r/Unemployment

I’m preparing for a [Washington] unemployment OAH hearing and looking for advice from anyone familiar with WA unemployment appeals, especially voluntary quit/good-cause cases.

I accepted a PEP/separation agreement after being placed on a final written warning. My concern is that my case will be viewed simply as “she voluntarily quit,” without considering the circumstances that led to the separation.

Relevant timeline:
\*\*May 2022:\*\* Started employment after being recruited for the position.
\*\*November–December 2023:\*\* My husband experienced a severe medical crisis. I was his \*\*only caregiver\*\*. I was taking him to appointments, coordinating his care, trying to get him appropriate treatment, and managing crises when he was disconnected from reality. I took FMLA and then returned to work.
\*\*2024–2025:\*\* His medical crisis continued. I continued working full-time while being solely responsible for his care. I was functioning in survival mode and experienced significant physical and emotional effects. I was also seeing a therapist during this period.
\*\*August 2025:\*\* Received my first written warning for performance. I met with HR afterward and explained the circumstances and my commitment to improving.
\*\*August 2025–March 2026:\*\* Continued working and trying to improve rather than leaving.
\*\*March 31, 2026:\*\* Received a final written warning. HR explained the progression from written warning to final warning and then termination if performance did not improve. My manager also told me that he didn’t think my strengths aligned with the role. I was offered a PEP/separation plan.
\*\*April 3:\*\* Accepted the PEP.
\*\*April 17:\*\* Employment ended pursuant to the PEP.
\*\*May 3:\*\* Moved to Michigan.
\*\*July 6:\*\* Started a new job.

I understand that accepting the PEP makes this a voluntary-separation issue, and I’m not trying to claim that I was literally fired. My question is whether the circumstances potentially qualify as \*\*good cause under Washington law\*\*, particularly because my husband’s illness and my caregiving responsibilities were a major part of what was happening during the deterioration of my employment.

I also previously described myself as “laid off.” I did not intend to deceive ESD. At the time, I understood the PEP as an employer-driven separation because I was on a final warning, my manager had said my strengths didn’t align with the position, and the employer presented me with the exit plan. I now understand that “laid off” may not have been technically accurate.

I have documentation including the PEP, written/final warnings, HR documentation, and a statement from my therapist.

I’m especially interested in advice on:

\- Whether accepting a PEP after a final warning affects the good-cause analysis.
\- Whether taking FMLA, returning to work, and continuing to work for years while being my husband’s only caregiver supports the argument that I made reasonable efforts to preserve employment.
\- How the caregiving circumstances should be presented at the hearing.
\- How I should address having previously said I was “laid off.”
\- What questions I should be prepared for from the OAH judge.
\- I’m not looking for validation. If the facts don’t support my position under Washington law, I’d rather know that. I’m trying to understand what argument I actually have and how to present the facts accurately.

Thanks.

Long story short I was granted benefits but then my employer appealed and said it was misconduct but even in their emails to me and the evidence it was performance related. I had the appeal hearing and the TWC reversed the benefits and now I have to back pay them. What is the next steps? I was fired unexpectedly and had recommendation letters dismissing their narrative of me. I wasn’t put on PIP or was acknowledged that I was going to be terminated for x and y reasons.

So have a question and can't find a definite answer for through Google. started working for a company 4 months ago as a regional operations manager.

The job description says travel but no overnight travel.

During my interview with the owner he brought up that he looked up where lived and saw that I was pretty close to all the locationsI needed to go to. He said would be able to drive back and forth everyday or stay ina hotel, However I wanted to do it.

Long story short, I've been driving back and forth everyday. Now all the sudden it's become a big issue and they want me to start sleeping out in a hotel all week. Mind you my locations I need to visit are between 40 and 70 miles. It's kind of a waste of money to stay in a hotel to begin with.

Due to the sudden change in my job expectations I am resigning.

i already have my resignation email letter put together. My question is will i be able to file and collect unemployment since it is a big change in comparison to what I accepted when signed the offer letter?

Hi, I could use some help with this.

I was laid off from my full time job some weeks ago. Started to collect unemployment. One of the places I applied called me in for an interview. They said they'll hire me, but only part-time.

