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GOOD LUCK today!!!! Let us know how it goes. The ESD system is so frustrating sometimes but occasionally they get it right lol
I JUST had a hearing last Thursday for a similar issue!!! Mine was reduction in hours too but different circumstances. The judge actually ruled in my favor ON THE SPOT which I wasn't expecting! Make sure you have your dates straight about when your hours were cut vs when you applied for school. My judge was super focused on the timeline of events. Judges know people need to support themselves so if you can show the hours cut made that impossible, you have a good chance!
Oh wow, that's encouraging! I definitely know my timeline - hours were cut in January, I stuck it out hoping for improvement until late February, quit on March 3rd, and then applied for school courses starting in April. I'll make sure to emphasize this clear sequence. Thanks for sharing your success story!
Quick update on timeframes - I've been tracking adjudication times across various unemployment forums, and it appears ESD is currently averaging 7-9 weeks for cases involving termination with disputed circumstances. Safety whistleblower cases like yours tend to receive favorable outcomes, but they do require more thorough investigation. If your financial situation is becoming dire, when you do speak with an ESD representative (whether through regular channels or using a service to get through), specifically mention "financial hardship" and ask if your claim can be expedited. They have protocols for prioritizing claims where claimants are at risk of losing housing or utilities.
Thanks everyone for the advice! I called my state rep's office this morning, and their staff was really helpful. They took down all my info and said they'd reach out to ESD on my behalf. I'm also going to try getting through to ESD directly tomorrow using that Claimyr service that a couple of you mentioned. Will update once I know more. Really appreciate all the support - it's been a stressful few weeks.
Another thing to check: make sure your husband answered the "able and available for work" questions correctly on his weekly claim. If he indicated any limitations on his availability (like only willing to work certain hours or days), that can trigger a review process that delays payment. Also, verify that he didn't accidentally select "no" to the question about actively seeking work. These seemingly small details can cause unexpected delays. If you're approaching three weeks with no change in status and no clear issues in the account, then definitely try to speak with an ESD representative. The system isn't perfect at alerting you to all potential problems.
Thank you! I'll double check with him about how he answered those questions. He's definitely been actively job searching, so hopefully he didn't accidentally click something wrong. If we don't see any change by next week, we'll definitely try to get through to someone at ESD to figure out what's going on.
hey! just checking back - did ur husband get his payment yet? mine finally came through this morning and it took exactly 16 days from when i filed the initial claim. fingers crossed urs comes soon!!
I'm in the same boat right now! 6 weeks pending and just started doing Amazon Flex deliveries to keep the lights on. This thread is super helpful because I wasn't sure about reporting either. Has anyone here had their claim denied AFTER waiting this long? That's my biggest fear.
It's uncommon but it can happen. The good news is that even if you're denied, you can appeal the decision. The important thing is to keep filing your weekly claims on time and reporting all earnings accurately. If you are denied, you'll receive a letter explaining why, and you have 30 days to file an appeal with OAH (Office of Administrative Hearings).
Update: I called ESD this morning (actually got through after 2 hours on hold!) and the agent confirmed I should definitely report all DoorDash earnings on my weekly claims. She also told me my claim is pending because they're waiting for verification from my previous employer who hasn't responded yet. She put a note in my file to expedite it, so fingers crossed something happens soon. Thanks everyone for the advice!
That's awesome you got through! Did you do anything special or just keep calling? I've been trying for weeks with no luck.
Owen Devar
Random question - did they give you any information about what to do about your taxes? When my identity was stolen for unemployment, the scammer collected benefits in 2021 and I got a 1099-G tax form for benefits I never received. It was a whole separate nightmare trying to get that corrected.
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Micah Franklin
•Oh no, I hadn't even thought about that! They didn't mention anything about taxes. That's another thing to worry about... Was there a specific department you had to contact to fix the tax issue?
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Sophie Footman
Quick update on the mailing address I provided earlier - if you're specifically dealing with an identity theft situation (rather than just regular identity verification), you should use this contact information instead: Email: esdfraud@esd.wa.gov Fraud Hotline: 800-246-9763 Fax for Fraud Unit: 833-572-8423 (same as regular fax) Mail: Employment Security Department ATTN: Fraud Investigation PO Box 19018 Olympia, WA 98507-0018 Make sure to clearly mark all communications as "IDENTITY THEFT CASE" so they route it to the correct department. The fraud unit has different procedures than the regular identity verification process.
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Connor Rupert
•This is important - the regular ID verification team and the fraud team are completely different departments. If your docs go to the wrong team, they'll sit unprocessed. I learned this the hard way!
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