Regarding your original question about best times to call - ESD's phone lines open at 8am and your best chance is to call exactly at 8:00:00. Not 8:01, not 7:59 - exactly when they open. Have your claim ID and all information ready. Mondays and Tuesdays are typically the busiest days, so Wednesday through Friday may offer slightly better odds. That said, using the Claimyr service someone mentioned is probably more reliable than hoping to get through on your own.

UPDATE: I used Claimyr this morning and actually got through to an ESD agent! She was really helpful and went through my file with me. Turns out they had mixed up some of my reported earnings with another claimant who has a similar name! She said she's flagging it for correction and will be sending me a revised determination that should reduce my overpayment significantly. She also put notes in my file documenting the error and extended my appeal deadline by 14 days to give time for the correction to process. SUCH a relief - worth every penny to finally talk to someone who could actually help. Thanks everyone for your advice!

i dunno why everyones saying to call esd... have u checked ur bank account? sometimes they just deposit the money without updating the website lol

Based on your reply that it's about $4,200 for 7 weeks, that's definitely worth pursuing. While the system should automatically trigger these payments after an appeal win, there's often a disconnect between the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) and ESD's payment systems. Sometimes you need to specifically request what's called a "benefit reinstatement following appeal reversal" - that's the exact phrase that might help when talking to representatives. Also, make sure your current address and payment method are up-to-date in the system. I've seen cases where backpay was issued via paper check to an old address even when people had direct deposit set up.

As others have said, you need to appeal right away. Just wanted to add that your case falls under what's called \

Thank you for the specific statute! This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for. I'll definitely cite this in my appeal letter.

This happened to me too!!! The whole system is rigged against students. I got denied because of "school conflicts" even though I could work weekends and evenings. It's so frustrating. Let us know how your appeal goes - I gave up and didn't fight it.

One more thing - when you file your appeal, check the box requesting an IN-PERSON hearing if possible (not phone). Statistical data shows appeal approval rates are higher for in-person hearings versus phone hearings. Bring all your documents organized in a folder with tabs. Also, in your situation, the Training Benefits program really does sound like the best option. You can apply for it separately from your appeal. If approved, it would override the able and available issue completely. The application is on the ESD website under "Services" then "Training Benefits" - there's a downloadable form.

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know it's working now! Just successfully filed my husband's weekly claim. Looks like it was some kind of system glitch that got fixed. For anyone else having this issue, try logging in again now.

Glad to hear it's resolved! For future reference, when this happens again (because let's be honest, it probably will at some point), there are a few official ways to check system status: 1. ESD's Twitter account sometimes posts about known outages 2. The technical support email (esditprod@esd.wa.gov) will sometimes respond with an auto-reply if there's a known issue 3. The recorded message on the main claims line occasionally updates to mention system issues Also remember that even if you can't file on Sunday, you have until Saturday of the following week before it's considered late. So there's usually no need to panic if the system is down for a day.