15 weeks in ESD adjudication with no benefits - husband's claim completely stalled

That's definitely not normal, even with ESD's usual delays. At 15 weeks, something is seriously wrong with his claim. I was in a similar situation last year - stuck in adjudication for about 8 weeks until I finally got through to a claims specialist who fixed it. The problem was that my husband's claim had a 'flag' on it due to his previous employer contesting the separation reason, but nobody actually assigned an adjudicator to resolve it! There might be a similar issue with your husband's claim. I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual ESD agent after weeks of failed attempts. They have a system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of redial frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Getting through to the right person who can actually look at his claim details is critical at this point.

15 weeks is insane!!!! THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN COMPLETELY!!! I waited 7 weeks and thought that was bad, ur situation is way worse. ESD is a JOKE. they get paid to do NOTHING while we suffer. I bet the money is just sitting in their account collecting interest while they "review" ur husbands case. he should apply for food stamps at DSHS in meantime if u havent. at least that might help with groceries until ESD gets their act together

I'm so sorry you're going through this. 15 weeks is definitely excessive even for ESD. Based on my experience working with claimants, there are a few things that might be causing this lengthy adjudication: 1. Employer dispute: Has his former employer contested the reason for separation? This can cause significant delays. 2. Identity verification issues: Sometimes identity verification gets stuck in a loop. 3. Multiple employers in the base year: If he worked for several employers during his base year, ESD might be waiting on information from all of them. 4. Special circumstance flag: Some claims get flagged for special review (like if he worked for a government contractor, education sector, or had periods of work outside WA). I would strongly recommend requesting an escalation. Call and specifically ask for your case to be escalated due to financial hardship. Use the exact phrase "I need to request a hardship escalation due to imminent eviction/foreclosure." Also, contact your state representative - they can often help move things along. You can find yours at leg.wa.gov.

ya ive heard of ppl waiting like 6-8 weeks but 15 is crazy. my cousin got stuck in adjucation for a while but it was because he made some mistake on his application and they thought he was lying about something. did your husband have any errors on his application maybe?

As an unemployment advocate, I can tell you that 15 weeks in adjudication without any updates is extremely unusual and indicates a serious issue that needs immediate attention. Here are the exact steps you should take: 1. Request a formal adjudication status update through your eServices account. Click on the "Send a message" option and specifically request "Adjudication Status Update - Financial Hardship." 2. Contact the Office of the Unemployment Insurance Ombuds at 1-844-395-6697. They are a neutral, independent office that can investigate delays. 3. If your husband's former employer is contesting the claim, request a copy of their response through a records request. This will tell you exactly what you're fighting against. 4. File a formal complaint with the ESD Commissioner's Office. Document everything. 5. As mentioned earlier, contact your state representative AND your state senator. Both can help. One critical thing to know: adjudication timeframes have specific regulatory limits. After 21 days without a determination, ESD is technically in violation of federal timeliness guidelines. Make sure to mention this specifically when escalating your case. Use the phrase "violation of federal timeliness standards for claim adjudication" when speaking with supervisors.

Ugh, I feel your pain! Mine was stuck for 9 weeks and I was losing my mind. Turns out they had flagged my account for an employer verification but never actually contacted my employer! When I finally got through to someone, they were able to resolve it in literally 5 minutes. Such a waste of time and stress. Have you tried submitting a request through your state representative? That's what finally worked for me. My rep's office has a specific person who handles ESD issues and they got things moving within a week.

just went thru this myself! turned out they never processed the employment verification from my boss even tho he sent it twice!! when i finally got an actual person on the phone they fixed it in like 10 mins and i got backpay for all 11 weeks i waited. keep calling!!!

I just wanted to follow up on my earlier comment. If your husband's employer is contesting the separation reason (layoff vs. quit), that is almost certainly the cause of the delay. This type of dispute requires an adjudicator to review documents from both sides and potentially conduct fact-finding interviews. However, 15 weeks is still far too long. The challenge right now is that you need to: 1) Get someone at ESD to confirm this is the actual issue, and 2) Get an adjudicator assigned to make a determination. Did you submit a copy of any layoff notice, separation letter, or email communication about the project ending? These documents are critical in these types of disputes. Also, if other employees were laid off at the same time, statements from them can be helpful evidence. One other thought: Is your husband continuing to file weekly claims during this wait? This is absolutely crucial. Even with the adjudication pending, he needs to file every week without fail to receive backpay once the issue is resolved.

This is absolutely ridiculous and I'm so sorry you're dealing with this nightmare. 15 weeks with that level of documentation is completely unacceptable. I went through something similar last year (though only 8 weeks) and what finally broke it loose was filing a complaint with the Washington State Auditor's office in addition to everything else people have mentioned here. They have a whistleblower/complaint portal specifically for government agency failures, and ESD apparently takes those very seriously because it affects their federal funding compliance. You can file online at sao.wa.gov. Also, if you haven't already, document EVERYTHING - every phone call, every time you were disconnected, every document you submitted. Screenshot your eServices account showing the weeks of "adjudication in progress" with dates. This will be important if you end up needing to escalate further or file any kind of formal complaint. The fact that you have clear documentation of a layoff and they're still dragging this out suggests either gross incompetence or a system malfunction. Either way, someone needs to be held accountable. Hang in there!