What to say to Washington ESD unemployment when fired - need help with application

Be honest but brief. Don't volunteer extra information that could hurt you. Just stick to the basic facts.

I went through this exact thing 6 months ago. Washington ESD will ask for your reason for separation on the initial claim. You can put 'discharged' and then explain briefly in the comments section. They'll contact your employer too so make sure your story matches what your employer will say. The key is whether it was misconduct or just poor performance - there's a big difference in how Washington ESD treats those.

I had such a hard time getting through to Washington ESD when I had questions about my termination situation. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at Washington ESD within minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Made such a difference when I needed to explain my separation details to an actual agent.

whatever you do dont lie because they WILL find out when they contact your employer

The Washington ESD separation questionnaire will ask specific questions about your termination. They want to know if you violated company policy, if you were warned about performance, if you were absent or late, etc. Answer each question truthfully but don't write a novel. Keep it factual and professional.

The whole system is designed to trip you up. They act like everyone's trying to scam them when most of us just lost our jobs through no fault of our own. Performance issues my ass - companies just use that as an excuse to avoid paying severance.

If you think you were really fired unfairly you might want to talk to an employment lawyer too. Sometimes there's wrongful termination issues that could affect your UI claim.

Same thing happened to my coworker last year. She was honest about being fired for performance and still got approved. The key was showing she wasn't doing anything intentionally wrong.

been there done that. just tell the truth and dont overthink it. most performance firings still qualify for unemployment unless you were like stealing or something obvious

One more thing - if your claim does go into adjudication because of the termination, that's when having a way to reach Washington ESD becomes really important. The Claimyr service I mentioned earlier was a lifesaver during my adjudication process. Being able to actually talk to someone and explain my situation properly made all the difference in getting it resolved quickly.

Update: I submitted my claim this morning and put 'discharged for performance issues' as my separation reason. Kept the explanation short and factual like you all suggested. Now just waiting to see what happens. Fingers crossed!

For anyone else reading this thread - remember that even if you're initially denied for misconduct, you can appeal. I've seen plenty of performance-related denials get overturned on appeal when people can show they were trying to do their job.

also make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even if your initial claim is being reviewed. dont stop filing or you could lose benefits for those weeks

honestly the whole fired vs quit thing is way overblown. most people who get fired for regular performance stuff still get unemployment. its the people who get fired for stealing or fighting or not showing up who get denied

One thing to remember is Washington ESD looks at the reason for termination AND your work history. If you were a good employee for years before having performance issues, that usually works in your favor.

The key thing Washington ESD looks at is whether your actions were 'willful' or 'wanton disregard' of your employer's interests. Struggling with performance because of workload or lack of training usually doesn't meet that standard. You should be fine.

Just to close the loop on the Claimyr thing - I know some people are skeptical about third-party services, but when I was dealing with my termination situation, being able to get through to Washington ESD immediately instead of spending days trying was worth every penny. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to get things sorted out properly.

final advice - when you talk to washington esd (whether on phone or in writing) be respectful and professional. getting defensive or angry will not help your case even if you feel justified

Thanks everyone for all the advice and support. I feel a lot more confident about my claim now. Will update when I hear back from Washington ESD!