has anyone noticed how the esd fraud dept seems to flag way more claims than before? i swear theyre just trying to save money by making the process so frustrating that people give up. my neighbor waited 9 weeks for his claim to clear the fraud dept and he works for the state government! makes no sense

FINAL UPDATE: My claim is FINALLY out of fraud review! The supervisor called me yesterday and removed the hold. She said they've been overwhelmed with cases and apologized for the delay. All my weeks are now processing for payment and I should receive the backpay within 3 business days. For anyone else stuck in fraud review purgatory - being able to actually speak to someone was the key. Thank you all for your advice and support through this nightmare!

To address your specific situation: When you have an employer information error that's causing an eligibility issue, you have several options: 1. Continue trying to call ESD at 833-572-8400 during less busy times (early morning is best) 2. Use the Legislative Hotline as suggested (1-800-562-6000) 3. Consider a service like Claimyr if the above doesn't work 4. Submit a formal appeal of the ineligibility determination Regarding the last option - you'll receive a formal determination letter explaining why you're ineligible. You have the right to appeal this determination within 30 days. In your appeal, clearly explain that there was an error in the employer information you provided and specify what the correct information should be. Appeals are reviewed by a different department and can sometimes be a faster way to get errors corrected. In the meantime, continue filing your weekly claims even while showing as ineligible. Once the employer information is corrected, you'll be eligible for back payments for weeks you claimed properly.

One more important thing - make sure you're thoroughly documenting every attempt to contact ESD. Keep a log with dates, times, and method of contact (phone, message, etc.). If you end up needing to file an appeal for any benefit delays, this documentation will help show you were making good faith efforts to correct the problem. Also, when you do speak with someone, get their name and ID number if possible, and ask them to note in your file that you've been trying to contact ESD about this issue for [however many] days.

Yes, call your district's state representatives directly. You can find who represents you by entering your address on the legislature website. Explain your situation, the timeline, and the financial hardship you're facing. Be specific about how long you've been waiting and what steps you've already taken. They typically have staff dedicated to helping constituents with state agencies. In King County, they're very familiar with ESD issues.

Update: I took several pieces of advice from this thread. I used Claimyr to get through to ESD (it actually worked!) and spoke with a tier 2 agent who explained my claim was flagged because my former employer contested it. The agent helped me understand what additional documentation I needed to provide. I also contacted my state representative's office, who said they'd follow up with ESD if it's not resolved in the next week. Thanks everyone for the advice - I feel like I'm finally making progress instead of just waiting helplessly.

lol my friend had his dog's name show up on his claim last year!!!! 🐕 ESD system is sooooo broken haha. glad u got it fixed tho

Update: I called the number today and successfully filed my weekly claim by phone! It took about 10 minutes going through all the questions, and I felt much more confident that everything was processed correctly. The automated system confirmed my claim was received at the end. Such a relief after all the website problems!

Something else to consider is taxes! Even though your income won't affect his benefits, remember that unemployment is taxable income. So when you file taxes next year, your combined income might put you in a higher tax bracket. Not saying don't take the job! Just something to be aware of so you're not surprised at tax time.

Just to follow up on what others have correctly stated - Washington ESD only looks at the individual claimant's income when determining eligibility and weekly benefit amounts. Your employment status and income have no direct impact on your husband's unemployment benefits. The system is designed this way specifically to encourage families to maintain or increase household income during periods of partial employment. Taking the job will simply add to your total household income rather than replacing his benefits. One additional note: if your husband finds part-time work, he may still qualify for partial unemployment benefits if he earns less than his weekly benefit amount. In that case, ESD would deduct a portion of his earnings from his benefit (not your earnings).