Washington ESD disqualified claim - does disqualified mean denied unemployment benefits?

Disqualified and denied are similar but not exactly the same. Disqualified usually means Washington ESD found a specific reason you don't meet eligibility requirements - like voluntary quit, misconduct, or not being able and available for work. Denied is more general. You should have received a determination letter explaining the exact reason for disqualification.

yeah disqualified means they found something wrong with your claim. could be anything - job separation issues, work search problems, or income reporting. the good news is you can appeal it if you disagree

This happened to me last year - I was disqualified because my former employer claimed I quit voluntarily when I was actually laid off. I had to appeal and provide documentation proving it was a layoff. The appeal process took about 6 weeks but I eventually got approved and received all my back pay. Don't give up if you know you're eligible!

If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD to get more information about your disqualification, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a system that calls for you and connects you when someone picks up. Check out claimyr.com - there's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Really saved me hours of trying to call myself.

DISQUALIFIED IS THE WORST!! I've been fighting mine for 2 months now. Washington ESD is so broken - they disqualify people for stupid reasons and then make it impossible to reach anyone to fix it. The whole system is designed to deny benefits!

Check if your disqualification is temporary or permanent. Some are just for a certain number of weeks, others are for the entire benefit year. This should be explained in your determination letter when you get it.

Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while disqualified if you plan to appeal. If you win the appeal, you'll get paid for those weeks. If you don't file, you can't get paid for them later.

also make sure you're still doing your job search activities. even if you're disqualified you need to meet the work search requirements in case your appeal goes through

The most common reasons for disqualification are: voluntary quit without good cause, discharge for misconduct, not able and available for work, and refusing suitable work. Do any of these apply to your situation?

One more thing - if you do appeal, you might want to request a copy of what your employer reported to Washington ESD about your job separation. Sometimes employers report things incorrectly, either by mistake or on purpose to avoid paying higher unemployment taxes.

Been there! My disqualification was overturned after I proved my employer was lying about why I left. Took 8 weeks total but got all my back pay. The hearing officer was fair and listened to both sides.

Another tip - if you win your appeal, Washington ESD will also send a 'chargeback' to your former employer. This means the employer's unemployment tax account gets charged for your benefits, which is why some employers fight legitimate claims.

Just wanted to follow up on the Claimyr thing - I used it again last week to check on my wife's claim status and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. The agent was able to explain exactly what documents she needed to submit. Definitely recommend if you're getting nowhere with the regular phone system.

Question - if I'm disqualified for one issue, can I still get benefits for other weeks where that issue doesn't apply? Like if I was disqualified for not being available one week but I was available other weeks?

Update: I finally got through to Washington ESD using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. The agent explained that my employer reported I abandoned my job, which is completely false. I was laid off with 15 other people due to contract loss. I'm definitely going to appeal this and I have emails proving it was a layoff. Thanks everyone for the advice!

For anyone else dealing with disqualification - don't wait to appeal if you disagree with the decision. That 30-day deadline is firm and Washington ESD rarely grants extensions. File the appeal even if you don't have all your evidence ready yet.

Just to clarify for others reading this - disqualified means Washington ESD has made a specific determination that you don't meet eligibility requirements. It's not the same as your claim being denied due to insufficient wages or work history. Disqualification is about your conduct or availability, not your work record.

One last thing - if you're successful with your appeal, you'll receive all the back pay for the weeks you were incorrectly disqualified. But remember, there might be a waiting period before payments start if you haven't served your waiting week yet.

I went through something similar a few months ago. The key thing to understand is that "disqualified" means Washington ESD found a specific reason you don't meet their eligibility requirements - it's not just a simple denial. Since you mentioned you were laid off from your warehouse job, this could be a case where your employer reported the separation differently than what actually happened. I'd recommend calling Washington ESD (or using that Claimyr service others mentioned) to find out exactly what your employer reported. In the meantime, definitely keep filing your weekly claims even while disqualified - this protects your right to those benefits if you successfully appeal. The determination letter should arrive soon and will explain the specific reason for disqualification. If it's wrong, you have 30 days to appeal, so don't wait!

I'm dealing with a similar disqualification issue right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I just want to add that if you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD by phone, try calling right when they open at 8:00 AM - that's when I had the most luck. Also, when you do get through, ask them to email you a copy of your determination letter if you haven't received it yet. Sometimes the mail gets delayed but they can send it electronically. Don't get discouraged - the appeal process really does work if you have the documentation to back up your case. Keep all your paperwork organized and make copies of everything before you submit it!

I just want to echo what others have said about not giving up if you know you were legitimately laid off. The same thing happened to my brother - he was part of a company-wide layoff but his employer reported it as job abandonment to avoid paying unemployment taxes. He was initially disqualified but won his appeal after providing his layoff notice and getting statements from other employees who were laid off the same day. The whole process took about 2 months but he received full back pay. Make sure to document everything - dates, conversations with supervisors, any written notices you received. Even if you don't have formal paperwork, witness statements from coworkers can be really powerful evidence. The hearing officers understand that some employers try to game the system, so they're usually pretty thorough in reviewing the evidence. Good luck with your appeal!