My bro-in-law works at ESD (not in claims dept tho). He says they're SUPER backed up right now due to staff shortages and some new computer system they're implementing. Said wait times on everything are like 30% longer than normal. Just a heads up that you might need extra patience right now.

btw one more thing i just remembered - if you submitted any documents with your waiver request you should double check and make sure they got uploaded correctly. my friend had her waiver denied because she thought shed uploaded her bank statements but they never actually went through the system for some reason

theres another trick i learned. when u get the "all lines are busy" message, dont hang up right away. wait about 30 seconds sometimes it will actually put u in the queue anyway. worked for me twice now. the system is weird like that lol

UPDATE: I got in!!! Combination of several suggestions here worked. I searched my old emails and found which SAW ID was the right one. Then I used the separate SAW help desk number that someone suggested, and got through after only 20 minutes on hold. They reset my password and verified my account. The agent also gave me a direct number to the ESD technical support team (not the main claims line) which I'm happy to share: (360) 507-9195. Thanks everyone for your help! Now I can finally start my claim process.

Just curious - how long did your overpayment waiver process take? I'm still waiting on mine and it's been 9 weeks already with no updates.

To answer your follow-up question about speaking with a supervisor - start with the regular agent but be prepared to escalate. Ask them specifically: "How will this overpayment reimbursement be coded in the system and will it be subject to child support withholding?" If they seem unsure or give a generic response, that's when you should politely ask to speak with a supervisor who has experience with overpayment reimbursements. Also, make sure to have your case numbers ready for both ESD and DSHS child support when you call. Document the names of everyone you speak with and the date/time. This paper trail can be invaluable if there's any dispute later.

I'm in almost the exact same situation but my adjudication is still going on from December. Been waiting 6 weeks now with no update! How did you get your adjudication resolved so quickly? Did you do anything special? I'm desperate at this point.

Just to add more clarity, here's how it works officially: 1. Your 1099-G for 2024 will only include payments you physically received between Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2024 2. Your 1099-G for 2025 will include all payments received between Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2025 (including your lump sum) 3. ESD should mail your 1099-G forms by January 31st following each tax year 4. You can also access your 1099-G forms electronically through your ESD account Don't forget that you can choose to have federal taxes withheld from future unemployment payments (10%) which might help you avoid owing a large sum at tax time.

Forgot to mention - make sure you respond to EVERYTHING they send you, even if it seems repetitive. I missed one stupid form and they used that against me in the hearing saying I was 'non-responsive' which is total BS.

my neighbor had an adjudication for almost the same thing and he showed up with all his paperwork and the judge basically dismissed the case right there because ESD made such an obvious error. sometimes these are just system glitches that a human can fix right away.

Update on your "Voluntary Quit" issue - that's definitely something you need to address quickly. When the system incorrectly flags a layoff as a voluntary quit, benefits get held up until it's resolved. When you do reach an agent, you'll need: 1. The exact date of your layoff 2. Your former supervisor's name and contact information 3. Any documentation of the layoff (separation letter, emails, etc.) 4. The reason for the department elimination The agent will likely create a fact-finding appointment where you can present this information. If you have documentation showing it was a layoff, attach it to a message in eServices now so it's in your file when you speak to someone.

i had a similar issue last year and ended up going to my local worksource office in person. they couldn't directly fix my esd claim but the lady there gave me a special email address for escalated cases and my issue got fixed in about a week without ever getting through on the phone. might be worth trying if you can get to a worksource office!

Thanks for this post! Just checked my drivers license against what I entered and realized I put the wrong issue date. Going to send a message to ESD right now before they flag my account. You probably saved me weeks of waiting!

my roommate had this happen to. he entered his weight as 185 but his license says 175 from when he got it years ago. took 5 weeks to fix and he almost got evicted waiting for unemployment to start. they need a better system

UPDATE: My claim finally showed up correctly in the system! It took about 36 hours from when I filed by phone. The dashboard no longer shows that I need to file, and instead shows my claim as being processed. Thanks everyone for your help and preventing me from filing twice!

wait so we're supposed to file online each week? i thought we only had to file once at the beginning? is that why my payments stopped????

Yes, I eventually got it approved after the appeal, but only because I got a pro bono attorney through the Unemployment Law Project to help me. The appeal hearing was intimidating - they had an ESD representative arguing against me! If you can, try to get legal help with this. The whole process is stressful and unnecessarily complicated.

The Unemployment Law Project is an excellent resource! I should have mentioned them earlier. They provide free legal assistance to people with unemployment issues, including overpayment waivers. Definitely worth contacting them for help with your waiver request - they know exactly what ESD is looking for and how to present your case effectively.

Update on my situation - I finally got approved after using Claimyr to reach an agent. Turns out my claim was stuck because I had worked in two different states since my last claim period. The agent was able to manually push it through once I explained my situation. If you're still stuck after another week, I'd seriously consider trying to get through to an actual person.

Since you mentioned your claim ended in December and reopened in June, make sure you understand that this is still considered part of your benefit year if it's within 52 weeks of your initial claim. This means your weekly benefit amount would typically be the same as before, but your total available benefits would be reduced by what you already received. If it's past your benefit year, you'd be filing a new claim entirely, which might explain the additional processing time.