ESD waiting week question and quitting a new job - will it affect my 26 weeks of benefits?

Here's what you need to know: 1. The waiting week IS part of your benefit year, but it doesn't count toward your 26 weeks of payable benefits. You still get 26 weeks of actual paid benefits. 2. This is where it gets complicated. If you quit a job voluntarily without good cause (as defined by ESD), you could be disqualified from receiving benefits. 'I hate it' usually doesn't qualify as good cause unless there are specific circumstances like hostile work environment, safety issues, etc. 3. You should always file weekly claims even for weeks you worked - just report your hours and earnings accurately. Don't mark yourself as unavailable if you were actually available. Being truthful here is important. 4. If ESD determines you quit without good cause, you might need to earn a certain amount in a new job before requalifying for benefits. My advice: if you take the job, give it a real chance. Document any serious issues that might constitute good cause if you do need to quit. Remember that unemployment is meant to help during periods between jobs where you lose work through no fault of your own.

just be careful what u say to ESD if u quit!! my roomate quit a job after 3 weeks bcuz the manager was a total jerk (screaming at employies, changing schedules last minute, etc) and ESD denied him benefits for 10 WEEKS!!! they said he didnt have good enough cause. he appealed but still lost. such BS

I've worked for the unemployment system (not in WA), and I can tell you that the "good cause" for quitting is interpreted very narrowly. Here's what qualifies: - Unsafe working conditions you've reported but weren't fixed - Clear harassment or discrimination (with documentation) - Significant changes to your job duties or pay without warning - Medical reasons certified by a doctor Micromanagement and a difficult boss typically don't qualify unless it rises to the level of harassment or creates medical issues (like doctor-documented anxiety). If you're already worried about this company based on reviews, it might be better to continue your job search for a better fit while on unemployment rather than risk disqualification.

Has anyone tried calling the ESD help line to ask these questions? I've been trying for 3 days and keep getting disconnected. So frustrating!

IMPORTANT: if u do take the job and later quit, NEVER say you "quit because you didn't like it" during your interview with ESD!!! They will 100% deny you. You need to frame it as constructive dismissal - like they changed ur hours drastically, created unsafe conditions, etc. AND YOU NEED PROOF!! save emails, texts, take notes of incidents with dates/times. ESD is looking for reasons to deny claims!!!!!!

From my experience last year, the waiting week doesn't count towards your 26 payable weeks, but it does count in your benefit year. And about quitting jobs - I've been there! I ragequit a warehouse job after they kept scheduling me for overnight when I was hired for day shift. ESD initially denied my claim but I appealed with all the texts showing the schedule bait-and-switch and eventually won. It took almost 8 weeks to resolve though, so I had to borrow money from family while waiting. The whole system feels designed to make you just give up sometimes.

my cousin works for esd and says that if u quit a job, they automatically flag ur account for review and everythng stops till they decide if ur eligible again. he said they look at if u tried to fix the problem first (like talking to HR or ur boss) before quitting. so maybe try that if the job is bad, then u can say u tried to resolve it?

Thank you all SO much for the advice! I think I'm going to keep looking for jobs while collecting unemployment rather than take this risky position. It sounds like quitting could create a huge financial gap even if I think I have good cause. I'll keep doing my job searches and hopefully find something with better reviews soon. And I'll definitely remember that the waiting week doesn't count against my 26 paid weeks!