Washington ESD unemployment no fault of your own - what qualifies?
I'm trying to understand what Washington ESD considers 'no fault of your own' for unemployment eligibility. My employer just told me they're eliminating my position due to budget cuts after 3 years of good performance reviews. I know this should qualify but I want to make sure I understand all the criteria before I file my claim. What exactly does Washington ESD look for when determining if job loss was through no fault of your own? Are there any situations that seem like they should qualify but actually don't?
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Kristian Bishop
No fault of your own typically includes layoffs, company closures, position elimination, reduction in force, or being let go for reasons beyond your control. Your situation with budget cuts and position elimination definitely qualifies. Just make sure you have documentation from your employer about the reason for termination.
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Eva St. Cyr
•That's reassuring, thank you. They gave me a letter stating it was due to budget constraints and position elimination. Should I include that with my Washington ESD application?
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Kristian Bishop
•Yes, definitely keep that letter and upload it if Washington ESD requests documentation. It's solid proof that the separation wasn't your fault.
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Kaitlyn Otto
i got laid off last month for similar reasons and had no problems with my claim approval. washington esd was pretty straightforward about it since i had the paperwork showing it was a layoff
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Eva St. Cyr
•How long did it take for your claim to get approved? Mine is still in adjudication after a week.
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Kaitlyn Otto
•mine took about 10 days but that was because they had to verify my employment history with a previous employer
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Axel Far
Been dealing with Washington ESD claims for years and here's what typically qualifies as no fault of your own: layoffs, company downsizing, business closure, elimination of your position, lack of available work, or being discharged for reasons not related to misconduct. What DOESN'T qualify: quitting without good cause, being fired for misconduct, or job abandonment.
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Jasmine Hernandez
•What about if you're forced to quit because of unsafe working conditions? Does that count as good cause?
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Axel Far
•Yes, that can qualify as good cause but you'll need solid documentation proving the unsafe conditions and that you tried to resolve them with your employer first. Washington ESD scrutinizes those cases more carefully.
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Luis Johnson
•THIS^ is so important. I tried to claim good cause for quitting due to harassment and it was a nightmare without proper documentation.
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Ellie Kim
If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD to check on your claim status or get clarification about no fault determinations, I used claimyr.com recently and it actually worked. They have this system that helps you get through to an actual agent instead of sitting on hold forever. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Fiona Sand
•Never heard of that service before. Does it actually work or is it just another scam?
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Ellie Kim
•I was skeptical too but I got through to a Washington ESD agent in under 30 minutes. Way better than the 2+ hours I was spending on hold before.
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Eva St. Cyr
•Might be worth trying if my adjudication drags on much longer. Thanks for the tip!
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Mohammad Khaled
Washington ESD also considers temporary layoffs as no fault of your own, even if there's a chance you might be called back. I was laid off from construction work last winter and qualified even though my boss said it might be temporary.
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Eva St. Cyr
•That's good to know. Did you have to do anything special since it was potentially temporary?
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Mohammad Khaled
•Nope, just filed normally. If they had called me back I would have reported it on my weekly claims, but they never did.
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Alina Rosenthal
Be careful about the 'misconduct' thing though. Some employers try to claim you were fired for cause even when it wasn't really misconduct. Washington ESD has pretty specific definitions of what constitutes misconduct that disqualifies you.
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Finnegan Gunn
•What kind of things count as misconduct? I'm worried my old boss might try to claim I was fired for cause even though it was really just personality conflicts.
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Axel Far
•Misconduct usually has to be willful disregard of employer's interests, deliberate violations of rules, or actions that harm the employer. Personality conflicts or performance issues generally don't rise to the level of disqualifying misconduct.
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Alina Rosenthal
•Exactly. Washington ESD looks at whether your actions were intentional and significantly harmful to the employer, not just whether you didn't get along with your boss.
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Miguel Harvey
ugh the whole no fault thing is so confusing sometimes. like what if you get sick a lot and they fire you for attendance? is that misconduct or no fault?
