Washington ESD unemployment eligibility after resigning from job - if you resign from a job can you collect unemployment?
I'm in a really tough spot and considering resigning from my current job due to some serious workplace issues, but I'm worried about whether I'd qualify for unemployment benefits in Washington state. I've been dealing with harassment from my supervisor and the company won't address it properly. The work environment has become toxic and it's affecting my mental health. I know generally if you quit you can't get unemployment, but I've heard there might be exceptions for situations like mine. Does anyone know if Washington ESD considers hostile work environment or harassment as good cause for quitting? I really need to get out of this job but I can't afford to be without income. Any advice would be really helpful.
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Maya Lewis
Washington ESD does allow unemployment benefits if you quit for 'good cause' which includes situations like harassment or unsafe working conditions. However, you need to document everything thoroughly before you quit. Save emails, write down incidents with dates and witnesses, and try to resolve it through HR first. The key is proving you had no reasonable alternative but to quit.
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Benjamin Carter
•Thank you! I've been keeping a log of incidents but haven't tried HR yet because they're buddy-buddy with my supervisor. Should I still go through the motions even if I don't think it'll help?
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Maya Lewis
•Yes, definitely document that you attempted to resolve it through proper channels. Washington ESD will want to see that you tried all reasonable options before quitting.
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Isaac Wright
Be really careful with this. I quit my job last year thinking I had good cause and Washington ESD denied my claim initially. The appeals process took months and I had to provide tons of documentation. Even though I eventually won, I went without benefits for a long time. Make sure your documentation is rock solid.
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Benjamin Carter
•That's exactly what I'm worried about. How long did the whole appeals process take for you?
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Isaac Wright
•Almost 4 months from start to finish. During that time I had to survive on savings and help from family. It was really stressful but I'm glad I stuck with it.
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Lucy Taylor
I was in a similar situation and used Claimyr to help me get through to Washington ESD when my claim was being reviewed. The service helped me reach an actual person who could explain exactly what documentation I needed for my good cause quit. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Really saved me time and stress during an already difficult situation.
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Connor Murphy
•Never heard of that service before. Does it actually work for getting through to Washington ESD? I've been trying to call for weeks about my own claim.
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Lucy Taylor
•Yeah it worked for me. I was spending hours trying to call and getting nowhere. With Claimyr I was able to get through and talk to someone about my specific situation within a reasonable time.
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KhalilStar
ugh this is such a hard situation. I stayed at a toxic job way too long because I was scared about unemployment. Looking back I should have documented everything and quit sooner. The stress was making me sick and affecting my performance anyway.
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Benjamin Carter
•That's where I am now - the stress is making me physically ill and I'm worried it's going to affect my work performance which could get me fired anyway.
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Amelia Dietrich
•If you think you might get fired anyway, it's definitely better to quit for good cause than to get terminated for poor performance. That would make getting unemployment much harder.
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Kaiya Rivera
What exactly counts as 'good cause' for Washington ESD? I thought it was pretty limited to things like not getting paid or major changes to your job duties.
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Maya Lewis
•Good cause in Washington includes harassment, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, significant changes to job duties or pay, and situations where continuing work would be detrimental to health or safety. It's broader than some people think but you need strong documentation.
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Kaiya Rivera
•Good to know, thanks for the clarification!
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Katherine Ziminski
I had a friend who quit due to harassment and got approved for unemployment but it took forever. She said the key was having witnesses and written documentation. Also she had to prove she tried to work things out with the company first.
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Benjamin Carter
•Did she need a lawyer or was she able to handle the process herself?
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Katherine Ziminski
•She did it herself but said it was a lot of paperwork and phone calls. She also mentioned using some service to help get through to Washington ESD faster when she needed to check on her claim status.
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Noah Irving
Just want to add that if you do quit for good cause, you still need to actively look for work and meet all the other requirements for unemployment benefits. It's not just about proving good cause for quitting.
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Benjamin Carter
•Right, I know about the job search requirements. Do those start immediately after I quit or after my claim is approved?
