Washington ESD denied my claim - what are the main reasons you can be denied unemployment benefits?
My Washington ESD claim just got denied and I'm trying to understand why. The letter wasn't super clear about the specific reason. I quit my restaurant job because my manager was verbally abusive and creating a hostile work environment, but now they're saying I don't qualify. Can someone explain what the main reasons are that Washington ESD denies unemployment claims? I thought quitting for good cause would be okay but maybe I misunderstood something. Really stressed about this since I have rent due next week.
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Aisha Patel
Washington ESD has several common reasons for denial. The main ones are: 1) Quitting without good cause, 2) Being fired for misconduct, 3) Not meeting work/wage requirements, 4) Not actively seeking work, 5) Refusing suitable work offers, 6) Not being able and available for work. For quitting, you need to prove 'good cause' which is pretty strict - usually needs to be documented harassment, unsafe conditions, or major changes to your job terms.
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Klaus Schmidt
•I didn't document the verbal abuse much, just told HR once but they didn't do anything. Does that count as good cause?
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Aisha Patel
•That HR complaint could help, but you'd need to show you tried to resolve it through proper channels first. Did you file any written complaints or have witnesses?
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Klaus Schmidt
•A few coworkers saw it happen but I never filed anything formal in writing. Wish I had known this beforehand.
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LilMama23
been there, got denied for 'voluntary quit' even though my boss was making my life hell. the system is rigged against workers who stand up for themselves
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Klaus Schmidt
•That's exactly how I feel right now. Did you appeal the decision?
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LilMama23
•yeah took forever though, had to get a hearing and everything. finally won but it was months of stress
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Dmitri Volkov
You should definitely appeal this decision if you believe you had good cause to quit. Washington ESD has a 30-day appeal deadline from the date of your determination letter. The appeal process allows you to present evidence and testimony about the hostile work environment. I'd recommend getting statements from those coworkers who witnessed the verbal abuse, any emails or texts about the situation, and documentation of your HR complaint.
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Klaus Schmidt
•How do I get those coworker statements? Do they need to be notarized or anything special?
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Dmitri Volkov
•They don't need to be notarized, but written statements with their contact info help. They might also be called as witnesses during your hearing if it goes that far.
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Gabrielle Dubois
•Also keep in mind that even if you appeal, it can take weeks or months to get resolved. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims during the appeal process.
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Tyrone Johnson
If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to discuss your denial or file an appeal, I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to a real person at ESD. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. It was way easier than spending hours on hold trying to call myself.
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Klaus Schmidt
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already struggling financially.
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Tyrone Johnson
•I can't remember the exact price but it was worth it to actually talk to someone who could explain my options clearly. Way less stress than the endless phone calls.
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Ingrid Larsson
•Never heard of this but might be worth looking into. The Washington ESD phone system is absolutely terrible.
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Carlos Mendoza
Other common denial reasons include not earning enough in your base period, working under the table and not reporting it, or being fired for things like attendance issues, insubordination, or violating company policies. Washington ESD also denies claims if you're not physically able to work or if you're not available for full-time work.
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Klaus Schmidt
•I definitely earned enough and I'm able to work full time. It's really just about the quitting situation.
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Zainab Mahmoud
•what's the minimum you need to earn to qualify? asking for a friend...
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Carlos Mendoza
•In Washington, you need to have earned wages in at least two quarters of your base period and your total base period wages need to be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter. There's also a minimum threshold but it changes yearly.
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Ava Williams
I got denied once for 'misconduct' because I was late to work a few times due to bus issues. Apparently being late counts as misconduct even if it's not your fault. The unemployment system doesn't care about real life circumstances.
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Klaus Schmidt
•That's so unfair! Did you try to explain about the transportation issues?
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Ava Williams
•tried but they said I should have found alternative transportation or moved closer to work. like that's realistic on minimum wage
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Raj Gupta
•The misconduct standard is pretty harsh. They look at whether you willfully violated company policies, not whether you had good reasons.
