Washington Unemployment
CommunityGovernment Services
Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Any timeline for ESD waiver decisions? Waiting for weeks with no updates
I submitted an overpayment waiver application to ESD about 5 weeks ago, and my friend submitted hers around the same time. Neither of us has heard anything back yet. There wasn't any clear information about how long the review process takes when we applied. Has anyone successfully gotten an overpayment waived recently? How long did it take before you heard back? The $4,700 they want me to repay is giving me serious anxiety - I don't have that kind of money after being laid off from construction work. I check my eServices account daily but there's no status update showing.
Join the conversation
Would ESD benefit from a state transitional employment program for laid-off workers?
Just got laid off from my manufacturing job last week and dealing with the ESD unemployment claim process has been a nightmare. While fighting with the system, I had this idea: What if Washington implemented a program where the week you get laid off is the same week you start as a temporary state employee? You could work as an ESD claim specialist, DSHS intake worker, or other state roles while you look for permanent work. The state gets trained workers immediately, and people don't have gaps in employment or income while waiting for unemployment benefits to process. Completely voluntary, of course, but seems like it would save everyone headaches (and money). Has anyone heard of states trying something like this? Would this solve the adjudication backlog issues at ESD?
Join the conversation
My cousin in Oregon told me they do something kinda like this already. When COVID hit and unemployment went crazy, they took people who were waiting for benefits and hired them as temp workers to process other people's claims. Makes WAY more sense than making everyone sit around doing nothing while waiting for money!!!
Oregon did temporarily reassign some state workers from other agencies to help with claims processing during COVID, but they didn't hire unemployment claimants as state workers. That would be a completely different program requiring legislative action, funding mechanisms, and significant changes to civil service rules. It's important to understand the distinction between redeploying existing trained state workers versus hiring brand new employees with no experience in claims processing.
what im wondering is how much would these temp state jobs pay? cause if it's minimum wage that wouldn't even cover my rent. unemployment benefits are supposed to be like 60% of your regular pay up to the maximum. would these temp jobs match that or would people take a big pay cut to work for the state?
Good question. Most entry-level state positions start around $19-23/hour depending on the classification, which is often less than what specialized manufacturing or tech workers earn. There's also the issue of benefits - regular state employees receive comprehensive benefits packages that wouldn't be cost-effective for very short-term positions. This creates another layer of complexity when considering temporary employment models.
Governor's office said they'd contact ESD about my claim - do they actually call back?
I've been desperately trying to resolve my unemployment claim for over 8 weeks now. Called ESD probably 30+ times, sent multiple secure messages, and even visited WorkSource in person. Nothing's working. My landlord is threatening eviction next week and I'm down to my last $180. In desperation, I contacted the Governor's office yesterday. The person I spoke with seemed genuinely concerned and said they would "specifically reach out to their direct contact at Unemployment to see what's holding up my claim" and promised to call me back within 48 hours because my situation is "dire". Honestly, I'm skeptical. Has anyone actually had the Governor's office call them back? Did they actually help resolve your claim issues? I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I'm running out of options here. Any experiences (good or bad) would be appreciated!
Join the conversation
Just wanted to update that I heard back from the Governor's office this morning! They said they've contacted their liaison at ESD, who confirmed my claim was flagged for "additional verification" but no one had been assigned to review it. The liaison manually assigned my case to an adjudicator who should be reaching out within 72 hours. I'm cautiously optimistic! I'll keep you all posted on what happens. Thanks for all the advice and support.
That's great news! Fingers crossed it gets resolved quickly for you.
UPDATE: So the Governor's office actually did call me back today! Just 26 hours after I contacted them. The woman I spoke with was really helpful and said my claim had been flagged for wage verification (even though I submitted all my W-2s). She said she's emailed their direct contact at ESD and requested an expedited review because of my housing situation. She said it typically takes 3-5 business days after their intervention to see movement on a claim, but they'll be monitoring it and will call me again on Monday to check in. I'm still anxious but at least something is happening now! Will update again when I know more.
This is exactly how it worked for me! The 3-5 day timeframe was accurate in my case too. Glad you're getting some traction finally.
Calling ESD during adjudication - any success stories getting from pending to paid?
