Just to update - I used Claimyr a few months ago for a different issue (identity verification hell), and I got through to ESD in about 30 minutes after trying to call on my own for two weeks. Not all agents are equally helpful though - if the first person can't help, politely ask to be transferred to a claims specialist or adjudicator who can handle requalification issues.

UPDATE: After trying everything, I finally got through to ESD this morning! The agent confirmed exactly what you all said - I had a disqualification from 2020 that was still in their system, even though I've obviously earned way more than the requalification amount since then. They had to manually override it in the system. All my weeks have been changed from "disqualified" to "processing" and she said I should receive payment for all back weeks within 48 hours. THANK YOU all for your help and suggestions!

UPDATE: I talked to my brother again and got more details. He definitely had a 12-month contract with no breaks in service (he even worked through summers doing major maintenance projects). The denial letter specifically cites RCW 50.44.050 about reasonable assurance of returning after breaks. He's going to call ESD tomorrow to try to get this straightened out, then file an appeal if needed. I'll update everyone once we hear something. Thanks for all the advice!!!

One more tip: When your brother appeals, he should specifically request backdating of benefits to his original filing date once the appeal is approved. I've seen cases where ESD only paid from the appeal decision date forward, not from the original claim date. This could be thousands of dollars difference! Good luck!

Update: I used Claimyr yesterday after seeing it mentioned here and actually got through to an ESD rep in about 40 minutes! Didn't have to sit by my phone either - they just called me when they had an agent. My question about relocating was answered and they updated something in my file too. Just wanted to let everyone know it worked for me.

i had this same problem back in februarry. so annoying!!! the whole system is a joke

Just a heads-up that while waiting for PFML approval you should still do your weekly UI claims if you have any weeks left. If your PFML gets backdated to overlap with UI weeks, you'd have to pay back the UI for those weeks, but at least you'd have something coming in during the gap. Better safe than sorry. And document EVERYTHING – save confirmation numbers, take screenshots of submitted forms, etc. These systems are so broken it's crazy.

I just got off the phone with my doctor's office and they confirmed they submitted all the required medical certification forms for PFML. They said it's not unusual for it to take 3-4 weeks for processing right now. I guess I just need to be patient and budget carefully for the gap. Thanks everyone for your advice and sharing your experiences. I'll stop my UI claims after my last eligible week and hope the PFML kicks in quickly after that.

You should submit any documents you want considered at least 24 hours before the hearing. There should be instructions in the hearing notice about how to submit them. If you miss that window, you can still ask the judge during the hearing if you can submit them, but they have discretion whether to accept late submissions. Make sure to send copies to the employer as well - the hearing notice should explain the process for this too.

My hearing was so stressful I nearly threw up beforehand, but it ended up being way more straightforward than I expected. Just remember that the judges do this all day long and they're used to people being nervous. Also when my old company lied about stuff, the judge actually called them out on contradictions in their testimony!! I was shocked, I thought no one would believe me but the judge was actually super fair.