Also, be prepared that if you do qualify, the maximum weekly benefit amount in 2025 is $1075. Your actual amount will depend on your earnings during your base year. The formula is basically 3.85% of your average quarterly wages in your highest-paid quarters. So do the math before you make any decisions to see if you can actually survive on UI benefits while job hunting.

I'm so sorry you're going through this - workplace harassment and hostile environments are incredibly draining on your mental health. I've been in a similar situation and want to share what I learned from my experience with ESD. The key thing is that Washington does allow unemployment benefits for voluntary quits IF you can prove "good cause." For hostile work environment cases, ESD looks for: 1. **Clear pattern of harassment/hostile behavior** - Keep detailed records with dates, times, witnesses, and specific incidents 2. **Good faith effort to resolve** - You must give your employer a reasonable chance to fix the problem through formal complaints 3. **No reasonable alternative** - Show you explored other options (transfers, HR complaints, etc.) Since you mentioned talking to your hiring manager twice but only verbally, I'd strongly recommend putting your concerns in writing via email. Something like: "Following up on our conversations about the ongoing workplace issues I've experienced with [coworker's name]. As discussed, [specific examples with dates]. This behavior is creating a hostile work environment that's affecting my ability to perform my job duties. I need management to take action to resolve this situation." Give them 2-3 weeks to respond/take action after the written complaint. If nothing changes, you'll have much stronger documentation for an ESD claim. Also document any anxiety/health impacts with your doctor if possible. The process can be lengthy (adjudication often takes 4-8 weeks), but many people do successfully get benefits approved for hostile work environment quits when they have proper documentation.

Quick follow-up since there's some confusion in this thread. You have three options: 1. File your weekly claim, report your earnings honestly, and complete your job searches (safest option) 2. Don't file a claim for that week at all (okay if it's just 1-2 weeks) 3. File your claim, report earnings, but report no job searches (risky - could disqualify you and trigger adjudication) Option 1 is the safest, even though it requires a bit more work. Option 2 is fine for a short period. I would never recommend Option 3.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this whole process multiple times. The safest route is definitely to keep filing and doing your job searches even when you know you won't get benefits that week. I learned this the hard way when I skipped filing for what I thought was just going to be two weeks of higher earnings from freelance work. Ended up being three weeks, and when I tried to file again, my claim had been automatically closed. Had to go through the whole reopening process which took forever and created a gap in my benefits when my freelance work dried up again. The 30 minutes it takes to do the minimum job search activities is so much better than dealing with ESD bureaucracy later!

In our case, WorkShare paid about 62% of our lost wages (we had a 25% hour reduction). So if someone normally made $1000/week and was reduced to $750, the $250 loss would get about $155 from WorkShare. Not perfect but WAY better than nothing, and we kept our health insurance. The exact percentage depends on your regular wages since there are minimum and maximum benefit amounts.

Just went through this exact situation 6 months ago! My employer reduced hours by 30% and put us on WorkShare. I had 4 weeks of vacation saved up and was worried I'd lose it all. Good news - you absolutely do NOT need to burn through your vacation time first with WorkShare. That's only a requirement for regular unemployment benefits. One tip though: when you do use vacation time later, make sure your payroll department understands how to report it properly to ESD. My company initially reported my vacation pay wrong during a week I took off in July, which caused a temporary hold on my benefits. Had to get HR and ESD on a three-way call to sort it out. But once they understood the process, everything went smoothly. The WorkShare program is honestly pretty great compared to regular UI - you keep your job, benefits, and can plan your time off normally. Just document everything and keep good records of your hours worked vs. paid vacation days.

Also remember that if you do get better and are able to work again, you can always file a new unemployment claim at that point if you're still job searching. Missing out on benefits now doesn't hurt your future eligibility.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - had to leave my job due to a chronic condition that flares up unpredictably. From what I've learned, Washington ESD is pretty strict about the "able and available" requirement, but there might be some wiggle room depending on your specific circumstances. If your doctor says you could do certain types of work (like sedentary office work) even if you can't do your previous job, that might help your case. I'd definitely recommend getting a detailed letter from your doctor about your limitations and capabilities. Also, look into Washington State's Paid Family and Medical Leave program - it's separate from unemployment but might provide some income support during your recovery period. The application process is through the ESD website but it's a different program entirely.

Just wanted to add that if you've been doing gig work, make sure you have records of your earnings from that too. Even though it probably won't count toward your base period wages for UI eligibility, Washington ESD might ask about any income you've had since your last claim ended. They want to make sure you're reporting everything accurately when you file your weekly claims. Also, don't get discouraged if the online system seems glitchy - it happens a lot but usually works if you try again later or use a different browser.

I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago. You can definitely reapply - since your benefit year ended, you'll file a completely new initial claim rather than reopening the old one. The process was pretty straightforward online, but make sure you have all your employer information handy from the past 5 quarters. One thing that caught me off guard was that my weekly benefit amount changed because it's calculated based on your new base period wages, not your previous claim. Also, be prepared for the waiting week again - even though you already served one on your previous claim, each new benefit year requires its own waiting week. The whole process took about 2-3 weeks from application to first payment in my case.