ESD approval from one employer but denied by another - will I still get benefits?
I just finished my eligibility interviews and I'm pretty confused about what happens next. I worked for two different companies in my base year - a retail job for 7 months and then a warehouse position for 5 months before getting laid off. My claims specialist seemed to indicate that I'll probably get approved for eligibility from my warehouse job but might get denied for my retail job (I was written up twice for tardiness before I left). If one employer approves but the other denies, does that mean I get zero benefits overall? Or would I still qualify for partial benefits based on just the approved employer? My financial situation is getting pretty desperate and I'm trying to prepare for all scenarios. Thanks for any insight!
18 comments

Lucas Turner
You can absolutely still receive benefits if one employer approves and one denies! Your UI is based on your total earnings during your base year, but individual employer approvals/denials affect different things. If one employer contests your claim successfully, ESD may just exclude those wages from your monetary eligibility calculation. Your weekly benefit amount might be lower than if both employers were included, but you won't necessarily be disqualified completely. The key is why the retail employer might deny. If it's just those tardiness write-ups but you weren't actually fired for misconduct, they might not even have grounds to deny. Did you quit that retail job or were you let go?
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Eleanor Foster
•I actually quit the retail job to take the warehouse position (which paid better). The claims specialist said something about how that might be an issue since I "voluntarily quit" even though I immediately started another job. The whole system is so confusing! I'm just worried about having zero income while this gets sorted out.
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Kai Rivera
same boat last yr. one said no one said yes. ended up getting benefits but took FOREVER. esd kept saying 'adjudication in process' for like 2 months!!! good luck
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Eleanor Foster
•Ugh, 2 months?? Did you have to keep filing weekly claims that whole time even though you weren't getting paid?
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Kai Rivera
•yep!!! had to do stupid weekly claims the whole time. if u stop filing u lose everything. worst system ever
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Anna Stewart
Quitting one job to take another job is actually considered a "good cause" reason to quit in Washington state, as long as the new job paid at least 90% of what you were making before. Since you mentioned the warehouse job paid better, you should be fine with that employer. Here's what likely happens in your situation: 1. ESD will calculate your benefit based on all eligible wages in your base year 2. They'll review each separation (your quit from retail and your layoff from warehouse) 3. If they determine you had good cause to quit retail, all wages count 4. If they determine you didn't have good cause, they may only count the warehouse wages Either way, you should qualify for some benefits based on your warehouse job, but the amount might be affected. Keep filing your weekly claims during this adjudication period - it's critical. Also, "adjudication" means they're investigating the circumstances of your separation from each employer. This isn't a denial, just a review process.
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Eleanor Foster
•Thank you so much for this detailed explanation! The warehouse job did pay about 15% more, so hopefully that helps my case. I'll definitely keep filing weekly claims. How long does adjudication typically take these days?
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Layla Sanders
I got denied from ONE job out of THREE and they denied my ENTIRE claim!!!! Had to appeal and everything. whole system is rigged to deny people!!
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Anna Stewart
•That's unusual if the other separations were qualifying. There might have been other factors involved. Was the denial related to misconduct or voluntary quit without good cause? Those can sometimes affect overall eligibility in certain cases, but it's not automatic.
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Morgan Washington
I had this exact situation in 2025. Got approved for one employer but denied for another. Waited FOREVER to get through to someone at ESD to explain what was happening with my claim. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an ESD agent in about 25 minutes instead of spending days calling and getting disconnected. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 When I finally talked to ESD, they explained that they were calculating my benefit amount based only on the wages from the approved employer. My weekly amount was lower, but I still qualified. The adjudication took about 3 weeks total. Make sure you're doing your job search activities while waiting!
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Eleanor Foster
•Thanks for the Claimyr suggestion! I might try that if I don't hear anything soon. Did you get backpay for all the weeks you claimed during adjudication once they approved you?
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Morgan Washington
•Yes! I got backpay for all the weeks I claimed during adjudication. Just make sure you're doing and documenting your job search activities for each week (3 activities per week). They can deny your backpay if you weren't doing the job search requirements even during adjudication.
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Kaylee Cook
this happened to my sister last month!! she quit one job for another, then got laid off from the second job. ESD denied her claim initially saying she "voluntarily quit employment" which was technically true for the first job but not for the second!! she had to file an appeal and it was super stressful. the whole time ESD kept saying "keep filing weekly claims" even though she wasn't getting paid!! the system is so broken!!
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Eleanor Foster
•Did your sister eventually get approved? How long did her appeal take? I'm really worried about going without income for that long.
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Kaylee Cook
•yes she got approved after about 5 weeks... she had to do a phone hearing with OAH (office of administrative hearings) and explain everything. she got backpay for all the weeks but it was super stressful living on credit cards while waiting!!! make sure you keep detailed notes about everything
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Lucas Turner
Just to summarize what everyone has shared (which is all good info): 1. You CAN still receive benefits if only one employer approves 2. Benefits will likely be calculated using only the wages from the approved employer 3. Quitting one job for a better paying job is usually considered "good cause" in Washington 4. You MUST continue filing weekly claims during adjudication 5. Keep doing your 3 job search activities each week and documenting them 6. Adjudication times vary but seem to be taking 3-5 weeks currently 7. If approved, you'll receive backpay for weeks claimed during adjudication The most important thing is to keep filing those weekly claims and doing your job search activities while waiting. If your claim goes into adjudication for a while and you need to speak with someone at ESD, that's when options like Claimyr might help you get through faster.
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Eleanor Foster
•Thank you for this clear summary! This has been so helpful. I'll keep filing my weekly claims and doing my job search activities. Fingers crossed the process doesn't take too long.
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Owen Jenkins
I went through something similar about 6 months ago and wanted to share my experience. I had three different employers during my base year - got approved by two but denied by the third (they claimed I was fired for misconduct, which wasn't true). ESD calculated my benefits based on wages from the two approved employers, so my weekly benefit amount was reduced but I still qualified. The whole adjudication process took about 4 weeks, which felt like forever when you're waiting for income. One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you're keeping detailed records of EVERYTHING during this process. Save all your correspondence with ESD, document your job search activities thoroughly, and keep notes about what each employer told you during your separation interviews. If you do end up needing to appeal anything later, having good documentation makes a huge difference. Also, don't panic if your online account shows confusing status updates during adjudication - mine went back and forth between "pending" and "under review" multiple times before finally showing approved. The system isn't great at showing what's actually happening behind the scenes. Hang in there! It sounds like you have a good case, especially since you quit the retail job for better pay and were laid off from the warehouse job through no fault of your own.
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