If I accept a part- time position, do I stop collecting unemployment? Can I get a reduced rate while I continue to seek full time work?

Edit: to clarify, I'm asking because I think I'll actually be making less working part time than I would be bringing in from unemployment.

Hi everyone. I have a few interviews and a job offer to start on 8/31/2026 (but I'm hoping other jobs come through and I get to cancel this one). What exactly do I need to do now? Should I call and report this? Just not file a certification for the week of 8/31? Any help or clarification is appreciated. TIA.

I lost my job recently and filed for unemployment right away, but I still haven’t received anything. I’ve been applying everywhere I can, but rent is due and my savings are almost gone. I’m honestly terrified and don’t know what else to do.

My

I was let go from a job that I had literally just received a perfect 100% annual review and a raise (had worked there for about 9 months). I had 0 complaints about my performance. I was blindsided. I asked the manager for a reason and was given a very generic BS answer. ("it's not working out" - vague) which again made no sense because I know I did a great job. So I try to move on and apply for unemployment. I told my side of the story and submitted the termination letter I requested from my employer so I would have the "reason" in writing.

Then my former employer told UI that I was "insubordinate" (in MN this is a reason for you to NOT qualify for unemployment) and that I refused to do a certain task. (A task I was never fully trained on, BTW). This story was completely fabricated. To what end, I do not know, other than they were just trying to not let me get my unemployment benefits so their unemployment taxes don't go up?

I appealed and won. But they should not be able to get away with this. I have tried contacting lawyers offices but they all say they do not have the "bandwidth" to help me with this case. (I probably don't make enough $$ for it to be interesting to them.) Who do I report this shady company to? Anyone had experience with something similar? Tips?

I was an Amazon DSP driver for 3 years until I was fired back in April for making an "unscheduled stop" after my route. I stopped at a gas station to use the rest room. My claim was denied, and a telephone hearing was scheduled for August 10. An hour before my hearing, I received an automated call stating that my hearing had been canceled. I called and spoke with someone at UIA who told me that my former employer had called to reschedule because the HR rep was on maternity leave and would be rescheduled shortly. She's in her 60s! Yesterday I received a letter stating that my hearing had been canceled by the Appeals Commission due to an application they received on the matter under R 792.11425(6). From what I can tell, my former employer is requesting transfer of my case to a higher court, and that this could take months? At this point I've burned through my savings, I just received a notice to quit from my landlord, and I've had no luck finding suitable employment.

My case should have been open/shut. I have GPS records from my personal phone and the Amazon van showing that I was only at the gas station for 18 minutes as opposed to the 26 claimed in my termination letter, I have excerpts from the employee handbook stating that restroom breaks do not need to be authorized or logged as regular breaks, and signed affidavits from 2 employees stating that I was back at the Amazon station during the time they claim I was still at the gas station, and another affidavit from a former dispatcher stating that my actions that night were normal for every driver and Amazon's tracking software is often inaccurate. I sent all this to my former employer a few days before my hearing as required, now I'm thinking they realized I was going to win and they're fighting dirty somehow. In reality, I believe I was fired for getting into an argument with the DSP owner over what I considered unsafe demands and that he's doing all this to retaliate. Anyone have experience with this? I tried calling the unemployment advocate's office and they told me they can't help me until a new hearing is scheduled. I waited nearly 3 months for the first hearing to get scheduled, I'll be living on the streets if I have to wait that long again. I'll post the letter I received in the comments.

Ok in 2022 i appeal unemployment workforce covid overpayment to the court haven’t heard anything for 4 years I get some papers today saying dismiss petition due to abandonment that the workforce asking for so what’s next do I have to appeal all over I called unemployment they acked lost as I still have to pay ! I haven’t heard anything from the court in years for a hearing date are nothing

Texas. Got fired going to file for unemployment but need some advice.

So I recently got fired. Technically this last Tuesday for reasons I feel were out of my control and also the actual incident that got me fired I feel like was not even fair to fire someone over. So I'll explain my situation best I can and hopefully someone can help me out about how I should go about fighting this. If I should claim a medical issue or what have you.

So I'll start by explaining my job. I work as a pool technician. So I drive a company truck all day and I go to customers houses and I service their pool. So I'll explain my first incident at this company and that will kinda explain why im asking if I should approach this from a medical condition standpoint. I will also tell you for context all trucks have inside and exterior dashcams.

