What disqualifies you from unemployment in Washington state?
So I'm thinking about filing for unemployment but I want to make sure I won't get disqualified. I've heard there are certain things that can make you ineligible but I'm not sure what they are exactly. I left my last job because my hours got cut to basically nothing and it wasn't worth the commute anymore. Before that I had another job where I got fired for being late too many times (this was like 8 months ago). Will either of these situations disqualify me from getting Washington ESD benefits? What other things should I be worried about that might make me ineligible?
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Statiia Aarssizan
The main disqualifications for Washington unemployment are: 1) Quitting without good cause 2) Being fired for misconduct 3) Not being able and available for work 4) Refusing suitable work 5) Not actively searching for jobs. Your situation with reduced hours might qualify as constructive dismissal which could be good cause for leaving. The firing 8 months ago probably won't matter since it wasn't your most recent job.
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Ezra Beard
•That's helpful thank you! What counts as 'good cause' for quitting? My hours went from 35/week to maybe 10-12 and the drive was 45 minutes each way.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•Substantial reduction in hours can definitely be good cause, especially with that long commute. You'll need to document the hour reduction though - pay stubs, schedule changes, etc.
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Reginald Blackwell
Be careful about the misconduct thing - if you got fired for attendance issues that could still affect you even if it wasn't your most recent job. Washington ESD looks at your work history and pattern of behavior.
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Ezra Beard
•Oh no really? I thought they only cared about why you left your most recent job. How far back do they look?
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Aria Khan
•They primarily focus on your most recent separation but can consider other jobs in your base period if there's a pattern. One firing 8 months ago probably won't be an issue.
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Everett Tutum
I had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when my claim got flagged for review. Spent weeks trying to call during their peak hours. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me connected to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration.
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Sunny Wang
•How does that work exactly? Do they just keep calling for you or something?
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Everett Tutum
•Yeah basically they handle the calling and waiting so you don't have to sit on hold for hours. Was worth it when I needed to get my adjudication resolved quickly.
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Aria Khan
Here's the complete list of disqualifications in Washington: Voluntary quit without good cause, discharge for misconduct, refusal of suitable work, not able/available, inadequate job search, fraud, receiving other benefits that offset UI, not registering with WorkSourceWA when required, and not participating in reemployment services when assigned.
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Ezra Beard
•What's the WorkSourceWA registration requirement? Is that automatic or do I need to do something separate?
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Aria Khan
•You'll get instructions about WorkSourceWA registration if it's required for your claim. Not everyone has to register immediately but most people do eventually.
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Hugh Intensity
•I never had to register with WorkSourceWA and I collected for 6 months last year. Maybe it depends on your situation?
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Effie Alexander
the misconduct thing is tricky because washington esd can be really strict about it. i got fired from a job for arguing with my supervisor and they initially denied my claim. had to appeal and explain that it was really about unsafe working conditions that i was complaining about.
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Ezra Beard
•How long did the appeal process take? That sounds stressful.
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Effie Alexander
•took about 6 weeks total but i eventually won. the key was having documentation about the safety issues i had raised before.
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Statiia Aarssizan
For your specific situation with hour reduction, make sure you document everything - your original work schedule, the new reduced schedule, any communication about the changes, your attempts to get more hours, etc. This will help if Washington ESD questions whether you had good cause to quit.
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Ezra Beard
•Should I file right away or wait? I officially quit last Friday but my last day of work was actually two weeks ago since they didn't have any shifts for me.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•File as soon as possible! You can't get benefits for weeks you don't claim, and there's usually a waiting week anyway. Your claim effective date will be when you file, not when you actually stopped working.
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Melissa Lin
Just to add - if you're worried about disqualification, you can always file and see what happens. The worst they can do is deny your claim, and then you can appeal if you think they made a mistake. I've seen people get approved for benefits in situations where they thought they'd be disqualified.
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Lydia Santiago
•This is good advice. Washington ESD has gotten more lenient about some things, especially around good cause for quitting.
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Ezra Beard
•That makes me feel better. I was really worried I'd be wasting my time filing.
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Sunny Wang
Make sure you're actually eligible to work too - that's another requirement people sometimes forget about. You need to be physically able to work, available for work, and legally authorized to work in the US.
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Ezra Beard
•Yeah I'm good on all those fronts. Are there any other weird requirements I might not know about?
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Sunny Wang
•The main ones are what everyone else mentioned. Oh and if you're in school full-time that can sometimes be an issue depending on your program and schedule.
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Romeo Quest
WASHINGTON ESD IS SO STRICT ABOUT EVERYTHING! I got disqualified because they said I didn't do enough job searches even though I was applying to everything I could find. Had to keep detailed logs and reapply. The system is ridiculous.
