If fired from job can I collect Washington ESD unemployment benefits?

Thanks, that's a relief. What counts as misconduct exactly? They said I wasn't meeting productivity standards but I think they were setting me up to fail.

Misconduct is usually things like theft, violence, or willful violations of company policy. Poor performance or not meeting standards usually doesn't qualify as misconduct for Washington ESD purposes.

How long does the appeal process usually take? I can't go weeks without income.

Appeals can take 4-8 weeks unfortunately. That's why it's crucial to file your initial claim right away - even if denied, the effective date goes back to when you first filed.

Never heard of that before. Did it actually help you get approved for benefits?

Yeah, made a huge difference. I was able to talk to an actual Washington ESD agent who understood my situation instead of just submitting paperwork into the void. Got my claim approved after explaining the retaliation angle.

Sounds too good to be true but I'm desperate enough at this point to try anything to reach someone at Washington ESD.

Actually that's bad advice. If it was retaliation for reporting safety issues, that could actually HELP the unemployment case. Washington protects whistleblowers.

oh didnt know that my bad

3 months?? That's insane. How are you surviving financially?

Barely honestly. Had to move back in with my parents and I'm 28 years old. The whole system needs to be overhauled.

Good to know. I was worried I'd be wasting time filing weekly claims if I might get denied anyway.

This is correct. I made the mistake of not filing weekly claims during my adjudication and lost out on 6 weeks of backpay when I was finally approved.

I still have access to my work email for now. Should I save those safety complaint emails I sent?

Absolutely! Those could be key evidence that your termination was retaliatory rather than performance-based. Print them out or forward to your personal email before you lose access.

You can and should file immediately. There's no waiting period to apply, and the sooner you file the sooner your claim can be processed.

Thanks! I thought there might be some kind of cooling off period or something.

How do I know what my employer told them? Do I get to see their response?

If your claim gets denied and you appeal, you'll get to see the employer's statement as part of the appeal process. That's when you can provide counter-evidence.

How many jobs do I need to apply to per week?

It's 3 job search activities per week minimum. Can be applications, networking, job fairs, etc. Keep detailed records in WorkSourceWA.

Is that the same service someone mentioned earlier? Might be worth trying if I can't get through to explain my situation.

Yeah same one. Really helped me get clarity on my claim status when the online system wasn't showing enough detail.

The online application asks a lot of detailed questions about the termination. Should I write a long explanation or keep it brief?

Be thorough but factual. Explain the circumstances clearly without getting too emotional or accusatory in your language.

What was the hearing like? Did you need a lawyer or anything?

No lawyer needed. It was by phone and pretty informal. Just had to explain my side clearly and answer the judge's questions honestly.

3 months?! How did you survive that long without income?

credit cards and borrowing money from family it was awful but eventually got all the backpay

Really? I thought any work would disqualify you from benefits.

Nope, Washington has a partial benefit system. Your unemployment gets reduced based on how much you earn, but you can still collect something if you're working limited hours.

Is that actually true or just a rumor? Seems weird that the day would matter.

Just my observation from helping several people file claims. Could be coincidence but seemed like Sunday/Monday filers got processed quicker.

Good point. I'll stick to exactly what happened without embellishing anything.

Exactly. The truth is usually enough if you weren't fired for actual misconduct. Let the facts speak for themselves.

That's smart. I think they were supposed to give me progressive discipline before termination but they skipped straight to firing me.

Exactly! If they didn't follow their own documented policies, that strengthens your argument that it wasn't misconduct-based termination.

No union unfortunately, but I appreciate all the advice everyone's given. Feeling much more confident about applying now.

Good luck with your claim! Remember to file ASAP and don't get discouraged if there are delays. The system is slow but it does work eventually.

Thanks for the recommendation. If I run into issues reaching someone I'll definitely check it out.

The video demo they have really explains how the whole process works. Made me feel more confident about using the service.