Firstly I have no known medical conditions but I have begun to experience these odd situations where it will appear I fall asleep while driving. And actually it's never happened while driving. Only after coming to a stop like at a red light. To be clear I take no drugs or medication and am wondering tho if maybe I have some undiagnosed condition.

So I'll start just by explaining the first incident. I was finishing up my route for the day about to head back to the office. Came to a red-light and stopped. There was a vehicle in front of me I saw it and came to a stop at safe distance. From the video on the dash cam it shows me just sitting there at the red light. Eyes down which is not uncommon for me because often my phone or GPS is lower than dashcam so you cant see my eyes and thats common. The truck started to roll forward to obviously my foot must have come off the break to some degree. The vehicle keeps rolling forward until a rear end occurs. So from my perspective this is what I recall. I remember stopping at the light and at a safe distance from the vehicle in front of me. I remember seeing the vehicle stopped in front of me and being stopped myself. Then it's like everything goes blank. I don't recall anything that happened I just know im suddenly in a rear end with the vehicle in front of me and I thought I was stopped and still at a safe distance. Now like I said I don't take drugs or medication but I have had these experiences where I just sort of blank out and dont remember anything and im assuming my body goes limp cuz of the loss of the pressure on break. If you watch the video tho it really doesnt look like im asleep or anything. Im still upright, I havent slouched over or even started nodding. Nothing. I just look like im sitting there. I know there are medical conditions that can cause similar symptoms correct? And again I have experienced this before while driving but never while moving, only after having come to a complete stop. Well after seeing the video even my bosses looked confused and asked me what was going on or what I was doing. I made an excuse about not feeling well and due to abdominal pain may have accidentally let off on the break. But truth is im not really even sure. When this happens I never really remember anything I feel like I just time traveled. Because I can never myself remember what was going on or how or why I took my foot off break.

So the conclusion of this first incident was I was given a final warning and forced to sign a document saying this won't ever happen again or im fired. At least that's what they told me it said. I was really given the chance to read it. I just took it as a right up so I signed it.

So second incident and one that got me fired. I have one customer who let's me pull up into their driveway and at end of driveway is gate to backyard which leads to pool. I remember pulling into driveway and carefully pulling in and up to gate. I came to a stop before the gate and I guess again accidentally let off break again cuz truck went forward and the bumper tapped the fence/gate. And when I say tap I mean that. It wasnt a hard collision. I pull back and check out gate and vehicle. Its a wooden privacy fence. No damage to fence or vehicle that I can see. Customer and I have good repor so I'm like okay no biggie I'll tell customer about it when I see them next since they weren't home and I wasn't expecting them to be upset because again no damage was done and they were cool and I thought they liked me. I would often speak to them while I worked. They have a driveway camera so if they brought it up I was just gonna tell them yeah sorry pulled too far forward. It is legitimately hard to tell where to stop in that driveway. This was last Friday. I finish my day and go home. Go to work next week and told I was fired for what happened in their driveway. I was a bit surprised and was like yeah I know I pulled a bit to far forward and the bumper tapped the fence but there was no real damage and I was gonna talk to customer about it as soon as I could. Well they didn't allow me to see the video. Not the truck cam or the customer video. They claim there was damage done. Which is def a lie. I took pics of truck and fence and nothing. Not even a scratch on the bumper or dent or what have you. Same goes for fence and gate. I took pics but might have done so on my work phone which I returned when I was fired. Darn it just realized im gonna have to check my personal phone and see if I have pictures.

So my questions are this. How do I go about filing for unemployment? How do I explain to them the accidents and should I be honest about the whole possible medical issue side of things? Should I make the argument that I have been suffering from unknown medical issues and have been trying to see a doctor? I haven't seen one but in hindsight with what's been going on i def should have tried talking to one and telling them what's been going on. Or should I just tell them I just misjudged distance and accidentally tapped the fence/gate but their was no damage done so I shouldn't have been fired. Yesterday after going back to office vic(boss) did make a comment on the video and he claimed that I looked asleep like last time and hit their fence and he also claimed there was damage which im sure there wasnt and also said something about me not immediately reporting what happened all being the reasons for my termination.

