Washington ESD - how long is an employer responsible for unemployment benefits after termination?

In Washington, employers contribute to the unemployment insurance fund through taxes, but they don't pay benefits directly to individual claimants. Your employer's account can be charged for benefits paid to former employees, but there are specific rules about how long this continues.

From what I understand, employers in Washington are typically charged for benefits for up to 52 weeks or until the claimant finds new work, whichever comes first. But if you were fired for misconduct and they can prove it, you might not get benefits at all.

I had a similar situation last year and couldn't get through to Washington ESD no matter how many times I called. Found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an agent within minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out claimyr.com if you need to talk to someone urgently about your adjudication.

Employers in Washington are subject to what's called 'benefit charging' for usually the entire benefit year of the claimant. This means if you're eligible for 26 weeks of regular unemployment, your former employer's account gets charged for those weeks. However, if they successfully prove misconduct, they won't be charged at all because you'd be disqualified.

This whole system is so confusing! I thought employers had to pay unemployment directly like workers comp or something. No wonder they fight every claim - it affects their tax rates.

What kind of misconduct are they claiming? Washington has pretty specific rules about what qualifies as disqualifying misconduct vs. just poor performance.

I've been through this before with a previous employer. The charging period for Washington employers can actually extend beyond the initial benefit year in some cases, especially if there are appeals involved.

just went through adjudication myself last month. took forever but i eventually got approved. employer tried to claim misconduct but couldn't prove it. they're definitely still paying into the system for my benefits even though it's been 8 weeks now

Since you mentioned not being able to get through to Washington ESD, I really do recommend trying Claimyr. I used it twice during my claim process and it saved me so much frustration. The service connects you directly to agents who can actually look at your case.

To directly answer your original question: Washington employers are responsible for benefit charges as long as you're collecting unemployment benefits that are chargeable to their account. This continues until you exhaust your benefits, find new work, or become ineligible. There's no arbitrary time cutoff where they stop being responsible.

My employer tried the same thing when I was laid off. They disputed it claiming I quit when I was actually terminated. Washington ESD saw right through it during the fact-finding interview.

The key thing to remember is that employers don't pay benefits forever. In Washington, the maximum is typically 26 weeks of regular UI benefits, though this can extend with federal programs during high unemployment periods.

This is exactly why some employers contest every single unemployment claim, even obviously legitimate ones. The cost adds up and affects their experience rating with Washington ESD.

Wait, so if I collect unemployment for 6 months, my old employer is getting charged every single week for that entire time? No wonder they're fighting it so hard!

I worked in HR for years and can tell you that employers in Washington are charged for the full duration of an employee's benefit period, but only if the termination wasn't for misconduct. That's why the adjudication process is so important - it determines whether the charges stick.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if you win the adjudication, your employer can still appeal the decision. This can extend the whole process for months, but they'd still be responsible for benefits if they ultimately lose.

For what it's worth, I used Claimyr when I was dealing with a similar adjudication issue. Being able to actually speak to a Washington ESD representative made all the difference in understanding my case status and what documentation I needed.

Bottom line: Washington employers are financially responsible for unemployment benefits for the entire time an eligible former employee collects, up to the maximum benefit period. They can't just stop being charged after a few weeks or months.

been following this thread and just wanted to say good luck with your adjudication. sounds like you have a solid case if the attendance issues were medical and documented

To summarize for anyone else reading this: Washington employers are charged for unemployment benefits for the entire duration that their former employee collects benefits, provided the employee was eligible. The responsibility doesn't end after a set time period - it continues until benefits are exhausted, the claimant finds work, or becomes ineligible for other reasons.