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Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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Join the conversation
The waiting period is just one of many Washington ESD policies that seem designed to discourage people from filing. Between that and the job search requirements, it's like they don't want to pay out benefits.
I get the frustration but unemployment insurance does have to be financially sustainable. The waiting period helps with that.
I suppose, but it's still hard when you're already struggling financially.
Bottom line for the original poster - yes, there's a one-week waiting period where you file but don't get paid. It doesn't count against your total benefit weeks. You still need to file for that week and meet all requirements. After that, if everything else is in order, you should start receiving payments.
Perfect summary, thank you! This thread has been really helpful in understanding what to expect.
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My advice would be to really think hard about whether quitting is worth it. Even if you technically qualify based on work history, proving good cause for quitting is really difficult. Washington ESD will scrutinize every detail.
Yeah I'm starting to realize quitting might not be the best option. Maybe I should try to work things out at my current job first.
That's probably wise. Unemployment benefits are really meant for people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.
If you do end up needing to contact Washington ESD for any reason, definitely consider using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. I spent literally days trying to get through on the phone before finding out about it.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I need to call them.
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The appeal system definitely needs reform but in the meantime we just have to work within it. Keep filing weekly claims and stay organized with your documentation.
Agreed that the system needs fixing. For now I'll just keep doing what I can and hope for the best.
That's all any of us can do. The system isn't perfect but it does eventually work for most people who have valid cases.
Update on the Claimyr service mentioned earlier - I actually tried it last week and was impressed. Got connected to an ESD representative within 30 minutes instead of spending hours getting busy signals. They were able to confirm my appeal status and give me a rough timeline estimate.
That's really helpful to know it actually works. Might be worth trying if I don't hear anything soon.
Yeah, for me it was worth it just for the peace of mind of knowing my case wasn't lost in the system somewhere.
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Bottom line for your brother: file for unemployment benefits immediately, expect the job search to take 2-3 months during winter, but know that opportunities will increase significantly starting in March. Use this time to network, update skills, and prepare for when hiring picks up.
This is really helpful advice. I'll pass it along to him. At least now we know what to expect timeline-wise.
Thanks for laying it out so clearly. It helps to have realistic expectations instead of just hoping things will magically improve.
And remember, if he runs into issues with his unemployment claim during this busy period, don't just keep calling the regular ESD number endlessly. Tools like Claimyr exist specifically to help during high-volume times when getting through normally becomes nearly impossible.
I'm still skeptical about third-party services, but I have to admit the regular system is pretty broken when everyone's trying to use it at once.
At this point I'm willing to try anything that actually works. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
Morita Montoya
One more thing - if you do switch from unemployment to disability, make sure you understand how it affects your health insurance situation. Could be a gap in coverage you need to plan for.
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Justin Trejo
•Oh wow, I hadn't even thought about insurance. This decision affects so many things.
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Kingston Bellamy
•Yeah COBRA can be expensive but you might qualify for premium assistance programs during the transition.
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Joy Olmedo
Bottom line is you can't collect both unemployment and disability benefits simultaneously in Washington. The requirements are contradictory - unemployment requires you to be able and available for work, disability means you can't work. Choose the one that best fits your actual situation and apply honestly.
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Justin Trejo
•Thanks everyone for all the advice. I think I have enough information now to make an informed decision about which direction to go.
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Isaiah Cross
•Good luck with whatever you decide. Both processes can be challenging but at least now you know what to expect.
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