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Noah Irving
•They start once you begin receiving benefits. You'll need to log your job search activities and file weekly claims like anyone else on unemployment.
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Vanessa Chang
The documentation thing can't be emphasized enough. I had what I thought was a clear case of good cause but didn't have enough written proof. Washington ESD denied my claim and I couldn't successfully appeal. Don't make my mistake - document EVERYTHING.
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Benjamin Carter
•What kind of documentation did you wish you had collected?
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Vanessa Chang
•Emails showing the harassment, witness statements, documentation of complaints to HR, medical records if the stress affected your health, anything that shows the timeline and severity of the situation.
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Madison King
I work in HR and while I can't give legal advice, I can say that most companies would rather resolve these issues than deal with unemployment claims and potential lawsuits. Have you considered talking to an employment attorney before quitting?
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Benjamin Carter
•I haven't thought about a lawyer. Would that help with the unemployment claim process too?
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Madison King
•An employment attorney could help you understand your rights and potentially strengthen your case for good cause if you do decide to quit. Some offer free consultations.
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Julian Paolo
Whatever you do, don't just walk out without trying to resolve it first. Washington ESD will want to see that you exhausted all reasonable options. Even if HR is useless, having that paper trail of trying helps your case.
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Benjamin Carter
•I'm planning to send an email to HR this week documenting everything and requesting a meeting. At least then I'll have proof I tried.
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Ella Knight
•Good plan. Keep copies of everything and follow up in writing if they don't respond adequately.
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William Schwarz
The whole system is so frustrating. You shouldn't have to stay in a job that's making you sick just because you're worried about unemployment benefits. I hope Washington ESD approves your claim if you decide to quit.
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Benjamin Carter
•Thanks, I appreciate the support. It really is a terrible position to be in.
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Lauren Johnson
•Hang in there. Document everything and don't be afraid to use resources like Claimyr if you need help navigating the Washington ESD system. Your health and safety matter more than any job.
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Jade Santiago
I quit for good cause about two years ago and got approved for unemployment. The process was stressful but worth it in the end. The key things that helped my case were: detailed incident logs with dates, emails showing I reported the issues, witness contact information, and medical documentation showing the impact on my health.
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Benjamin Carter
•How long did it take from when you filed until you started receiving benefits?
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Jade Santiago
•About 6 weeks total. There was an initial review period, then I had to provide additional documentation, then they made their decision. It felt like forever when I was waiting though.
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Caleb Stone
Make sure you understand the difference between voluntary quit and misconduct too. If your employer tries to claim you were terminated for misconduct instead of acknowledging you quit, that could complicate things with Washington ESD.
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Benjamin Carter
•Good point. I haven't thought about them potentially lying about the reason I left.
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Caleb Stone
•It happens more than you'd think. That's another reason why having good documentation is so important - it protects you if they misrepresent the situation.
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Daniel Price
Has anyone used the WorkSource offices for help with this kind of situation? I know they help with job searching but wasn't sure if they provide guidance on unemployment eligibility.
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Olivia Evans
•WorkSource can provide some general information but for specific eligibility questions you really need to talk directly to Washington ESD. They're separate agencies.
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Daniel Price
•Thanks for clarifying that. I always get confused about which agency handles what.
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Sophia Bennett
One more thing to consider - if you quit and your claim gets denied initially, you can appeal but you need to do it quickly. I think you only have 30 days from the determination letter to file an appeal with Washington ESD.
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Benjamin Carter
•Good to know about the deadline. I'll make sure to watch for that if I end up in that situation.
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Aiden Chen
•And during the appeals process, keep looking for work and documenting your job search. Even if you're not getting benefits yet, you want to show you're meeting all the requirements.
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Zoey Bianchi
This thread has been really helpful. I'm in a somewhat similar situation and didn't know about the good cause provisions. Going to start documenting everything now just in case I need to use this information later.
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Benjamin Carter
•Glad it's been helpful for you too. It's such a stressful situation to be in but at least knowing our options helps.
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Christopher Morgan
•Definitely start that documentation now rather than trying to remember everything later. Dates and details matter a lot for these cases.
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