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I'm completely baffled by an alert I got from ESD yesterday. They sent me a notification saying they believe I was "not available for work for the week ending September 7th, 2025" - which is still THREE WEEKS FROM NOW! How can they determine I wasn't available for work for a time period that hasn't even happened yet??? I've been filing my weekly claims normally, answering yes to the available/able to work questions, and doing my job search activities. Never had issues before. Did I miss something? Is this some kind of system glitch or time-traveling bureaucracy? Has anyone else dealt with this bizarre future-prediction thing from ESD? Do I need to appeal this or just wait until the actual week passes? The notification doesn't even tell me what to do next. I'm so confused right now.
So I had my appeal hearing with an OAH judge last Tuesday about my denied ESD benefits (they said I quit without good cause, but I was actually laid off). The judge told me at the end of the hearing that I would receive the written decision by mail within 5 business days. According to what she said, I should have received it yesterday at the latest, but nothing came in today's mail either. I'm getting really anxious about this. Does the judge missing their own deadline work in my favor at all? Like, can I use this as part of my case if I need to appeal again? Or does it just mean more waiting? Has anyone else experienced delays with hearing decisions?
To directly answer your question about legal advantages: The judge missing their own stated timeline for issuing a decision does not create any legal advantage for your case. OAH judges are given up to 30 days by statute to issue their decisions, regardless of what timeline they mention during the hearing. If you don't receive a decision by day 30 after your hearing, THEN you might have grounds to request administrative review based on procedural delay. But at less than 10 days out, it's completely normal and won't impact the substance of your case in any way. Regarding job search activities - if you win your appeal for a period when you missed job search activities, you'll likely need to request a good cause waiver for the missed activities. Document why you were focused on the hearing (stress, preparation, etc.).
my freind had this happen an the judge forgott to mail the decsion at all!! she had to call OAH after 3 weeks and they were like 'oops' and emailed it to her that same day. mabye try calling them???
I'm really confused about a letter I just got from ESD yesterday. It says I was DENIED for standby status, but the weird thing is I don't remember ever requesting standby in the first place! I've been filing my weekly claims normally, reporting my job search activities (always doing at least 3 per week), and everything seemed fine until this random denial letter showed up. Does anyone know if this standby denial will somehow mess up my regular unemployment benefits? I'm worried they might stop my payments because of this, even though I've been following all the rules for regular UI. Should I call ESD about this or just keep doing what I've been doing with my job search and weekly claims? I really can't afford to lose my benefits right now over what seems like some kind of mistake in their system.
Update us after your next payment is supposed to come through! I'm curious if yours processes normally or if you hit the same problems I did.
So I've been on unemployment since February 3rd, 2025. Everything was going smoothly at first (after the whole identity verification thing which took forever). I got my back payments and have been filing weekly ever since. But this week something changed! I just logged into my eServices account and saw my status changed to 'Pending' with a note saying ESD 'has not made a decision on whether I will continue to get payments.' They had asked for additional information about why I no longer work for my previous employer (a restaurant where I was a line cook for 3 years), which I provided right away - explaining how they reduced my hours to practically nothing after getting a new kitchen manager. Now I'm freaking out because I think my old boss might be contesting my claim! She never liked me and was probably looking for a way to get rid of me anyway. This is the first time I've ever been on unemployment and I have no idea what happens next or how long this 'pending' status could last. Do I keep filing my weekly claims while this is happening? Will they tell me if my old employer said something? How long does this decision process usually take? My rent is due next week and I'm getting really worried. Any advice would be super appreciated!
Just wanted to update everyone - I checked my claim this morning and it switched from Pending back to Paid! They also deposited all the missing payments from the last three weeks. I never received any communication about what the issue was or if my employer contested anything. It just resolved itself! Thank you to everyone who replied with advice and support. I'm so relieved right now.
Great news! This happens more often than people realize. Sometimes the ESD system flags claims for review automatically, but they get cleared without needing a full adjudication process. Glad it worked out for you!