For extra clarification though Vic and my other boss would say I looked sleepy/asleep while driving or even just at the office even when i wasnt tired and also from pretty much the time I started Vic was notorious for exaggerating things and even before the first accident had called me up yelling at me making all sorts of claims like I was driving crazy and almost hitting people and also yelled at me saying I was looking at my "phone" which i was cuz that is my GPS and it was on a holder and that's why I was looking at it while driving when I was just driving to my first pool that day and nothing of the sort even happened.

Final clarification I make sure I get proper sleep. I'm not on drugs or medication. I have no known medical issues when I drive I don't speed or drive reckless. There is no real reason for me to be suddenly falling asleep while driving if that is even what is happening. Which from the videos I've seen doesn't look like that to me. So im wondering could this be like a seizure type issue or epilepsy im not aware of or what? How do I fight this and get unemployment and how much should I really say or admit to unemployment?

Sorry I know this was long but I need advice desperately as im not sure how to fight them or if I can and also should I get a lawyer because if it is undiagnosed medical stuff couldn't I go after them since it's not my fault? Idk what do I say to unemployment and what do I do guys? I've never had these issues before.

At the end of May this year, the hourly employees were told there wouldn't be any opportunities for work until mid-September (this was my first year working there, but is routinely how it goes).

They reached out and had everybody who wanted to work again this year come in to fill out paperwork, this didn't take more than 15 minutes (and the amount of the deposit hitting my reflects 15 minutes of 'work'). This was the week of August 2nd - August 8th.

I filed my unemployment last week on Sunday, 2 job applications, answering no no no no etc. just like a normal week.

Now I'm out of my mind with worry that I'll be getting treated as somebody committing unemployment fraud and owing the state a few thousand dollars (that I in no way shape or form can REMOTELY easily come up with), because the HR manager who called everybody in did NOT disclose that we would be considered as 'clocking in' for 15 minutes. It was 100% unclear that this was the case. But I marked 'no' for working when I filed for Aug 2nd-8th.

Please somebody tell me how I need to proceed. When I file this week (Aug 9th-15th), I have to report this income, but I need PRECISE instructions on how to do so, as making one insignificant misstep in this process can result in getting absolutely and completely reamed. And I have no way to go back and amend last week's filing.

***if I deny an interview, can I still keep my unemployment benefits***

I had an interview with a company and I want to remove myself from consideration for their open position.

I am still applying to multiple places a week, but met with the manager and he asked me if I need sponsorship, which is an appropriate question, but then proceeded to state "I am asking because of your name" (foreign sounding name). I feel this something you should not bring up in an interview. Can I bring this up to HR? Among other things he has told me, there are red flags and I do not want to work for him.

They asked me to come in for another interview after a mess of an interview.

If I remove myself from the hiring process but still apply to other places, can I keep my unemployment benefits in Michigan?

Hi all,

Last summer (starting late july) I qualified and received unemployment through DC's unemployment. The Monetary determinations were based on July-Sept 2024, Oct-Dec 2024, and Jan- March 2025 , all earned at "company A", which was paid via w2

I ran out of the benefits by march.

In early april, I was approached on linkedin by AI companies, and did freelance work, getting a few thousand dollars. Payment was wired to my bank, no w-2 I've been out of work since then, and refiled by benefit claim the first week of august.

I was initially deemed monetarily eligible because my wage periods from April-June 2025, and Jul-Sep 2025 were high enough (all payment from company A- which was on a w2). However, DC is saying that i'm not eligible because I didn't find a job since then ( I did not report the freelance work AI consulting work I did in april of this year), as I haven't sat down to figure out the tax work, and frankly, forgot about it.

I called DC's employment office and they told me to request a review of my wages, which will trigger an interview to determine all aspects of eligibility- including disclosing my freelance work.

Does my freelance work/ self employment, in combination with my sufficient wages from April- September of 2025 ( from company A, that is w2'ed) qualify me for another claim benefit? I did not receive a w2 from my freelance work in april, and only have proof of payment via invoices that I sent to the company, and bank wiring receipts.

