just want to say this thread has been super helpful. I'm in the exact same situation - approved yesterday and anxiously waiting for that first payment to hit. Nice to know I'm not alone in this!

Hang in there! I was approved about 3 weeks ago and can share my timeline. Got approved on a Wednesday, payment showed up in my account the following Monday (so about 4 business days). The back pay took a bit longer - came in two separate deposits over the next week, but it all added up correctly. Keep checking your payment history section daily, that's where you'll see it change to "processing" first before it actually hits your bank. And definitely keep filing those weekly claims! The waiting is brutal but you're almost there.

Update: I want to thank everyone for their advice! I took several of your suggestions: 1. Called the OAH number and they confirmed our appeal should have been implemented weeks ago 2. Emailed unemployment.help with URGENT in the subject line and included all our claim details 3. Used Claimyr to finally get through to an actual person at ESD The agent I spoke with was actually very helpful once I got through. She said our payment was stuck because the appeal decision required manual processing of back payments, and it was sitting in a review queue. She escalated it while I was on the phone. This morning I checked our account and ALL 10 WEEKS have been processed for payment! They should be in our account by Monday. I'm so relieved I could cry. For anyone else stuck in appeal limbo - persistence and using multiple channels simultaneously seems to be the key. Thanks again everyone.

This is exactly what I needed to see right now! My sister has been waiting 9 weeks after her appeal was approved and we've been feeling completely helpless. I'm going to have her try all three approaches you mentioned - calling OAH, the urgent email, and using Claimyr to get through to someone. It's such a relief to hear that there are actual people at ESD who can fix these issues once you can reach them. Thank you for updating us with what worked!

One last thing - if you do end up needing to contact Washington ESD and can't get through, that Claimyr service mentioned earlier really does work. I was skeptical at first but it saved me so much time and frustration.

Just wanted to add that if you're still employed but worried about a potential layoff, it's worth checking if your employer offers any severance package or if they have to give advance notice under WARN Act requirements. Sometimes having that extra time can help you prepare your unemployment claim better. Also, Washington state has some additional programs like SharedWork that might be relevant if your employer is reducing hours instead of doing full layoffs.

Update: I called ESD this morning (took forever to get through) and confirmed what most of you said. I have to report my hours when worked even if unpaid, and once I start my full-time job, my benefits will stop regardless of when I get my first paycheck. The agent suggested I look into local emergency assistance programs to help bridge the gap. I've already talked to my landlord who's willing to accept a partial payment now and the remainder when I get paid, and I'm checking with my utility companies about payment extensions. Thanks everyone for your help and advice! This transition is stressful but at least I know where I stand with ESD now.

Great update! Sounds like you're handling this challenging situation really well by being proactive with your landlord and utilities. It's unfortunate that there's such a gap in the system for people transitioning from unemployment to work, but you're doing all the right things to manage it. Your experience will probably help other people in this community who face the same situation in the future. Best of luck with the new job - hopefully those first few weeks go by quickly and you'll be back on stable financial footing soon!

Filing online through the Washington ESD website is usually faster than calling, especially for the initial claim. The phone lines are constantly jammed but the online system works pretty well most of the time.

I'm going through something very similar right now - had to quit my retail job last month due to panic attacks that were getting worse every day. The constant stress was making my depression unbearable. I haven't filed my Washington ESD claim yet because I wasn't sure if quitting for mental health reasons would qualify, but reading through all these responses gives me hope. It's scary not having income coming in, but I know staying at that job would have made things so much worse. Thanks for posting this question - it's helping more people than just you!