My cousin works for ESD (not telling which department lol) and she said they're super understaffed right now. They're supposed to have like 45 phone agents but only have like 12 working most days. That's why nobody can get through. Not making excuses for them just explaining why it's so bad.

Update: I tried calling the 8400 number right at 8:00 AM this morning and got through after a 45-minute wait! The representative was able to see that my claim had a flag on it due to my previous employer contesting my eligibility. She transferred me to an adjudicator who said they'll make a determination by next week. Thanks for all your suggestions, everyone!

I'd like to clarify something important: when you receive a monetary determination after a denied claim, you should check two key things: 1. Look at the "Effective Date" on the new determination - if it's different from your original claim date, it could be a completely new claim period being evaluated. 2. Review the "Potential Benefits" section - even if it shows a weekly benefit amount, this doesn't mean you're eligible. It just shows what you would receive IF you qualified based on wages alone. The monetary determination is just one part of eligibility. If you were denied for insufficient hours initially, but this new determination shows different hours/wages, you might want to check if something changed in your wage record. Don't ignore this letter - either way, it's an official determination that could be appealed if incorrect.

One more thing to consider - if you applied for regular UI and were denied, but might qualify for another program like PIT (Paid Internship Training) or certain trade-specific benefits, the system sometimes automatically evaluates you for those. The new determination might be for a different type of benefit program entirely.

Just wondering, when did you initially file your claim? I've been waiting for mine to change from 'processing' to 'paid' for almost 3 weeks now! Did you have to do anything special to get it to move to paid status?

Any update? Did your payment arrive today?

Thanks everyone for the advice! I just contacted my WorkSource specialist again and requested a new appointment. They scheduled me for next Wednesday and confirmed that as long as I attend that one, I should only lose this one week of benefits. Definitely setting multiple calendar reminders this time!

does anybody know if attending an in-person workshop at WorkSource counts the same as the individual appointments? i'm trying to get ahead of my requirements lol

My brother-in-law just went through this last month. His waiver only took about 4 weeks to approve, but I think his case was pretty straightforward since the overpayment was clearly ESD's mistake. They calculated his benefit wrong initially then tried to reclaim $4,200 a year later. Anyway what I'm trying to say is that sometimes it can be faster I guess?

Just wanted to follow up since my earlier comment. One thing I forgot to mention is that while you're waiting for the waiver decision, make sure you respond to ANY correspondence from ESD, even if it seems unrelated to your waiver. Sometimes they need additional info but don't specifically connect it to your waiver request in their communications. Also, document every interaction with ESD - date, time, who you spoke with, and what was discussed. This documentation can be incredibly helpful if you need to file an appeal or if there's any confusion about what information you've already provided. Stay patient and persistent. The process is designed to be thorough, which unfortunately means it can be slow.

has anyone else notice how the ESD website is always "down for maintenance" at the EXACT times u need to file ur weekly claim?? happened to me AGAIN last night when i tried to file right at midnight. seems suspicious...

FINAL UPDATE: My claim finally switched from pending to paid today! All 7 weeks of backpay are scheduled to hit my account tomorrow. Such a relief! If anyone else is stuck in pending limbo, definitely try the governor's office route - it took about 10 days total from when they got involved, but it worked when nothing else did.

did anybody else notice the esd website was down for like 4 hours last weekend? maybe they were doing updates and that affected the payment schedule

Update from someone who called ESD yesterday about this exact issue: They confirmed they've adjusted some of their payment batches due to increased claim volume. Some claimants have been permanently moved to different payment processing days. The representative said if your payment day has changed, it will likely stay on that new day going forward. They recommended allowing for a +/- 1 day window in your budget planning for UI benefits.

Not at all! The agent was actually really nice. They're used to people using different methods to reach them because of how hard it is to get through. They just seemed focused on helping with my claim once I got connected.

Quick update - I just checked and my claim has been approved! Got the determination letter this morning after 6 weeks and 3 days in adjudication. They ruled that the performance standards were unreasonable since they were changed mid-quarter without proper training. All my back payments should be coming through in 48 hours. Don't give up hope!

One tip for everyone still waiting - make sure you're doing your job search activities and documenting them properly every week, even during adjudication. I've seen people wait 2+ months, finally get approved, then have half their weeks denied because they didn't do the required 3 job search activities each week during the wait. The system is very unforgiving about this.

Just wanted to update that I finally got a letter explaining why my claim was in adjudication. Apparently my former employer initially contested the claim saying I quit instead of being laid off. Even though I submitted documentation proving it was a layoff right away, it still took them 9 weeks to verify. So frustrating that ESD just takes employers at their word and makes us wait months to prove otherwise.

the esd website is garbage!!! i had THREE claims last year all with diffrent problems. its not ur fault its just how they desined this junk system. keep calling, try different times of day. sometimes mid-afternoon is better than morning. also try on wendsday, seems less busy for some reason. good luck!

Just wanted to give you an update from my experience - after finding myself in this situation, I ended up having to call ESD three separate times. The first agent couldn't help, the second told me there was a system issue, and the third finally resolved it. The issue was that my claim had been flagged for manual review due to my job title containing certain keywords that triggered verification. The most important thing I learned: if your weeks show as disqualified but there are no letters, it's almost always a technical or procedural issue within ESD, not something you did wrong. Be persistent with calling, ask specifically for a tier 2 agent if the first person can't help, and request they add detailed notes to your account about the issue.