How long after can I apply for unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

You can apply for unemployment immediately after becoming unemployed, but there's a big difference between quitting and being laid off. If you quit voluntarily, you'll likely be disqualified from receiving benefits unless you can prove you had "good cause" to quit. Getting your hours reduced might qualify you for partial unemployment benefits though.

honestly the whole system is confusing af. i tried calling washington esd like 50 times last month and could never get through to anyone to ask questions like this

Wait, you can get partial unemployment for reduced hours? I didn't know that was a thing. How does that work exactly?

i quit my job last year without good cause and got disqualified for like 6 weeks. had to do job searches and everything before they would approve me. not fun

The key thing to understand is that there's no waiting period to APPLY for unemployment - you can file your initial claim as soon as you become unemployed. However, there IS a one-week waiting period before you can receive benefits, and that's assuming you're approved. The approval process depends on why you became unemployed.

Whatever you do, don't quit without trying to get more info first. Maybe file for the partial benefits while you look for another job? That way you have some income coming in.

THE SYSTEM IS SO BROKEN!!! I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for weeks about my adjudication and they just keep hanging up on me or the line goes dead. How are we supposed to get help when we can't even talk to anyone???

Just my 2 cents but if your hours got cut that drastically, document everything before you do anything. Take screenshots of your schedule, save any emails or texts about the hour reduction. If you end up needing to appeal a disqualification, you'll want all that proof.

Also worth mentioning - when you do apply, you'll need to have worked and earned wages in at least 2 quarters during your base period, and you need to have earned at least $8,000 total during that period. Make sure you meet those basic eligibility requirements first.

my cousin went through something similar and she said the key is to frame it as constructive dismissal rather than quitting. when they cut your hours that much its basically forcing you out

Question - if you apply for partial unemployment while still working, do you still have to do the job search requirements?

honestly just apply asap. worst case they deny you and you appeal. better to get the process started than wait around

One thing that tripped me up when I first applied - make sure you have all your employer information ready including exact dates of employment and reason for separation. The application asks for a lot of specific details.

Does anyone know if there's a difference in processing time between regular unemployment and partial unemployment claims?

If you do end up quitting, make sure you give proper notice and document that too. Being professional about it can help if you need to appeal a disqualification later.

I'm in a similar situation but my employer is being really sketchy about it, like they won't put the hour reduction in writing. Anyone dealt with that?

The waiting period is just one week right? I thought it used to be longer

Update us on what happens! I'm curious how the partial unemployment thing works out for you.

One more tip - when you're filling out your weekly claims, be super accurate about reporting any wages. Even small mistakes can cause issues and delays.