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Just saw ur other comments - if u didn't document the HR convo ur gonna have a hard time. My friend went thru this and the employer straight up LIED about what they had told him. Its ur word against theirs... try to find any coworkers who might have overheard anything?
Regardless of how strong your case is, appeal and continue filing weekly claims while you're waiting. The appeal process in 2025 is taking about 6-8 weeks right now from filing to hearing date. That's a long time to go without income, so you should also look into emergency assistance programs like basic food benefits and HEN referrals for housing assistance while you wait. If you're dealing with substance use issues, there might be additional support services available to you.
Have you checked with your previous employers to make sure they properly reported your wages to ESD? I had an issue where my employer had me classified wrong in their system (as a 1099 instead of W-2), so none of those hours were showing up in the ESD system. Took some back and forth with the HR department but they eventually fixed it on their end.
I went through this exact nightmare last year. My determination letter was missing almost 850 hours from two different employers! After three appeal letters with no response, I finally got through to someone on the phone who explained that sometimes hours don't transfer properly in their system if there's ANY discrepancy in how your name or SSN was entered by different employers (like using a middle initial at one job but not another). Request a copy of your wage and hour history report directly from ESD. Compare that to your actual work records. If there's a mismatch, you'll need documentation from each employer confirming your actual hours worked. Time-consuming but it worked for me.
wait can someone explain why his claim is pending for so long? mine was approved in like 5 days. did you guys make a mistake on the application maybe??
To answer your follow-up question - yes, he absolutely must continue doing and documenting 3 job search activities each week until he actually starts working (not just until he gets the offer). Once he works his first day at the new job, then he can stop doing job searches but should still file for that partial week and report his earnings. After he starts working full-time, he'll no longer need to file weekly claims. ESD will eventually process his backpay for all eligible weeks where he properly filed claims and met job search requirements. Just be patient as this can sometimes take several weeks after the claim moves from pending to approved status.
have u tried using a diffrent browser? sometimes internet explorer works better for goverment sites (weird i kno). my husbands esd account only works on his phone not on our computer for some reason.
Update on this issue: ESD just published a technical bulletin about this exact problem. They're aware of the email association errors happening after their March 2025 security update. They recommend waiting 24 hours between email updates to allow their system to fully process changes. For those still struggling, they've also added a specific option in their phone tree for this issue - when you call the main number, press 2, then 4, then 1 for "account association errors" which should connect you to specialized technical support. Glad to hear the OP got their issue resolved using the method I suggested!
AstroAdventurer
anyone else notice that adjudication seems to take longer when the employer is fighting the claim? when i got laid off last year with no dispute my benefits started in like 10 days. but my friend who got fired for "performance" (totally bogus btw) waited like 6 weeks for adjudication. seems like they put the complicated ones at the bottom of the pile...
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Andre Dupont
•Yeah thats exactly what happens! My wife's claim went through in a week cause her company didn't contest it. But mine is on week 4 of adjudication because my boss is claiming I was "insubordinate" when actually I just refused to do something unsafe. ESD is definitely prioritizing the easy cases.
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Mateo Hernandez
•You're right that uncontested claims process much faster. When employers contest a claim, it automatically triggers adjudication, which requires a trained adjudicator to review evidence from both sides. ESD processes uncontested claims through an automated system, while contested claims require human review, creating a bottleneck. It's not about prioritizing easy cases - it's about the additional steps required for disputed separations.
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Nia Jackson
Just wanted to update everyone - I finally got through to ESD today after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. The agent confirmed my case is assigned to an adjudicator but said they're backed up by about 3-4 more weeks. At least now I know what's happening. They also looked at my documentation and said I've done everything right so far. Thanks for all the advice and support!
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Ethan Taylor
•That's great you were able to get through and get an update! Did they give you any idea about your chances of approval or is it too early to tell?
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Nia Jackson
•They couldn't tell me about approval chances, but did say my documentation looks good. The agent mentioned that having written proof of the safety concerns I raised before termination will help my case. Now it's just more waiting, but at least with a clearer timeline.
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