9 weeks of ESD silence - how to contact Governor's office when wrongfully terminated?

Yes, contacting the Governor's office can help! Go to https://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/contact/send-gov-inslee-e-message and fill out their form. Be specific about your situation - include your claim ID, when you applied, and how long you've been waiting without response. They'll create a case and forward it to ESD's special escalation team. Also, for wrongful termination cases in adjudication, make sure you've uploaded all documentation showing you had available PTO and followed company policy. ESD will eventually interview both you and your employer. The key is whether your employer had a reasonable attendance policy that was consistently enforced and whether you were warned. If you never received warnings, that works in your favor. Don't panic about the 'malingering' accusation. If you had legitimate reasons for absences and available PTO, you have a strong case. ESD doesn't automatically side with employers.

contacting the govenor is a waste of time they NEVER do anything!!!! ive been waiting 11 weeks and sent 3 messages to the govs office and got NOTHING but a autoresponse. the whole system is rigged against us regular people. my landlord is already threatening eviction and esd doesnt care at all

I was in almost your EXACT situation last year. Terminated for "attendance issues" even though I had approved time off and documentation. My claim was stuck for almost 8 weeks with no movement. Here's what finally worked for me: 1. Contact your STATE LEGISLATOR (not just the governor). They can often get faster results because ESD has staff dedicated to legislative inquiries. Find yours here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/ 2. Be super persistent with ESD calls. I know it's frustrating but you HAVE to keep trying. I finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they have a system that basically waits on hold for you and calls when an agent is available. I was skeptical but it worked - check their video demo: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 3. When you talk to an agent, ask specifically for an 'escalation' of your claim due to financial hardship. Use those exact words. Stay strong! The system is incredibly frustrating but they can't deny you benefits if you were fired without proper cause. Document everything!

have u tried going to the worksource office in person?? they cant ignore u if ur standing right in front of them lol. my cousin did that and got his claim fixed same day. also make sure ur still doing ur weekly claims even while waiting!!!!

I went through the same exact thing in January! What worked for me was documenting EVERYTHING. Keep a log of every attempt to contact ESD, every message you send, etc. Also, regarding the wrongful termination - start gathering EVERYTHING from your employment. Email correspondence, performance reviews, attendance records, company policy documents, etc. I was accused of something similar but when I showed that the company had never documented any warnings as required by their own policy, ESD ruled in my favor. The financial stress is horrible, I know. Have you applied for other assistance while waiting? You likely qualify for emergency food benefits which can be approved much faster than unemployment.

Update on the Governor's office contact method - they recently changed their process slightly. After you submit the online form, you'll get an auto-response saying they received your message. For unemployment issues specifically, they now ask you to include: 1. Your full name as it appears on your claim 2. Your claim ID number 3. Last 4 digits of SSN 4. Detailed timeline of your claim and contact attempts 5. Specific description of the hardship you're facing This helps them route your case more efficiently. Also, while waiting for resolution, make sure you're still completing your job search activities and logging them. Even though your claim is in adjudication, you want to be in full compliance when it does get processed.

For wrongful termination claims, the burden of proof is actually on your employer, not you. They have to demonstrate they had a reasonable policy, gave you proper warnings, and applied the policy consistently. Since you mentioned you have evidence that you had PTO available and followed procedures, you're in a good position. One thing that helped speed up my adjudication was getting my former employer to respond to ESD. Sometimes claims get stuck because ESD is waiting for employer response. You might consider contacting your former employer's HR department (as uncomfortable as that might be) to ask if they've responded to ESD's request for information about your claim.

everyones giving u all this formal advice but HONESTLY the system is BROKEN!! ive had 3 claims in the past 2 years and EVERY SINGLE TIME theres problems. the real trick is u gotta call at EXACTLY 7:59am right before they open and keep hitting redial until u get in the queue. took me 43 tries last time but i finally got a person. dont bother with all these fancy solutions when the real problem is they dont hire enough people!!!!!

One more thing I forgot to mention - while you're waiting for adjudication, make sure you're keeping detailed records of your job search activities. ESD requires 3 job search activities each week. Even though your claim is pending, if it eventually gets approved, they'll check that you were doing job searches the whole time. I almost got disqualified because I wasn't documenting properly during my waiting period. Also, regarding your documentation for the wrongful termination - did you submit a detailed fact-finding response? Sometimes there's a questionnaire that appears in your eServices account that isn't obvious unless you check all tabs.

I work with unemployment cases professionally, and here's what I recommend for your situation: 1. For contacting the Governor's office, use their online form as others have mentioned, but also call their constituent services line directly at 360-902-4111. Ask specifically for help with an ESD escalation. 2. For wrongful termination cases involving attendance issues, ESD looks at several factors: - Was the attendance policy reasonable and consistently applied? - Were you given clear warnings according to company policy? - Did the employer accommodate any medical issues if applicable? - Did you follow proper call-in procedures? 3. While waiting, apply for hardship assistance through your utility companies and rental assistance programs in your county. Most counties have emergency rental assistance that can help prevent eviction while your unemployment claim is processing. 4. For the fastest contact with ESD, try calling their special claims center line at 7:55am when they first open. If that doesn't work, services like Claimyr can help get through the phone maze. Don't lose hope. If your termination was truly improper as you've described, you have a good chance of approval.