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Val Rossi
•How many job searches do they want per week? I've heard different numbers.
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Romeo Quest
•They want at least 3 per week but honestly I'd do more than that to be safe. And keep detailed records of everything - company names, positions, dates, how you applied.
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Eve Freeman
Question about the fraud thing - what if you made an honest mistake on your application? Like if you estimated your wages wrong or something?
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Aria Khan
•Honest mistakes usually aren't considered fraud as long as you correct them when you discover the error. Fraud requires intentional deception. If you realize you made an error, contact Washington ESD to fix it.
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Eve Freeman
•Good to know, thanks. I was worried about getting the exact dollar amounts wrong from memory.
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Everett Tutum
Back to the calling issue - if you do get flagged for adjudication or have questions about disqualification, definitely consider using Claimyr to get through to an actual person at Washington ESD. The phone lines are impossible otherwise.
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Clarissa Flair
•Is it expensive? I'm trying to be careful with money while unemployed.
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Everett Tutum
•It's worth checking out their site to see if it makes sense for your situation. For me it was better than spending entire days trying to call and never getting through.
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Caden Turner
i quit my job because my boss was harassing me but i didn't report it to hr first. think that will hurt my case for good cause?
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Aria Khan
•Harassment can definitely be good cause for quitting, but Washington ESD will want to know if you tried to resolve it first. Not reporting to HR doesn't automatically disqualify you, but you'll need to explain why you didn't report it.
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Caden Turner
•ok good. it was a small company with no real hr so i wasn't sure who to tell anyway.
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McKenzie Shade
Don't forget about the able and available requirement. If you're going on vacation or have medical issues that prevent you from working, you need to report that or you could lose benefits for those weeks.
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Ezra Beard
•What if you get sick for a few days? Do you have to report every little thing?
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McKenzie Shade
•If you're unable to work or look for work due to illness, yes you should report it. A few days sick probably won't matter much but a week or more definitely would.
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Harmony Love
The job search requirement is the one that trips up most people. You have to be actively looking for work, not just saying you are. Washington ESD can audit your job search activities at any time.
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Rudy Cenizo
•What counts as a valid job search activity? Just online applications or other stuff too?
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Harmony Love
•Online applications, networking events, job fairs, contacting employers directly, working with employment agencies. Keep records of everything with dates and details.
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Natalie Khan
my friend told me that if you get any severance pay that disqualifies you is that true?
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Aria Khan
•Severance doesn't disqualify you but it might delay your benefits. Washington ESD will determine if the severance affects your claim and for which weeks. It depends on how the severance is structured and paid out.
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Natalie Khan
•oh okay so i should still apply even though i got a small severance package?
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Aria Khan
•Yes, definitely still apply. Let Washington ESD know about the severance when you file and they'll tell you how it affects your benefits.
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Daryl Bright
This thread has been really helpful! I was also worried about disqualification but it sounds like most situations have some kind of path forward, even if you have to appeal or provide documentation.
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Ezra Beard
•Agreed! I feel much more confident about filing now. Thanks everyone for all the advice.
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Sienna Gomez
•Good luck! Remember to file sooner rather than later - you can't get benefits for weeks you don't claim.
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
One more thing about the Claimyr service - I used it when I needed to talk to someone about a potential disqualification issue. Having an actual conversation with a Washington ESD rep made all the difference in understanding my situation.
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Ezra Beard
•That's good to know. I'll keep that in mind if I run into issues after filing.
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
•Yeah definitely bookmark it. The peace of mind from actually talking to someone who can look at your specific case is worth a lot.
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Abigail bergen
Final tip - when you file your claim, be completely honest about everything. It's better to explain a complicated situation upfront than to have Washington ESD discover something later that looks like you were trying to hide it.
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Ezra Beard
•That makes sense. I'll make sure to explain the whole situation with my hours being cut and why I decided to quit.
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Ahooker-Equator
•Exactly. Transparency is always the best policy with unemployment claims.
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Anastasia Ivanova
Just wanted to add that I went through a similar situation last year - my hours got cut from full-time to part-time and I eventually had to quit because it wasn't sustainable financially. Washington ESD approved my claim because the substantial reduction in hours was considered good cause. The key is documenting everything like others mentioned - I kept copies of my old schedule vs new schedule, emails about the changes, and even screenshots of my reduced paychecks. It took about 3 weeks to get my first payment but it was worth the wait. Don't let fear of disqualification stop you from filing - the worst they can say is no, and then you can appeal if needed.
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Emily Jackson
•This is really encouraging to hear! It sounds like you had almost exactly the same situation I'm dealing with. Can I ask what kind of documentation you found most helpful? I have some old schedules and recent pay stubs showing the reduced hours, but I'm wondering if there's anything else I should try to gather before I file.
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