To provide further context, the income earned from company A qualified me for full benefits alone. I just need another two months of unemployment wages to float by, I'm very close to getting another job, as hiring is seasonal in my profession.

I accidentally clicked yes to the “Have you made over 869$ gross pay” while claiming benefits this week, I’ve been trying to call Unemployment to manually fix it but whether I call at 8 AM on the dot or any time throughout the day it says they’re busy and automatically hang up, what do I do?

Received this text saying benefits claim can now be paid..does anyone know what this means and what i should do now?

Hello,

I recently resigned from my job due to a RIF that will happen soon. I was given a severance package for 3 months and a separation agreement. In the agreement, my previous employer states they will not contest unemployment. My last day of employment was July 31, but I will be paid till Aug 14. They also told me my benefits will end aug 14, but they are paying COBRA premiums for 3 months.

My question is when can I actually start trying to file for unemployment? Also, for COBRA, I would work directly with them and not my previous employer?

Appreciate any help or advice as well!

Hi! So on September 5th 2025, I was fired from my job of four years over "policy violations," although I wasn't told what policies I had violated, shown or even described what the evidence was supporting this, nor had I had any disciplinary issues or coaching in the past about anything. I asked them for my personnel file and a copy of the employee book, and they sent me my reviews, some paystubs, and a copy of the arbitration process, but no handbook.

A day or so later I file for UI over the phone. TWC sets up the claim start date as 8/31/25. Afterwards my employer is given a deadline of 9/23/25, and then moved to 9/25/25, to respond. Their response contained my personal info, end/start dates, and that I was fired for "Failure to follow instr./policies" but did not describe the incident(s) which led to that firing, and put the incident date was the date I was put under "investigation," September 4th. That same day TWC approves my claim and according to their conclusion in the packet, "FIRED FOR PERFORMANCE" and was qualified for UI benefits. In October 2025, my former employer gets a form saying their taxes will go up based on my wages for 2024/2025. My last UI payment is December 1st 2025.

Fast forward to June 22, 2026, a letter (attached to my packet) with Equifax header is sent to the TWC chargeback office containing my information and the amount that I was paid while on UI, $6501. They state they protest the amount that was paid and ask for an investigation, and a chargeback is requested if found in their favor. They sent out the packet a few days (which I received) and a phone hearing is scheduled for August 20th. The only other information in the packet is specifics from TWC about appeal issues, an FAQ, and scanned postage from Equifax to TWC, presumably for the letter sent. No other information is given or any supporting information for my firing. Online on the TWC portal it says "Issues: Separation from work."

How are they even able to file an appeal NINE MONTHS after a decision is given on my claim? Is this going to be thrown out because of timeliness? Because I'm not sure what reason there could possibly be for it being so late aside from somehow going through the mail system for 9 months and then suddenly showing up at their door. Would it be a good idea to send copies of my annual reviews to argue that I did not have a history of disciplinary problems? Because that's honestly all the evidence I can produce, and unless they send me something between now and Aug 18th, there's no given evidence for my firing reason either. What kind of evidence should I even produce because the termination reason just says "Failure to follow inst./policies" with no specific final incident or policy violation or instruction-not-followed listed...

I was told by an employee on the phone that I'm not required to submit proof of job search when I certify and I've had no issues certifying for the past month without including proof but I've been selected to attend a RESEA via zoom and the questionnaire I have to fill out is asking where I've applied and for details of my application... am I required to include that information?

I was let go from my job on May 5, 2026 and have been unemployed since then. I’ve been trying to file for Connecticut unemployment since I lost my job, but my claim kept getting closed because I was repeatedly told that I didn’t have any work history in Connecticut.

After dealing with this multiple times, I finally made a complaint and explained what was happening. The issue was eventually fixed, and I was finally able to get my claim submitted. However, my claim is currently only starting from August 2.

Since I had been trying to file since May and the reason I couldn’t get my claim established was because of the issue with CT unemployment incorrectly saying I didn’t work in CT, would I be able to request a backdate to May 5?

I’ve been unemployed and haven’t received any unemployment benefits for about 3 months because of this.

Also, I have a new job starting September 21. Would I potentially still be able to receive unemployment for the weeks I was unemployed before my start date?

Has anyone in CT dealt with something similar or successfully gotten their claim backdated?