Fired without warning for sick days with doctor's notes - COVID exposure - ESD claim stuck in pending for 4 weeks

You absolutely have grounds for an approved claim here. Being fired for documented illnesses without prior warnings should qualify as being terminated without misconduct. The long pending period is unfortunately common right now - ESD is severely backed up with adjudication cases. Since your case involves a termination, it automatically goes to adjudication where an ESD specialist reviews the details. Your employer will be contacted for their side of the story. Make sure you've uploaded those doctor's notes to your ESD account as evidence. Also, check your online account and spam folder daily for any fact-finding questionnaires they might send. Missing those deadlines can seriously delay your claim.

omg almost the EXACT same thing happened to my cousin!!! she worked for a daycare and got fired after being sick twice, even with doctors notes. her claim was pending for like 5 weeks but she DID get approved and they backpaid her for all the waiting weeks. hang in there!!!

Check if your claim shows "Adjudication In Progress" on your ESD dashboard. If it does, that means they're investigating the circumstances of your separation from employment. This is standard procedure for all terminations, as they need to determine if it was for misconduct or not. Based on what you've described, you should qualify since you had medical documentation for your absences. As for the COVID exposure piece - that adds another layer that should work in your favor. Washington state has specific protections for workers who report workplace safety concerns related to infectious disease exposures. While you wait, make absolutely sure you're filing your weekly claims on time, even while the main claim is pending. If you miss filing weekly claims, you'll lose those weeks of benefits even if your main claim is eventually approved.

I was stuck in adjudication for SEVEN WEEKS last summer after being laid off. The system is completely broken. I finally got through to an actual ESD agent using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they have this system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of redial hell. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 When I finally spoke to someone, they were able to look at my file and tell me exactly what was causing the delay (my previous employer hadn't responded to their inquiry). Once I knew what was going on, at least I could stop panicking about doing something wrong.

THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! They DELIBERATELY put claims in "pending" hoping people will give up!!! I had a perfect work record for 6 YEARS and they fired me for ONE sick day and then ESD took NINE WEEKS to approve my claim!!! They make the process painful ON PURPOSE!!! The schools are the WORST offenders - they treat classroom staff like disposable garbage!!! DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!!!!!

I'm sorry you're going through this - being fired for legitimate illnesses is incredibly frustrating. One thing that might be delaying your claim is that when you mentioned COVID exposure, it could have triggered additional review processes. ESD handles COVID-related separations with special consideration, but it can extend processing times. Have you received any notification in your eServices account requesting additional information? Sometimes they send fact-finding questionnaires through the online message center rather than email. Also, make sure your contact information is current in the system. In my experience handling these situations, your case sounds like you have a strong claim. Being terminated for documented medical absences without prior warnings typically weighs in favor of the employee. Keep filing those weekly claims while you wait - if approved, you'll receive back payments for all eligible weeks.

my claim was pending for 6 weeks before it finally got approved. then i got like $4700 all at once for the backpay. just keep filing every week and eventually they'll process it. the waiting sucks tho :

have u tried emailing ur state representative? my brother did that when his claim was stuck and suddenly esd called him like 2 days later lol

Update: Just got off the phone with ESD after using the Claimyr service someone recommended above. The agent told me my claim is delayed because they're waiting for my former employer to respond to their inquiry. Apparently, they have 10 business days to do so, and that period just ended yesterday. The agent said my claim should move forward within 7-10 days now, whether my employer responded or not. She also noted that my doctor's notes were properly attached to my file, which was a relief. So now I wait...again...but at least I know what's happening!