but that was back in october. heard its gotten worse since then tho. good luck!

One important thing to note: "just cause" in the employer's mind doesn't necessarily equal "misconduct" in ESD's determination. This is actually good news for you. Under Washington unemployment law, simple attendance issues typically don't rise to the level of misconduct unless they involve deliberate violation of known policies after warnings. If your absences were for medical reasons, even if your employer didn't accept them at the time, ESD likely will. This is why thorough documentation is so crucial. When the adjudicator reviews your case, they're looking at whether your actions meet the legal definition of misconduct, not whether your employer felt justified in firing you. In the meantime, have you contacted your local WorkSource office? They sometimes can help with emergency resources while you're waiting for unemployment benefits.

btw did u appeal ur termination with ur company before filing for unemployment? that can speed things up somtimes cuz it shows u tried to resolve it first