Washington ESD discharged vs laid off unemployment benefits - does it matter?

This is actually really important for your claim. 'Laid off' usually means involuntary separation due to lack of work, downsizing, or economic reasons - this typically qualifies you for benefits. 'Discharged' can mean fired for cause, which might disqualify you. Since they mentioned budget cuts and eliminating your position, that sounds more like a layoff to me.

honestly just put laid off if they said budget cuts. i went through something similar and washington esd approved my claim even though my boss wasnt happy with me either

I had a similar situation last year and was stressed about getting through to Washington ESD to clarify. Regular calling was impossible - kept getting busy signals for hours. I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual agent. They have this demo video https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. The agent was able to walk me through exactly what documentation I needed and how to properly classify my separation.

Washington ESD will look at the primary reason for separation. If your employer documented it as a layoff due to budget constraints, that's what matters most. They might still investigate if there are conflicting reports, but the key is being honest about what happened.

UGH this is exactly why I hate dealing with Washington ESD! They make everything so complicated. Why can't they just have clearer categories instead of making us guess?

Same thing happened to me. Put laid off if that's what they told you. I overthought it and put discharged because I was paranoid, then had to deal with adjudication for weeks.

Here's what Washington ESD considers: Layoff = lack of work, business closure, downsizing, seasonal end. Discharge = terminated for misconduct, poor performance, policy violations. Mixed situations happen but they'll investigate the primary cause.

I tried that Claimyr thing someone mentioned and it actually worked! Got through to Washington ESD in like 10 minutes instead of calling for hours. The agent explained that mixed layoff/performance situations are common and they look at the employer's primary documented reason.

been there done that. if they said budget cuts then thats a layoff period. dont overthink it or youll just stress yourself out more

One thing to keep in mind - Washington ESD will send a separation notice to your employer asking them to confirm the reason. Make sure your story matches what they're likely to report. If there's a discrepancy, that's when you might face adjudication.

Why does this have to be so stressful? I'm already dealing with losing my job and now I have to worry about getting my unemployment claim wrong too. This whole system is designed to make people give up.

UPDATE: I used Claimyr to talk to Washington ESD about a different issue and mentioned this separation question. The agent said mixed situations are reviewed case-by-case, but if the employer documented budget cuts as the primary reason, that usually supports a layoff classification even if performance was mentioned.

filed mine as layoff three weeks ago and got approved yesterday. they never even contacted my employer as far as i know. sometimes we stress about stuff that ends up being no big deal

The key thing is that Washington ESD looks at the predominant reason for separation. If it's primarily economic (budget cuts, position elimination) even with some performance issues mentioned, it's still typically classified as a layoff for benefits purposes.

idk why everyone makes this so complicated just put whatever and if they have questions theyll ask

Thanks everyone for all the advice! I'm going to file tomorrow and select 'laid off' since that aligns with what my supervisor told me about budget cuts and position elimination. I feel much more confident now about my choice.