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I recommend calling on Wednesday or Thursday if possible. Monday and Tuesday call volumes are typically 30-40% higher, making it much harder to get through. Also, when you do connect with an agent, ask them to check for "pending issues" not just "questionnaires" - they're categorized differently in their system. And yes, definitely try the WorkSource office. While they're technically separate from ESD, many WorkSource specialists have been trained to help with unemployment issues specifically because of the high volume of cases. Some offices even have dedicated ESD liaisons on certain days of the week.
Just called ALL WorkSource offices in King County. Only Seattle Downtown and Auburn still have UI Ambassadors, and they only take appointments 2 days a week (Tuesday/Thursday). This system is deliberately designed to prevent us from getting help!!! Just sharing so people don't waste time driving around to offices that can't help.
my brother is an esd employee and he says theyre super understaffed right now. said their turnover is crazy bc the job is stressful and pay isn't good. said they lost like 60% of staff after the covid surge ended. doesn't excuse the terrible service but explains some of it i guess
To answer your question about them trying to get back money from your standby period - they shouldn't do that as long as you were eligible during that time. Your eligibility during standby was legitimate. It's only going forward from when you decided to retire that you become ineligible (since you're no longer able and available for work, which is a requirement for UI). Make sure when you respond to their letter that you clearly state the exact date you retired, so they know when to properly end your claim.
I'm a former WorkSource specialist, and I can confirm what others have said. The specific letter you'll receive is called a "Request for Information" or sometimes a "Missed Appointment Inquiry." This document is specifically coded in their system to properly process claim closures due to retirement or other special circumstances. When you respond to this specific form, it routes directly to the appropriate department rather than going into the general message queue. If you want to be proactive, you could try visiting your local WorkSource office in person with documentation of your retirement decision, but honestly, waiting for the letter is usually faster.
Yes, such a relief! And the agent told me I should receive payment for this week plus the one I missed during adjudication by next Tuesday. So glad I kept filing my weekly claims as everyone suggested!
Hunter Brighton
My cousin works for ESD (not saying that publicly lol) and she says they're SUPER backed up right now because of system updates and staff shortages. Like worse than usual. Not helpful for your immediate problem but might explain why even after winning your appeal it's taking forever. The system is basically held together with duct tape at this point.
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Grace Thomas
•This is 100% accurate. I have a contact there too, and they told me they're still dealing with the aftermath of those pandemic-era claims plus they had a major software update that caused huge backlogs. It's especially bad for claims that had appeals because those have to be manually processed.
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Marcus Williams
Update for everyone: I just checked the ESD website and they've posted a notice about implementation delays for appeal decisions. They're currently processing implementations from early October, so that explains the 7+ week wait for more recent decisions. Still worth contacting your representatives though!
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Jessica Suarez
•Thank you for this update! At least that confirms it's a system-wide issue and not just my claim being overlooked. I'm still going to try contacting my rep and senator though - can't afford to wait much longer.
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