Fired from job can I get unemployment benefits in Washington state?

You can definitely apply for unemployment even if you were fired. Washington ESD will investigate the circumstances of your termination. If they determine you weren't fired for 'misconduct' then you should be eligible. Performance issues usually don't count as misconduct unless it was willful or negligent behavior.

File your claim ASAP! Even if there's going to be an adjudication process, you want to get your claim date established. I was fired from my warehouse job last year and it took about 3 weeks for them to make a decision, but I did get approved.

I had a similar situation and couldn't get through to Washington ESD on the phone for weeks. Found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent within a day to check on my adjudication status. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected.

The Washington ESD website has a whole section about misconduct vs. non-misconduct terminations. Generally speaking, if you were doing your best but just couldn't meet expectations, that's not misconduct. But if your employer fights your claim, you might need to provide documentation or testimony about your work performance.

ugh the whole system is so stressful. I got fired 6 months ago and it took forever to get my benefits sorted out. The worst part is not knowing if you'll get approved or not

Make sure when you file your claim online, you're completely honest about the reason for termination. Don't try to sugar coat it or make it sound better than it was. Washington ESD will contact your employer anyway, so any discrepancies will just hurt your case.

One thing to remember is that even if your claim goes to adjudication, you should keep filing your weekly claims while you wait for a decision. If you get approved, you'll get back pay for those weeks.

I'm dealing with something similar right now. Got 'let go' from my customer service job 3 weeks ago. Still waiting to hear back from Washington ESD about my claim. The waiting is the worst part!

Just remember you have to be actively looking for work and documenting your job searches. Washington has specific requirements about how many jobs you need to apply for each week.

Another thing - if your employer contests your claim, don't panic. Lots of employers automatically contest every unemployment claim to try to keep their rates low. Washington ESD will look at the actual facts of your case, not just what your employer says.

The key thing is that in Washington, the burden is on the employer to prove misconduct occurred. If they can't provide solid evidence that you did something intentionally wrong or violated clear company policies, you should get approved.

File online at esd.wa.gov as soon as possible. The sooner you file, the sooner your waiting week starts and the sooner you can start receiving benefits if approved.

Good luck with your claim! Remember to keep copies of everything you submit and document all your communications with Washington ESD. It helps if you need to reference anything later.

If you do run into issues getting through to Washington ESD by phone, I really can't recommend Claimyr enough. I was stuck for weeks trying to get my adjudication status, and they got me through to an actual person who could help. Sometimes you just need to talk to a human to get things moving.

One last tip - if your claim does get denied initially, you have the right to appeal. Don't give up if the first decision doesn't go your way. The appeals process gives you another chance to present your case.

Hope everything works out for you! The uncertainty is really stressful but most people who get fired for performance reasons rather than misconduct do end up getting approved eventually.

definitely keep us posted! always good to hear how these situations turn out for other people in similar spots

The Washington ESD adjudication process can seem scary but they really do try to be fair. As long as you were honest in your application and the termination really wasn't due to misconduct, you should be okay.

Update on my situation - I finally got through to someone at Washington ESD using that Claimyr service. Turns out my claim was approved but there was a delay in the system updating. Sometimes you really do need to talk to a person to get the real status.

Remember that while you're waiting for your claim decision, you should still be actively job searching and keeping track of your activities. Washington requires documentation of your job search efforts.