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Kristian Bishop
•That's usually considered no fault if you had legitimate medical reasons and followed proper procedures for reporting absences. But you'd need medical documentation to support your case.
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Miguel Harvey
•ok good to know. i have doctors notes for everything so hopefully that would help if i ever need to file
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Ashley Simian
I've seen cases where people think they qualify but don't - like if you're a contractor and your contract just ends normally, that's not necessarily 'no fault of your own' in Washington ESD's eyes because contract work has expected end dates.
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Oliver Cheng
•Wait really? I thought any job ending qualified you for unemployment benefits?
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Axel Far
•Not quite. If you're a true independent contractor, you generally don't qualify for unemployment at all. But if you're misclassified as a contractor when you should be an employee, that's different.
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Ashley Simian
•Yeah, the contractor thing is tricky. Washington ESD looks at the actual relationship, not just what the employer calls you.
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Taylor To
Another thing to watch out for - if you had multiple jobs and only lost one of them, Washington ESD calculates your eligibility differently. It's still no fault of your own, but your benefit amount might be reduced based on the income from your remaining job.
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Eva St. Cyr
•I only had the one job that got eliminated, so hopefully that won't be an issue for me.
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Taylor To
•You should be fine then. Just make sure to report any new work accurately on your weekly claims.
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Ellie Kim
Just wanted to follow up on the Claimyr thing - I actually used it again yesterday to ask about my job search requirements and got through to someone who explained everything clearly. Definitely recommend it if you need to talk to Washington ESD about your specific situation.
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Ella Cofer
•How much does it cost to use that service?
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Ellie Kim
•They don't ask for payment info upfront, just helps you navigate the phone system better. Way less frustrating than trying to call on your own.
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Kevin Bell
The key thing is documentation. Even if your job loss is clearly no fault of your own, Washington ESD might ask for proof. Keep your termination letter, any emails about layoffs, company announcements, etc. Makes the whole process much smoother.
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Eva St. Cyr
•Good point. I saved all the emails about the budget cuts and reorganization. Hopefully that's enough documentation.
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Kevin Bell
•That sounds perfect. The more official documentation you have, the less likely they are to question your eligibility.
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Savannah Glover
Don't forget that even if Washington ESD initially denies your claim, you can appeal the decision. I had a friend whose claim was denied at first because the employer disputed the reason for termination, but she won on appeal with proper documentation.
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Felix Grigori
•How long do you have to file an appeal if they deny your claim?
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Axel Far
•You have 30 days from the date of the determination letter to file an appeal. Don't wait - that deadline is firm.
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Savannah Glover
•Exactly. And keep filing your weekly claims during the appeal process, even if you're not getting paid yet. You can get back pay if you win the appeal.
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Felicity Bud
washington esd is usually pretty reasonable about no fault determinations if you have your paperwork in order. your situation with position elimination due to budget cuts is like textbook no fault of your own
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Eva St. Cyr
•Thanks, that makes me feel more confident about my claim. Just hoping the adjudication process doesn't take too long.
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Max Reyes
•Mine took 3 weeks but I think that was longer than usual. Most people I know got approved within 1-2 weeks for straightforward layoffs.
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Mikayla Davison
One more thing - if you're worried about the adjudication process taking forever, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier actually helped me check on my claim status when I couldn't get through the regular phone lines. Worth trying if you get stuck in limbo for weeks.
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Eva St. Cyr
•I might give that a try if I don't hear anything by next week. Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone!
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Adrian Connor
•Good luck with your claim! Sounds like you have everything you need for approval.
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Andrew Pinnock
Just went through this exact situation last year when my company did budget cuts. Your position elimination definitely qualifies as "no fault of your own" - Washington ESD approved mine without any issues. The key things they look for are: you didn't quit voluntarily, you weren't fired for misconduct, and the job loss was due to circumstances beyond your control (like budget cuts, layoffs, company closure, etc.). Since you have documentation from your employer about the budget constraints and position elimination, you should be in good shape. Make sure to keep all that paperwork and be ready to upload it if they ask during the application process.
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