When do you not get unemployment benefits in Washington - denied twice need advice

I had documentation of the harassment but they still denied me. Do I need a lawyer or something?

You can appeal the decision. You have 30 days from the notice date to file an appeal with Washington ESD. For harassment claims, you typically need written complaints to HR, witness statements, or other proof that shows you had good cause to quit.

Right?? It's so frustrating. Did you appeal or just give up?

I tried calling Washington ESD like 50 times to get more info but could never get through to anyone

Is it legit? I'm desperate at this point but don't want to get scammed

Yeah it's real, check out claimyr.com. They basically handle the calling for you so you don't have to sit on hold. Worth it when you need actual answers from Washington ESD about your case.

what counts as gross misconduct vs regular misconduct? is there a difference for washington esd?

Gross misconduct includes things like theft, violence, or criminal activity. Regular misconduct is violating company policy but not criminal. Both can disqualify you but gross misconduct has longer penalties.

Being late a few times due to childcare shouldn't be gross misconduct then. Maybe I have a chance on appeal?

6 months?! How did you survive without income for that long?

credit cards and borrowing money from family. it was awful. but i kept appealing and eventually won

I complained to HR twice and they did nothing. I have emails showing I reported it. Doesn't that count?

That should definitely count as good cause. You might want to request a hearing if you haven't already. Bring all your documentation - emails, witness statements, anything that shows the harassment and your attempts to resolve it.

I'm a citizen and worked full time for over a year at both jobs so that's not the issue

how many hours do you need to qualify? i only worked part time

You need to have earned at least $7,800 in your base period and worked in at least two quarters. There's also a formula for weekly benefit amounts based on your earnings.

I've been doing the job searches every week. It's the initial eligibility they're denying me on

make sure you're using worksource wa for some of your job searches. washington esd likes to see that

I'm going to try that claimyr thing. Regular calling isn't working and I need answers

let us know how it goes! i've been thinking about trying it too

Not getting any other benefits and not in school. Just unemployed and stressed

being stressed about money while dealing with washington esd bureaucracy is the worst. hang in there

I told my supervisor every time but they said it didn't matter. Company policy was 3 lates and you're out

That might not be misconduct then, especially if you were dealing with childcare emergencies. Definitely worth appealing if you documented the reasons for being late.

How long did the appeal take? I need money soon

mine took about 6 weeks from filing to hearing. you can request expedited processing if you're facing eviction or utilities shutoff

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to gather all my documentation and file appeals for both denials

good luck! the system sucks but sometimes persistence pays off

None of those apply to me. Just a single mom trying to juggle work and childcare

that's so unfair. childcare is a legitimate issue and employers should be understanding

I have a coworker who witnessed some of the harassment. Should I ask her to be a witness?

Absolutely! Witness testimony can be really powerful in unemployment hearings. Make sure she's prepared to speak specifically about what she saw.

That's good to know! I was worried I'd lose weeks of benefits. Going to file those appeals tomorrow

make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while appealing. you can't get retroactive pay if you don't file them

This is really helpful advice! I'm documenting everything now - keeping records of daycare closures, my child's sick days, and all the times I communicated with my supervisor about childcare issues. It's encouraging to hear that someone else went through multiple denials and still got approved. Did you use a lawyer for your appeal or represent yourself? I'm trying to decide if I need professional help or if I can handle it on my own with all this documentation.

I represented myself for both appeals and it worked out fine. The key is being organized and sticking to the facts. For the hearing, I made a timeline of events, brought printed copies of all my documentation, and practiced explaining my situation clearly. The judge was actually pretty understanding once I could tell the whole story instead of just filling out forms. If your case is straightforward like attendance due to childcare emergencies, you probably don't need a lawyer. Just make sure you understand the legal standard - for attendance, they need to prove it was willful misconduct, not just violating policy for legitimate reasons.

Safety concerns are definitely considered good cause for quitting in Washington! The key is showing you tried to get the employer to fix the unsafe conditions first. Your photos and emails to supervisors are exactly the kind of documentation you need. Make sure you can prove: 1) The conditions were genuinely unsafe/hazardous, 2) You reported them to management, 3) The employer failed to address the safety issues, and 4) A reasonable person would have quit under those circumstances. I've seen people win appeals for safety-related quits when they have solid documentation like yours. The appeals examiner will look at whether you exhausted reasonable options before quitting.