To answer your follow-up question - PFML does have a waiting week, so for just a single week illness, it probably wouldn't help much. It's more beneficial for conditions lasting at least two weeks. Unfortunately, there's a gap in our social safety net for short-term illnesses unless your employer offers sick pay.

After reading through the discussion, here's my recommendation: 1. Don't reopen your claim just for one week of illness - you likely won't qualify under able and available rules 2. If your part-time employer offers any sick time, even retroactively, that would be a better option 3. If you decide to contact ESD anyway, be prepared with your doctor's note, though it may not change the outcome 4. For future reference, keep your claim active during part-time work by continuing to file weekly and reporting your earnings - this keeps your claim open for weeks when your hours are reduced Unfortunately, in Washington, there's no perfect program for your specific situation - a short-term illness while working part-time.

Whatever route you choose to get through to ESD, make sure you have your OAH appeal case number ready. Also take screenshots of your account showing the 'processed - paid' status for your claims. These will help the agent track down exactly what's happening with your payments. Request they send you an email confirmation of whatever action they take on your account so you have documentation.

Just want to update everyone that I finally got through to ESD today! There was indeed a payment block on my account that the agent was able to remove. She said it's a common issue after appeals - the judge's decision gets recorded but there's a separate step to release payments that sometimes doesn't happen automatically. She said I should receive all my backpay within 3 business days. What a relief!

anyone know if the holiday next week will delay payments more???

UPDATE: My payment finally hit my account this morning! That makes 10 calendar days (8 business days) from when it showed as "paid" in the system. Thanks everyone for your help and reassurance that this is somewhat normal. Huge relief to finally have the money.

did u try calling the offshore call center?? its different than the main number and sometimes u can actually get someone there. they cant fix everything but they can at least see whats happening with ur claim. i think the number was like 833-something

UPDATE: For anyone facing this specific situation (claim moving from adjudication to pending), I just spoke with an ESD supervisor who explained the current process. As of 2025, they've changed their workflow so that claims are marked as "pending" during final review after adjudication. The average wait time after this status change is 7-10 business days for a decision to be issued. The supervisor specifically said NOT to call repeatedly during this pending period as it doesn't speed up the process and just overloads their phone system. Instead, watch your Notices/Letters section in eServices for the determination letter. What will help: Make sure you continue filing weekly claims during this period so that once approved, payment can be issued immediately for all eligible weeks.

UPDATE: I finally got through! After trying all your suggestions, what finally worked was using my tablet and connecting through my phone's hotspot instead of my home wifi. No idea why that made a difference, but I'm now able to start my claim! For anyone else facing this issue - try different devices AND different internet connections. Now I'm just hoping the actual claim process goes smoothly. Thanks everyone for your help!

good 4 u but now ur gonna be stuck in adjudication for like 2 months lol. thats what happened to my sister. the id verification was just the beginning of her nightmare with esd