One more important thing: if you disagree with any of the facts ESD presents during the hearing, make sure to clearly state your objection. The judge can only rule on what's discussed during the hearing. If the ESD rep says something incorrect and you don't challenge it, the judge will assume you agree with that fact. Be polite but firm if you need to correct something.

Thank you! I've put together all my documents and made that timeline. Still nervous but feeling more prepared now. I'll post an update after the hearing to let everyone know how it went. Really appreciate all the advice!

I had a somewhat similar experience last month but with mixed results. I did get through to the Governor's office right away (called around 9:30am on a Tuesday), and they took all my information and said they'd send an urgent inquiry to ESD. The good news: I did get a call from ESD about a week later. The bad news: The ESD rep who called me said they still couldn't expedite my adjudication because they were handling cases in the order received and there were "thousands" ahead of mine. She said the only cases being expedited were those facing immediate eviction or utility shutoff with formal notices. So while the Governor's office did get ESD to call me, it didn't actually speed up my claim processing. I ended up waiting another 3 weeks before my adjudication was completed (9 weeks total). Just sharing so you have realistic expectations.

Just as an update to everyone following this thread - I called the Governor's office number that OP shared (360-902-4111) this morning and also got through right away. The person I spoke with was very professional and said they'd submit an inquiry about my claim. They gave me a reference number and everything, which already feels more promising than my previous attempts to contact ESD. I'll update here if/when I hear anything back!

THE PHONE SYSTEM IS HORRIBLE!!! I tried calling last week and it hung up on me FOUR TIMES before I could file my claim!!! ESD doesn't care that people can't get through. I don't know why they can't hire more people to answer phones when we're REQUIRED to file weekly. And don't get me started on their ridiculous job search requirements - 3 activities a week is excessive when there are barely any jobs in my field. The whole system is designed to make people give up!!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful answers! I just successfully filed by phone and you were all right - they only asked if I completed my job search activities without asking for details. I'm going to make sure my job search log is more detailed though, especially adding the job titles I was missing. Sounds like those random audits are pretty common.

Question for anyone who's done this - do I need to have my claim ID and social security number ready when I call the governor's office? And do they transfer you directly to someone at ESD or do they take your info and have ESD call you back? Just want to be prepared when I call.

my friend works at esd and says they hate getting these govnr office escalations bcuz it makes them drop everything else. but yeah if ur desperate i guess do what u gotta do. just sayin theres real people trying their best on the other side too

One more option to consider is reaching out through the ESD website's technical support contact form (not the regular eServices messaging). Sometimes technical support can escalate issues to claims specialists when they see patterns of problems. Be sure to include: 1. Your claim ID 2. The exact dates of all pending weeks 3. Any error messages you've received 4. Screenshots of your claim status page if possible Also, when did you last verify your identity through ID.me? Sometimes claims get stuck when ID verification expires, even if you previously verified successfully.

Based on everything you've shared, this sounds like your claim might be stuck in the automated adjudication queue. With the information you've provided, here's what I'd recommend in order of effectiveness: 1. Continue with the state representative outreach you've already started 2. Visit WorkSource in person (call first to confirm they have ESD staff as others suggested) 3. If those don't work within a week, consider a service like Claimyr that another user mentioned - many people in this forum have reported success with it 4. As a last resort, you can request an official appeal of your pending status, which forces ESD to review your claim, but this can sometimes take even longer Hang in there, and please update us on what ends up working for you!