I'd like to add something important about your case specifically - you mentioned you were a line cook whose hours were reduced after a new kitchen manager came in. Restaurant industry claims have some unique aspects because: 1. Variable schedules are common in food service, so ESD looks carefully at patterns over time 2. The industry has high turnover, so ESD has specialized experience with these claims 3. Seasonal fluctuations are considered normal in some cases Make sure you clarify that this wasn't just normal season-related scheduling but a significant change targeted at you specifically after management changes. That distinction can be important. I know the waiting is stressful, but the case you described sounds like it should ultimately be decided in your favor based on the substantial hours reduction. Just keep filing those weekly claims and documenting everything.
That's a really good point about the restaurant industry. Yes, I had been working a consistent 30-35 hours per week for nearly 3 years. The reduction only happened after the new kitchen manager started, and it only happened to me and one other person who had been there longer than most staff. It definitely felt targeted. I'll make sure to emphasize that if I get a chance to talk to an adjudicator. Thank you!
I'm completely frustrated and confused right now. I just checked my weekly claim status for last week and ESD is saying I wasn't available for work?? I did EVERYTHING right - I was physically here in Washington, completed 3 job search activities (even attended two WorkSource workshops that THEY recommended!), and was 100% ready to accept work if offered. I've been claiming for about 5 weeks with zero issues until now. Nothing in my situation changed at all from previous weeks. I answered all the weekly certification questions exactly the same way I always do. I did have a doctor's appointment last Tuesday morning but that shouldn't make me "unavailable" for the entire week, right? Has anyone else had this happen? Do I need to appeal this? The notification says something about being disqualified for the week but doesn't explain WHY they think I wasn't available. I can't afford to miss even one week of benefits right now with rent coming due.
Just to clarify some misinformation in this thread: ESD does not have denial quotas. The availability question can be confusing, but it's designed to identify people with significant restrictions that would prevent them from accepting suitable work. When you appeal, focus on explaining that you misunderstood the question and provide evidence of your active job search and WorkSource participation. Approximately 60% of availability disqualification appeals are successful when the claimant can demonstrate they were actually available for work during the week in question. Remember that Washington law requires you to be available for full-time work in your customary occupation during all the usual hours and days for that type of work. Brief appointments or obligations that don't significantly restrict your availability don't need to be reported as limitations.
After I got through to ESD using Claimyr, the agent told me they can actually reactivate your benefits on the phone if it's just a simple misunderstanding about availability like this. The appeal process is more for complex situations or when you disagree with their determination about your eligibility. For single-week issues caused by accidentally answering a question wrong, getting through to a live agent is often the fastest solution. They can see your WorkSource attendance and job search activities in their system.
Kelsey Chin
To clarify for everyone in this thread, here's what's happening: 1. ESD's system has a bug where determination notices about PAST weeks sometimes display FUTURE dates 2. The determination is real and needs to be addressed (it's not just going to fix itself) 3. You need to file an appeal within 30 days of the determination date (which is in the past), not the incorrectly displayed future date 4. You can identify which week is actually being questioned by checking your payment history for recently denied weeks 5. While waiting for your appeal, continue filing your weekly claims as normal ESD is aware of this issue but hasn't been able to fully resolve it yet in their notification system. If you call them, you'll likely get it sorted out quickly once you reach someone.
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Connor Rupert
AuthorThank you for laying it out so clearly! I've started my appeal process and included notes about the date discrepancy. I'll continue with my weekly claims as usual in the meantime.
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Connor Rupert
UPDATE: I finally got this resolved! After trying to call for days with no luck, I took the advice here and used Claimyr to get through to an ESD agent. Turns out the system was showing September 7th, 2025 but they were actually referring to August 10th, 2025 (a past week). The agent said they're getting tons of calls about this same date glitch. Apparently I answered one of the weekly claim questions incorrectly for that week - I must have accidentally clicked "no" on the available for work question when I meant to click "yes". The agent was able to correct it right away since it was clearly just a mistake (my work search log showed I was actively looking that week). Thanks everyone for your help! And special thanks for the Claimyr recommendation - saved me so much time and frustration.
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Molly Hansen
Great to hear you got it resolved! This is why I always take screenshots of my weekly claim submissions now - too easy to make a small mistake that causes big problems. Thanks for updating us!
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