What happens when you appeal unemployment decision in Washington ESD?

The appeal process has several steps. First, you file your appeal within 30 days of the denial notice. Then Washington ESD will schedule a hearing with an administrative law judge. You'll get to present your case and provide evidence. The whole process usually takes 6-12 weeks from filing to decision.

I went through this last year. The hearing is usually done by phone and lasts about 30-45 minutes. Make sure you have all your documentation ready - emails, photos, witness statements, anything that proves your case. The judge will ask you questions and give your employer a chance to respond too.

Just a heads up - if you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD to ask questions about your appeal, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach an agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call.

Whatever you do, don't miss the appeal deadline! I learned this the hard way. You have exactly 30 days from when the determination was mailed, not when you received it. If you miss it, you're basically screwed unless you have a really good reason for the delay.

Been dealing with Washington ESD for months and their appeal process is such a joke. The judges are supposed to be impartial but half of them seem to side with employers no matter what evidence you have. The whole system is designed to deny benefits and make it as hard as possible to get help.

For unsafe working conditions, you'll need to prove that: 1) The conditions were genuinely unsafe, 2) You reported them to your employer, 3) Your employer failed to fix them, and 4) A reasonable person would have quit under those circumstances. Documentation is key - photos, emails, incident reports, anything official.

Just went through an appeal hearing last month. The judge was actually pretty fair and asked good questions. My advice is to stick to the facts and don't get emotional even if your employer lies or exaggerates. Let the evidence speak for itself.

Make sure you understand the difference between quitting with good cause and being fired. If you quit, the burden of proof is on you to show you had no choice. It's a higher bar than most people realize.

One thing to remember is that even if you lose the initial appeal, you can appeal again to the Board of Appeals. But that takes even longer and has stricter requirements for new evidence.

If you need to talk to Washington ESD about your appeal status or have questions about the process, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier really does work. I used it again yesterday to check on something and got through in like 15 minutes. Way better than the usual runaround.

Also make sure you keep track of all your job search activities during the appeal. If you win, they'll want to see that you were actively looking for work the whole time you were filing claims.

Don't let them intimidate you during the hearing. I was so nervous I could barely speak at first, but the judge was patient and helped me explain my situation clearly. Just be honest and stick to the facts.

been through 3 appeals over the years and won 2 of them. key is having your story straight and evidence to back it up. don't ramble or go off on tangents during the hearing, answer the questions directly

One more tip - if you have any witnesses who can testify about the unsafe conditions, try to have them available during the hearing. They don't have to be physically present, they can join by phone too.

The worst part about appeals is the waiting. You're already stressed about money and then you have to wait months to find out if you'll get any help. The system really needs to move faster.

My hearing got rescheduled twice because of technical issues with their phone system. Just be prepared for possible delays and make sure they have current contact info for you.

Since we're talking about contacting Washington ESD - seriously try that Claimyr thing if you need to reach them during your appeal. I've recommended it to like 5 people now and everyone said it worked. Check out claimyr.com, they explain how the whole thing works.

Quick question - if I win my appeal, do I get paid for all the weeks I filed claims during the appeal process? Even though I was technically denied?

Just remember that if your employer doesn't show up to the hearing, it doesn't automatically mean you win. The judge still has to determine if you had good cause to quit based on the evidence you present.

The appeal hearing recording is your friend. They record everything so if there are any issues with the decision you can point to exactly what was said during the hearing.