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For anyone wondering, you can see your estimated weekly benefit amount in your SecureAccess Washington account even before your claim is fully approved. It's under the claim summary section.
The whole unemployment system in Washington seems designed to confuse people. Between base periods, benefit years, weekly claims, and adjudication, it's like they don't want you to actually get benefits.
I understand the frustration, but the complexity exists because they have to follow federal and state laws about eligibility and benefit calculations. It's not intentionally confusing, just legally required to be thorough.
Last thing - make sure you're available for work and actively looking for jobs. Washington ESD does check on that stuff and it can affect your claim if you're not meeting the requirements.
Hoping you get good news soon! The first approval is always the most nerve-wracking but once it goes through the weekly payments usually come pretty regularly.
Just wanted to add that you should keep filing your weekly claims even while your initial claim is under review. If you get approved, you'll get paid for all those weeks retroactively. If you don't file the weekly claims, you won't get paid for those weeks even if approved.
The bottom line is that performance-related terminations are usually eligible for benefits. Washington ESD distinguishes between being fired for misconduct (which disqualifies you) and being fired for other reasons like performance or not being a good fit (which usually doesn't disqualify you). File your claim and let them make the determination.
Union members should check with their union rep too. Sometimes there are additional benefits or requirements for union workers filing UI claims. Your union might also help with the paperwork or appeals if needed.
One more thing - if you have any doubts about eligibility, just file anyway! The worst they can do is deny your claim, and you can always appeal if you think they're wrong. Don't talk yourself out of filing if you might qualify.
Ethan Taylor
I'm in week 4 of waiting and finally got my approval letter yesterday! First payment should hit my account in 2-3 business days. Just wanted to give you hope that it does eventually work out, even though the waiting is brutal.
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StarStrider
•That's awesome, congratulations! And thanks for sharing - it does give me hope that mine will come through soon too.
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Ethan Taylor
•The relief when I saw that approval letter was incredible. Hang in there!
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Omar Hassan
Just want to circle back on the Claimyr thing since a couple people asked about it. I used it twice during my claim - once to check on my initial application status and once when I had questions about my job search requirements. Both times I got connected to an agent within a few hours instead of spending my whole day trying to call. The video demo I mentioned (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ) shows exactly how it works if anyone wants to check it out.
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StarStrider
•I bookmarked that video for later. Hopefully I won't need it but good to know it's an option.
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Yuki Ito
•I was skeptical at first but honestly anything beats sitting on hold for hours. Wish I had known about this months ago.
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