The governer won't help you. There all the same they jus pass u around until u give up. I spent 11 weeks waiting last year and had to take a crappy job just to avoid being homeless.

Update from someone who went through this recently: I waited 8 weeks in adjudication earlier this year. What finally worked was emailing my state senator AND representative (found their contact info on leg.wa.gov). I clearly explained my situation, how long I'd been waiting, and that I was facing financial hardship. Their office contacted ESD directly, and my claim was resolved within 5 days after that. Don't give up! The system is frustrating but persistence eventually pays off. And as others have mentioned, keep filing those weekly claims - when it finally resolves, you'll get all the back payments at once.

my neighbor went thru this whole thing last year and the adjudication part took like 10 days but then after that there was another week before money showed up. she said the worst part was not knowing what was happening. ended up getting like $7000 all at once when it finally went through tho!

I'd recommend checking your online claim status daily. Sometimes they resolve adjudication without even contacting you, especially if they get all the information they need from your employer or their own records. The status will change from "Pending" to either "Paid" or "Processing" once adjudication completes successfully. Also, you mentioned contacting your legislative representative - that's actually one of the most effective ways to get movement on a stuck claim. The fact that ESD responded to you the same day is a very good sign. Your claim has likely been flagged for priority handling now.

One thing to remember is that the rules were different for 2021 because of COVID relief programs. Depending on WHEN in 2021 you received unemployment and how much income you had overall, some unemployment benefits might have been tax-exempt under the American Rescue Plan. So even if you did forget to report it, you might not actually owe anything additional.

Update us after you figure it out! I'm curious what happens. I've been paranoid about my taxes too lol

Update on waiver processing: As of last month, ESD is prioritizing waivers where claimants have received collection notices or where financial hardship is severe. It might help to update your waiver application through your ESD account messaging - explain your current situation and that you're receiving collection threats. For everyone in this thread, be aware that there's also an enhanced hardship waiver option now that has different criteria than the standard waiver. If your standard waiver is denied, you may still qualify for the hardship version.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful information! I finally got through to ESD today (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned - it actually worked!). The agent confirmed my waiver is still being processed and put a temporary hold on collection activities for 30 days. They said current processing times are 10-12 weeks for waivers, so I probably have at least another month to wait. But at least I know it's in their system and I won't have wages garnished while waiting. I'll update this thread when I finally get a decision. Fingers crossed they approve it - there's absolutely no way I can repay $4,750 with my current financial situation.

Update for the OP: You might want to check if your appeal was properly transmitted from ESD to OAH (Office of Administrative Hearings). They're actually separate agencies. Sometimes ESD receives the appeal but fails to forward it to OAH, which is who actually schedules and conducts the hearings. If you contact OAH directly and they have no record of your appeal, that's your smoking gun that ESD failed to process it correctly. At that point, you can request that ESD immediately transmit your appeal to OAH with documentation showing when you originally filed it. This would establish that any delays were administrative errors, not your fault.

This is a HUGE problem with Washington's unemployment system! They deliberately make the appeal process confusing and difficult to navigate. I had to appeal a disqualification last year and the ONLY reason I got a hearing was because I sent a certified letter to the Commissioner's Office stating I would be contacting my state representative and filing a formal complaint. Magically, my "lost" appeal was found and I had a hearing scheduled within two weeks. DON'T GIVE UP! The system is designed to make you quit fighting for what you're entitled to. Get everything in writing and escalate as high as you need to go.