I've been stuck in adjudication for about 2 weeks now, and I'm getting really anxious about bills coming up. Has anyone successfully called ESD while their claim was in adjudication and actually gotten results? Like having your status changed from pending to paid in a reasonable timeframe? I know 2 weeks isn't super long in ESD-time (ugh), and probably not enough time to escalate to the governor's office yet, but I'm going crazy watching my bank account shrink. Just wondering if calling them directly is even worth the effort, or if I'm better off just waiting it out? Would love to hear any recent experiences!
Join the conversation
It's not sketchy - they basically use a system that continuously redials ESD and then connects you when they get through. Saved me hours of frustration. They don't access your personal information or anything, just connect you to ESD directly.
i tried it last week actualy. it did get me thru to a real person but the ESD agent was still useless. said they couldnt do anything for my adjudication and i just had to wait. so it gets u thru but doesnt solve the actual problems with ESD!!
Quick update on my earlier comment - I've noticed ESD sometimes processes claims in batches. If you filed your initial claim at the end of a week or during a holiday period, it might take a bit longer. Those who file right at the beginning of a business week sometimes get processed faster. Also, while you're waiting, make absolutely sure you're still filing your weekly claims correctly. The biggest mistake I see people make is they stop filing weekly certifications while in adjudication, and then they have to go through an additional process to backdate those claims.
Oh that's a good point about the weekly claims - I have been keeping up with those. I actually filed on a Wednesday, so maybe that's part of why it's taking a bit longer? Fingers crossed it resolves soon.
ESD denied my unemployment for missing first week job search and late ID verification - approved but no payments
I'm so confused about my unemployment status right now. I thought the first week was just setting up my account, so I didn't do any job searches. Started looking for work the second week and have done all my job search activities since then. Now ESD denied me for that first week because of no job search activities, which I understand, but they also denied me for "not submitting identification verification soon enough"? I finally got a letter last Thursday saying my claim was approved, but when I log in, all my weekly claims still show as denied. It's been almost a month now with no payments. My rent is due next week and I'm starting to panic. Has anyone dealt with this before? Do I need to appeal the ID verification thing? Will they eventually pay me for the weeks after my first denied week?
Join the conversation
Quick update on my suggestion earlier - after you file the appeal, you should get assigned an appeal date/time. Don't wait for this! Keep trying to reach ESD directly because they can often fix it faster than the appeal process. The appeal is just a backup plan to protect your rights while you try to get it fixed the quicker way.
That makes a lot of sense. I'll try using that Claimyr service someone mentioned to get through to an agent while also filing the appeal as backup. Thank you!
One last tip - when you do reach an ESD agent, ask them to check specifically for an "identity verification flag" or "payment block" on your account. Using those exact terms helps them understand what to look for. Also request that they make notes in your file about your contact attempt and what was discussed. This creates a paper trail showing you've been actively trying to resolve the issue.
Perfect! I'll use those exact terms when I talk to them. Thank you all so much for the help - I was feeling completely lost before posting here.
Paolo Rizzo
has anyone else notice that they seem to be denying more waivers this year??? i know 3 ppl who all got denied even with good reasons!! seems like they just want our $$
0 coins
Keisha Johnson
I haven't seen any evidence of increased denial rates. In fact, ESD published data showing they approved approximately 63% of waiver requests in Q1 2025, which is actually slightly higher than previous quarters. The key factors remain the same: whether the overpayment was your fault, your ability to repay, and how well you documented your financial hardship. Proper documentation is critical.
0 coins
Yara Sabbagh
Update: I actually just checked my mail and received a letter from ESD requesting additional information about my income for the 3 months after my benefits ended. They're giving me 7 days to respond. My friend still hasn't heard anything beyond the request for rent verification. Seems like they're processing our waivers separately even though we applied around the same time. I'm relieved to at least know someone is looking at my application!
0 coins
Amina Sy
This is excellent news! When ESD requests specific additional information, it typically means your application is actively being reviewed. Make sure to provide exactly what they're asking for, and consider including a brief cover letter that references your waiver application number and summarizes the documents you're submitting. Send it with delivery confirmation if possible. The 7-day deadline is important - if you need more time, call immediately to request an extension rather than missing the deadline.
0 coins