Will applying for TTD unemployment affect my chances of being rehired by former employer?
I'm really anxious about my current situation and could use some advice. I voluntarily left my healthcare position about 10 months ago when my department's funding was being restructured (would have meant completely different responsibilities). Another big factor was needing to be home for my son who has Type 1 diabetes and was having serious complications. In March this year I developed severe tendonitis that left me unable to work at all. I've been through physical therapy and my doctor just cleared me to return to work as of last week. I've applied to three open positions at my former hospital employer that match my qualifications. I'm looking into Temporary Total Disability unemployment benefits to help while I job search, but I'm worried - if I apply for TTD benefits or get approved, would that somehow flag me in the system and hurt my chances of being rehired? My former manager seemed positive about bringing me back, but I'm concerned HR might view an unemployment claim negatively. Has anyone navigated a similar situation with disability benefits and returning to a previous employer? I'm so stressed about finances but don't want to shoot myself in the foot for getting rehired.
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Philip Cowan
Your unemployment benefits are completely separate from the hiring process at your former employer. When you file for TTD benefits, ESD contacts employers to verify information, but this is standard procedure and doesn't create any kind of "red flag" for future employment. I went through something similar with a back injury in 2024 and my old company rehired me three months later - they never even mentioned my unemployment claim.
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Kara Yoshida
•Thank you for sharing your experience! That's reassuring to hear. Did you have to explain anything about your unemployment claim during the interview process when they rehired you?
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Caesar Grant
i thot u cant get disability unemployment if u quit volenterily?? somone correct me if im wrong but doesnt ESD deny u if u leave ur job even if u were later disabled?
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Lena Schultz
•You're confusing regular UI with TTD (Temporary Total Disability). For TTD benefits, the separation reason from your last employer doesn't matter as much as your current medical situation. The key requirements are: 1) You must have worked 680 hours in your base year, 2) You must be temporarily unable to work due to a non-work-related injury/illness, and 3) You must have a doctor's certification. The OP mentioned being cleared to return to work now, which might actually complicate eligibility since TTD requires being unable to perform your customary work.
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Gemma Andrews
I handle hiring for a mid-size company, and I can tell you with certainty that unemployment claims don't factor into our hiring decisions. By law, unemployment information is confidential between you, ESD, and previous employers for verification purposes only. However, I'm concerned about your TTD eligibility. Since your doctor cleared you to return to work, you may no longer qualify for TTD benefits, which specifically require you to be unable to perform your regular work. You might want to call ESD directly to ask about your specific situation before applying. If you're having trouble reaching ESD, I've heard good things about a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps connect you with an ESD agent without the endless waiting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Might be worth checking out if you need specific answers about your situation quickly.
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Kara Yoshida
•Thank you for that insight! You're right - I should clarify my eligibility since I've been cleared to work. The doctor did say I should avoid certain repetitive motions that were common in my previous role, so maybe that's relevant? I'll check out that service - I tried calling ESD yesterday and gave up after an hour on hold.
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Pedro Sawyer
My sister-in-law is an HR director and she told me that in Washington state, employers CAN see if you've filed unemployment claims against them through their ESD employer portal. BUT, it's illegal for them to discriminate against you for exercising your legal right to unemployment benefits. Most professional HR departments understand this is a normal part of business.
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Gemma Andrews
•This is correct - employers can see claims filed against their account (which affects their experience rating for unemployment taxes), but using this information in hiring decisions would be discriminatory. Any reputable employer, especially a healthcare organization, would have policies preventing this type of discrimination.
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Mae Bennett
OMG I HATE the ESD system!! I spent WEEKS trying to get my TTD claim processed and they kept requesting the same medical documents over and over!!! Make sure you keep copies of EVERYTHING and follow up constantly. They "lost" my doctor's certification twice!!! So frustrating!!
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Kara Yoshida
•Oh no, that sounds awful! I'll definitely keep copies of everything. Did you eventually get approved? How long did the whole process take?
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Beatrice Marshall
Im in a similar situation but my doctor said Im still disabled but can do "light duty" work. ESD denied my TTD claim saying I can work!!! But no one will hire me with all these restrictions!!! The whole system is broken and they dont care about people who are suffering.
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Lena Schultz
•That's a really challenging situation. With light duty restrictions, you might want to look into partial unemployment benefits rather than TTD. You can work part-time with restrictions and still qualify for partial UI benefits if your earnings are below a certain threshold. You would need to be actively looking for work you can do within your restrictions though.
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Caesar Grant
just wondering - did u try getting hired back at the same place b4 applying for benefits? might be faster just to go back to work if they'll take u
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Kara Yoshida
•Yes, I've applied to three positions already, but the hiring process takes time. Two are still listed as "under review" and I have a preliminary phone screening for the third one next week. I'm just worried about managing financially during this gap period.
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Philip Cowan
Update on my situation - I called ESD this morning using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above, and it actually worked! Got through to an agent in about 10 minutes who explained that since I'm now medically cleared to work (even with some restrictions), I should apply for regular unemployment instead of TTD. She said I might still qualify since I have a good reason for leaving my last job (child's medical needs is considered good cause in some cases). Going to file my application today and see what happens. Just wanted to share in case it helps anyone else!
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Kara Yoshida
•Thank you so much for updating us! That's really helpful information. I'm going to try the same thing. Did you have to explain that you're applying to positions at your former employer? I wonder if that affects anything.
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