If you get fired can you still get unemployment in Washington - ESD eligibility question

That's a relief to hear. What exactly counts as misconduct then? I was never written up for anything serious, just some disagreements with my boss about how to handle certain tasks.

Misconduct usually means things like theft, violence, repeatedly showing up late after warnings, or willfully violating company policies. Disagreements with your supervisor definitely wouldn't qualify as misconduct.

Tell me about it! I've been trying to call them for weeks about my adjudication and can never get through. It's so frustrating when you need answers.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I found them recently and they actually got me through to a Washington ESD agent within like 10 minutes. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Never heard of that but at this point I'm willing to try anything. The regular phone system is completely broken.

What kind of documentation should I gather? I have some emails where my supervisor was being unreasonable but I'm not sure if that helps my case.

Keep those emails! Also any performance reviews, employee handbook references, witness statements from coworkers if possible. Anything that shows you weren't committing misconduct.

Good point about the employee handbook. I should check if they even followed their own progressive discipline policy before firing me.

How long does the whole process usually take? I'm worried about paying my bills while this gets sorted out.

If there's no issues it can be pretty quick, but with adjudication it might take 3-6 weeks. That's why filing immediately is so important - the sooner you file, the sooner the process starts.

I feel you on the phone thing. That's exactly why I ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Worth every penny to actually talk to a human being at Washington ESD.

5 weeks seems really long for adjudication. Did they tell you what was taking so long?

That's good to know. I'm pretty sure my employer will contest it because they seem to contest everything just to be difficult.

My employer contested mine too but I still got approved. They said I was fired for poor performance but couldn't provide any documentation to back it up. Washington ESD saw right through it.

Did you mention the personality conflict with your manager in your application or just stick to the official reason they gave?

i mentioned both - the official reason they gave AND my perspective on what really happened. washington esd wants to hear your side of the story too

You should start your job search activities as soon as you file your claim, even during adjudication. You'll need to log your job search activities in WorkSourceWA.

Good point, I hadn't thought about that. Better to be proactive with the job search requirements.

That's encouraging. My situation definitely doesn't sound like misconduct based on what everyone's saying here.

Exactly! Standing up for yourself at work isn't misconduct. These employers just try to scare people into not filing claims.

Good to know about the appeal option. Hopefully it won't come to that but at least I have a backup plan.

And if you need help during the appeal process, that's another time when Claimyr can be really helpful for getting through to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your case.

You're absolutely right. I'm going to file online tonight. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice!

Good luck! Hope your adjudication goes smoothly and you get approved quickly.