Washington Unemployment
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Finally approved for ESD benefits after Amazon firing for not meeting quotas
After 3 months of waiting, my unemployment claim was FINALLY approved! I was let go from Costco after failing to meet their new productivity metrics 4 times in a row (I worked there for almost 3 years). My termination letter specifically said 'failure to meet company standards' which made me super worried about qualifying for benefits. My initial claim was filed on January 15, 2025, and it just sat in pending status forever with no updates. I was honestly about to give up when someone suggested calling the Governor's Office. I called last Tuesday, and miraculously my claim was processed and paid exactly 8 days later! The deposit hit my account this morning ($874 for the waiting week plus 3 back weeks). For anyone struggling with pending claims - the Governor's Office route actually works! Has anyone else been approved after being fired for performance issues? I was convinced they'd deny me and I'd have to go through the whole appeal nightmare.
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Weekly claim by phone vs online - is the 48-hour ESD processing time different?
I've been filing my weekly unemployment claims online for the past few months, and I always have to wait at least 48 hours for ESD to process the payment. My internet has been spotty lately, and I'm thinking about using the phone system to file next week instead. Does anyone know if submitting by phone is processed any faster? Or do claims filed by phone still have the same 48-hour processing wait time? Just trying to figure out if it's worth switching methods or if all roads lead to the same waiting period. Would appreciate if someone who's tried both methods could share their experience!
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wait does anyone know what happens if u miss the sunday deadline?? like if u file monday does it take longer??
Filing on Monday instead of Sunday typically delays your payment by one business day. ESD runs their payment processing in daily batches. You can file for the previous week anytime until Saturday, but the earlier in the week you file, the faster you'll get paid. Just don't miss the Saturday deadline or you'll need to request a backdated claim.
I think the whole 48 hour thing is just what they tell us. I've had it process in 24 hours sometimes and other times it takes 72+. Doesn't seem to matter if I use phone or online. Pretty sure it depends more on how busy their system is that week.
YES!! This is exactly my experience too! Last December when everyone was filing before the holidays, it took almost 4 days! But in February when claims were lower, I got paid in just over a day. The 48 hours is just an average they quote, not a guarantee.
ESD adjudication triggered after claiming week with 41 hours - need help fixing reporting issue
I'm beyond frustrated with my unemployment claim situation right now. I've been receiving benefits since November and everything was going smoothly until 2 weeks ago. I didn't file a weekly claim that week because I picked up 41 hours of work (split between two locations of the same company). The following week, I worked fewer hours so I filed my claim as usual, but the ESD system forced me to also file for the previous 41-hour week I had skipped. When I honestly reported all my hours for that week, the system flagged me for "inaccurate reporting" which makes absolutely no sense because I reported everything correctly! Now my account shows "adjudication in process" under the issues tab and my payments are on hold. I'm completely confused about why this happened when I was just being honest. Do I need to call ESD to explain? Will this take weeks to resolve? Has anyone dealt with something similar?
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Quick question - have you uploaded your paystubs from those weeks to your ESD account? That can sometimes speed up the verification process since they can confirm your hours worked without having to contact your employer.
I didn't know I could do that! Where in the ESD portal can I upload documents like paystubs? That seems like it would definitely help my case.
You can upload documents through your eServices account by going to your dashboard, selecting "Upload Documents" from the menu, and then choosing "Verification Documents" as the category. Make sure to include both paystubs showing the different locations you worked at during that 41-hour week, and it's helpful to include a brief note explaining that these relate to your current adjudication issue.
Perfect! I just found that section and uploaded both paystubs along with a note explaining everything. Hopefully this helps move things along. I really appreciate everyone's advice!
ESD payment delay this week - no Monday deposit after Sunday claim?
Anyone seeing weird delays with their unemployment payments this week? I filed my weekly claim Sunday at midnight like always, and typically the money hits my account Monday morning. It's already Monday night and nothing's showing up yet. No pending deposit either. I didn't do anything different with my claim - reported the same job search activities as usual, no earnings to report. Just wondering if it's just me or if ESD is running behind on processing claims this week? Starting to get nervous since I have rent due on Wednesday...
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My wife works for DSHS (different department but they hear things) and said ESD is migrating some payment systems this week which is causing delays across all benefit programs, not just unemployment. Apparently it's a planned update but they did a terrible job communicating it to claimants. Totally typical bureaucratic mess up! She said most payments are delayed 2-3 days but should all be processed by Thursday at the latest. Something about fiscal year reporting requirements and database merges... IDK all the technical details honestly.
See this is EXACTLY what I'm talking about!! They're doing system updates that affect THOUSANDS of people who depend on these payments but don't bother to clearly communicate?! How hard would it be to send a mass email or even put a CLEAR notification on the website? So disrespectful to those of us who depend on UI to survive!!
Fired for 'performance' - claim stuck on 'Waiting for information' since 11/27 - when to escalate?
I just got blindsided with a termination for 'performance issues' on November 13th, which was a total shock since I'd never received any formal warnings. Had a nightmare getting into my ESD account (kept saying my password was incorrect even though I KNOW it wasn't) and couldn't file until November 21st. I uploaded my termination letter right away and have been faithfully filing my weekly claims for 3 weeks now. When I check my account under 'Pending Issues' it just says 'Waiting for information' and shows the last update was November 27th. Nothing has changed since then. No calls, no messages, nothing in my ESD inbox.\n\nI'm starting to get really stressed about bills. How long should I wait before trying to escalate this somehow? Is this normal processing time? Do I need to do something else I'm not aware of? The ESD website is so confusing and I can't get through on the phone.
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Based on your timeline, I'd suggest waiting until December 19th (4 weeks from filing) before escalating. However, there are two productive steps you can take now:\n\n1. Check if you have access to your former employer's response in your ESD account. Sometimes the system shows what information they've provided.\n\n2. Prepare documentation proving you never received formal warnings or performance improvement plans. This will be valuable if there's a discrepancy between your account and your employer's.\n\nIf you haven't heard anything by December 19th, that's when I'd recommend calling to request an update and possibly escalation. When you call, specifically ask if they're still waiting for employer information or if something else is causing the delay.
This is really helpful advice. I'll check my ESD account more thoroughly to see if I can find my employer's response. I don't think they've submitted anything yet or the status would have changed, right? \n\nI've already gathered my emails showing positive feedback from my boss just two weeks before firing me, so hopefully that helps my case.
Caleb Stark
Congratulations on your approval! Your case actually illustrates an important point about Washington's unemployment system. Under RCW 50.04.294, "misconduct" has a specific legal definition, and ordinary performance issues generally don't meet that threshold. Misconduct requires a willful or wanton disregard of the employer's interest, deliberate violations of reasonable rules, or carelessness that shows an intentional disregard of the employer's interest. Simply failing to meet increasing quotas or production standards doesn't typically qualify as misconduct unless there's evidence you were deliberately underperforming. That's why you were ultimately approved despite the employer terminating you for performance reasons.
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Brianna Schmidt
maybe for them but i was denied for litteraly same reason last yr and ESD said i was negligent in my duties. it all depends on ur case worker and what they decide. some are nice and some are not
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Andrew Pinnock
OMG I CANT BELIEVE THE GOVERNORS OFFICE THING WORKED FOR ME TOO!!!! applied in December and nothing happened for 10 weeks, called the governors number last thursday and my claim was processed yesterday!!!!! everyone stuck in pending should try this!!!!!
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Charlotte Jones
AuthorThat's awesome! So glad it worked for you too. It's weird how much faster things move when the Governor's Office gets involved.
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