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Lena Müller
Make sure you understand the difference between being fired 'for cause' vs 'misconduct.' Misconduct has to be willful and substantial. Poor performance usually isn't misconduct unless you were deliberately not doing your job. But each case is different and that's why appeals exist.
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TechNinja
•This is good to know. I was worried about applying because I got fired for not meeting sales quotas, but it sounds like that might not be misconduct?
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Lena Müller
•Probably not misconduct if you were trying your best but just couldn't meet the numbers. That's more like poor performance or lack of ability rather than willful misconduct.
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Keisha Thompson
Don't forget about the work search requirements too. Even if your initial claim gets approved, they can deny future payments if you're not actively looking for work or if you turn down a suitable job offer. You have to register with WorkSource and keep track of your contacts.
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Klaus Schmidt
•I registered with WorkSource already but haven't been doing much job searching since I thought my claim would be approved first.
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Keisha Thompson
•You should start job searching now even during the appeal process. It shows good faith and you'll need those records if your appeal succeeds.
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Paolo Bianchi
The 'able and available' requirement trips up a lot of people. If you have health issues, child care problems, transportation issues, or other things that limit when you can work, Washington ESD might deny your claim. You have to be ready to work full-time immediately.
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Yara Assad
•What if you can only work certain shifts because of child care? Is that automatic denial?
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Paolo Bianchi
•It depends on how restrictive your availability is. If you can only work very limited hours or days, they might consider you not available for work.
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Olivia Clark
•I think as long as you're available for at least 40 hours per week spread across multiple days you should be okay, but don't quote me on that.
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Javier Morales
Another thing that can get you denied is if you were working as an independent contractor or gig worker without paying into the unemployment system. Regular UI benefits are only for W-2 employees who had unemployment taxes taken out of their paychecks.
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Natasha Petrov
•What about people who do both? Like have a part-time W-2 job and also do DoorDash on the side?
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Javier Morales
•You can get UI based on your W-2 wages, but the gig work income might affect your weekly benefit amount if you're still doing it while collecting unemployment.
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Connor O'Brien
Just wanted to add that if anyone is struggling to get through to Washington ESD about their denial, I used Claimyr recently and it was a game changer. Instead of calling for hours and getting hung up on, they connected me to an actual ESD representative who walked me through my options. The website is claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows exactly how it works.
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Klaus Schmidt
•I'm definitely going to check this out. The phone system is impossible and I need to talk to someone about my appeal.
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Amina Diallo
•How long did it take for them to connect you? I've been trying to call ESD for two weeks with no luck.
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Connor O'Brien
•It was pretty quick actually. Way faster than trying to call myself. They handle all the waiting and callback stuff so you don't have to sit on hold.
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GamerGirl99
One more denial reason that's becoming more common - if you refuse to take a COVID test or vaccine that your job requires, Washington ESD might consider that voluntary quit without good cause. The rules around this are still evolving though.
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Hiroshi Nakamura
•I thought there were religious exemptions for stuff like that?
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GamerGirl99
•There might be, but unemployment law is different from employment law. Even if you have a legal right to refuse, ESD might still deny your claim.
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Isabella Costa
The bottom line is that Washington ESD denies claims for tons of reasons, some fair and some not so much. The good news is that you can appeal almost any denial decision. Don't give up after the first 'no' - many people win their appeals even after losing initially.
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Klaus Schmidt
•This gives me hope. I'm definitely going to appeal and try to gather more evidence about the hostile work environment.
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Malik Jenkins
•Good luck! The appeal process can be stressful but it's worth fighting for your benefits if you believe you deserve them.
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Freya Andersen
Also remember that even if your appeal takes months, if you win you'll get back pay for all the weeks you were denied. So keep filing your weekly claims and keep track of your job search activities during the whole process.
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Klaus Schmidt
•I didn't know about the back pay! That's definitely motivation to keep fighting this.
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Eduardo Silva
•Yep, they'll pay you retroactively if your appeal succeeds. Just make sure you don't miss any weekly claim filings or you could lose those weeks permanently.
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