If fired do you get unemployment - Washington ESD eligibility question
Got terminated from my job last Friday and I'm not sure if I can file for unemployment benefits. My supervisor said it was due to performance issues but I think it was really because I complained about working conditions. Does Washington ESD approve claims if you were fired? I've never filed before and don't know what to expect when I apply.
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Diego Castillo
It depends on why you were fired. Washington ESD will approve your claim if you were terminated for reasons beyond your control, but they'll deny it if it was for misconduct. Performance issues usually qualify unless it was willful misconduct.
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Ruby Knight
•What counts as misconduct exactly? I was always trying my best, just had trouble keeping up with their unrealistic quotas.
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Logan Stewart
•Misconduct has to be willful and work-related. Simply not meeting performance standards isn't misconduct if you were making a good faith effort.
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Mikayla Brown
You should definitely file your claim right away. Washington ESD will investigate and make a determination. Your employer will have a chance to contest it, but if it was just performance issues and not deliberate misconduct, you'll likely be approved.
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Ruby Knight
•How long does the investigation take? I need to know if I should look for temporary work while waiting.
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Mikayla Brown
•Usually 2-4 weeks for adjudication. You should keep job searching regardless - it's required to maintain eligibility.
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Sean Matthews
Had a similar situation last year. Got fired for 'poor performance' but Washington ESD approved my claim after investigating. The key is being honest about what happened when you file.
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Ruby Knight
•Did your employer fight it? I'm worried they'll make up stuff to deny my claim.
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Sean Matthews
•They did contest it but Washington ESD sided with me. Just document everything you can remember about the termination.
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Ali Anderson
•Same thing happened to me. If you can't get through to Washington ESD by phone to ask questions, I used this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual agent. Really helped clarify my situation. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.
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Zadie Patel
MISCONDUCT has a very specific legal definition in Washington. It's not just being bad at your job - it has to be deliberate violations of company policy or criminal behavior. Performance issues usually don't qualify as misconduct.
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A Man D Mortal
•This is important! A lot of people think any firing disqualifies you but that's not true. Washington ESD looks at the specific circumstances.
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Ruby Knight
•That's reassuring. I was never written up for anything serious, just struggling to meet their sales targets.
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Declan Ramirez
File immediately! Even if you're not sure, let Washington ESD make the determination. The worst they can do is deny your claim, but if you don't file you definitely won't get anything.
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Ruby Knight
•Good point. I'll file today. Do I need any special documentation from my employer?
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Declan Ramirez
•Just your last day worked and reason for separation. Washington ESD will contact your employer directly for their side of the story.
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Emma Morales
Been through this twice unfortunately. First time was denied because I was fired for attendance (my fault), second time approved because it was layoffs disguised as performance terminations. Context matters a lot.
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Ruby Knight
•How do you prove it wasn't really misconduct? Do I need a lawyer or anything?
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Emma Morales
•No lawyer needed for the initial claim. Just be honest and provide any documentation you have. If it gets to an appeal hearing, then maybe consider legal help.
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Katherine Hunter
•Appeals can be tricky to navigate alone. When I had to appeal my denial, I couldn't get through to Washington ESD to ask questions about the process. Used Claimyr to get connected to an agent who walked me through what I needed to do. Saved me a lot of stress.
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Lucas Parker
The unemployment system is so confusing! I got fired from my restaurant job for dropping too many plates (clumsy me lol) and was sure I wouldn't qualify but Washington ESD approved me. You never know until you try.
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Ruby Knight
•That gives me hope! Sounds like they're pretty fair about what counts as misconduct.
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Donna Cline
•Yeah, accidental mistakes aren't misconduct. It has to be intentional wrongdoing or repeated violations after warnings.
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Harper Collins
Don't let them intimidate you! Employers sometimes make terminations sound worse than they are to discourage unemployment claims. File your claim and let Washington ESD sort it out.
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Ruby Knight
•You're right, they did make it sound like I was terrible at my job when really I just needed more training.
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Logan Stewart
•Exactly! Inadequate training or unrealistic expectations are the employer's responsibility, not grounds for misconduct disqualification.
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Kelsey Hawkins
whatever you do dont wait to file!! I waited 3 weeks thinking I wouldnt qualify and then found out I lost those 3 weeks of benefits. even if you think you might not get approved just file anyway
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Ruby Knight
•Oh no! I didn't realize you could lose benefits by waiting. Filing right now.
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Dylan Fisher
•Benefit eligibility starts from when you file, not when you were terminated. Always file immediately!
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Edwards Hugo
I work in HR and see this a lot. Most terminations for performance issues will qualify for unemployment unless there was clear willful misconduct. Document everything about your termination and file your claim.
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Ruby Knight
•Thank you! That's really helpful coming from someone who sees it from the employer side too.
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Gianna Scott
•Question for you - do employers usually contest these claims? My boss seemed pretty angry when they fired me.
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Edwards Hugo
•Some do, but they have to provide evidence of misconduct. Being angry doesn't mean they have grounds to deny your unemployment claim.
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Alfredo Lugo
Filed my claim after getting fired and it was approved within 2 weeks. Washington ESD was actually pretty reasonable about the whole thing. Just be honest about what happened.
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Ruby Knight
•That's encouraging! I'm nervous about the whole process but sounds like it's not as scary as I thought.
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Sydney Torres
•The adjudication process moved faster than I expected too. Had questions about my claim status and couldn't get through their regular phone lines, but Claimyr helped me reach an agent quickly to check on things.
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
ugh the Washington ESD system is such a nightmare to navigate. took me forever to figure out how to file correctly after getting terminated. but yeah you should qualify if it was performance related
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Ruby Knight
•Is the online system hard to use? I'm not great with computers.
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Caleb Bell
•It's not too bad once you get used to it. Just take your time and read everything carefully. You can always call if you get stuck.
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Danielle Campbell
I got approved after being fired for performance issues. The key thing Washington ESD looks at is whether you were willfully violating policies or just struggling to meet expectations. Sounds like your situation would qualify.
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Ruby Knight
•That's exactly my situation - struggling to meet expectations, not willfully doing anything wrong.
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Rhett Bowman
•Perfect, you should be fine then. Just file your claim and answer their questions honestly.
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Abigail Patel
Even if your claim gets denied initially, you can appeal! I had to go through the appeal process and ended up getting approved. Don't give up if the first decision doesn't go your way.
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Ruby Knight
•Good to know there's a backup plan. Hopefully it won't come to that but it's reassuring.
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Daniel White
•Appeals can take a while but they're worth it if you have a good case. Had to wait about 6 weeks for my hearing but got approved.
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Abigail Patel
•Yeah the waiting is tough. I used Claimyr during my appeal process to get updates from Washington ESD since their phone system is so overloaded. Really helped reduce my stress about the whole situation.
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