ESD denied my unemployment for military spouse PCS move - 10 weeks waiting for appeal hearing

you should call and ask about your status. I waited 14 weeks for my appeal last year and found out they lost my paperwork!!

You're absolutely right that military PCS orders qualify as good cause to quit. The relevant section is RCW 50.20.050(2)(b)(iii) which specifically covers relocating for a spouse's employment. Military transfers are explicitly covered. Current appeal wait times are unfortunately running 12-16 weeks from filing date to hearing. The OAH (Office of Administrative Hearings) is extremely backlogged. Make sure you've received a written acknowledgment of your appeal filing - you should have gotten something in your secure message center or by mail confirming they received it. If not, definitely follow up ASAP.

same thing happened 2 me last year!!!! the dumb adjudicator IGNORED the military exception. my hearing finally happened after like 15 weeks and the judge overturned it in like 5 minutes. totally obvious the adjudicator never bothered to check the military spouse exception. hang in there!

I've been trying to reach ESD to check on my appeal status too, but it's IMPOSSIBLE to get through to anyone! I've called literally 32 times in two days and either get disconnected or stuck on hold forever. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone at ESD? This system is broken beyond belief.

Dont get ur hopes up too high about the appeal hearing. I won my hearing back in January (the judge agreed I was eligible) but then ESD still hasnt paid me!! They said my claim needs ANOTHER review after the hearing?? Going on 4 months now after winning and still no money. This system is a joke.

My friend works at WorkSource (connected to ESD) and she told me that military spouse cases are supposed to be fast-tracked. You might want to mention that when you finally reach someone. Also, contact your state representative's office - they have special liaisons who can sometimes help speed things up with ESD. It worked for my sister-in-law's claim.

Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims during the entire appeal process, even though they're showing as "disqualified" each week. If you win your appeal, they can only pay you for weeks that you properly filed. Also, bring as much documentation as possible to your hearing - the military orders, any communication with your employer about the resignation, and the specific RCW citation mentioned earlier. The more organized your evidence is, the smoother the hearing will go. Most judges are very familiar with the military spouse provision and these cases often get overturned.

when my hearing finally hapend, the judge was super nice and it was all over phone. took maybe 20 minutes total and most of that was the judge yelling at ESD for denying something so obvious lol. got paid like 2 weeks after that for all my back weeks

If you need immediate financial assistance while waiting, you might qualify for a hardship payment if you explain it's related to military relocation. Call the ESD specialist line (different from the regular number) and specifically ask about hardship provisions for military families. Not everyone knows about this option, but it exists. And definitely follow up on your appeal status - sometimes they can expedite if you explain the financial strain.

The military specialist line is 800-318-6022, but honestly it's just as hard to get through on that line as the main one. That's why I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with them. Once I got an actual person on the phone and explained my military hardship situation, they were able to flag my case. Just be prepared with all your documentation - they'll want your spouse's orders, your resignation letter, and your case ID number.