Has anyone tried contacting their state representative? My friend did that when her claim was stuck in adjudication for like 2 months and suddenly ESD called her within 3 days of her contacting the rep's office.

UPDATE: I used the Claimyr service that someone recommended and actually got through to ESD! The agent told me that my claim is currently assigned to an adjudicator and they're aiming to have decisions made within 10-14 days from when they receive responses to questionnaires. She said my case looks straightforward and I should hopefully hear something by the end of next week. Such a relief to at least know what's happening!

btw i forgot to mention my hearing was over the phone not in person. is yours phone or zoom or in person? the phone one was actually easier than i expected. the judge was super nice and my old boss kept contradicting himself and sounded like an idiot lol. i won my case in the end!

UPDATE??!! Did you manage to get your benefits continued during the appeal? Hope you and your daughter are ok 💜

My daughter works at ESD and she always tells people to file on Sunday for a clean start to the claim week. Makes the whole process smoother for everyone! Also remember that your first week is a waiting week (unpaid) but you STILL have to file a weekly claim for it or your claim can get messed up.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to wait until Sunday to file my initial claim. It seems like that's the best approach to avoid complications with partial weeks. I'll make sure to have all my employment information ready and set aside enough time to complete the application thoroughly. I'll also remember to file for that first "waiting week" even though it's unpaid. Really appreciate all your insights!

I wouldnt trust the zero balance until you get confirmation in WRITING from ESD! My waiver got approved then REVERSED two months later and they started collections again and added penalties!!!! get everything in writing and dont spend that refund $$$ until your 100% sure its final

To address the concern about waiver reversals - this is extremely rare and typically only happens in cases where fraud was later discovered or if the waiver was clearly issued in error (like if you didn't actually have an overpayment to begin with). For most people who legitimately qualified for a pandemic overpayment waiver, once approved, it's final. However, it's always good practice to: 1. Request a formal waiver approval letter (they don't always send these automatically) 2. Print and save screenshots of your zero balance 3. Keep all communication with ESD regarding your waiver 4. If you do receive a refund, save the documentation that came with it The vast majority of approved waivers remain approved permanently - but documentation is your best protection.

not to hijack but sorta related question - does the waiting week also happen if you're on standby status when your benefit year ends? my employer has me on partial unemployment with standby and my benefit year ends next month

Just for clarity: when your benefit year ends, ESD must by law treat it as a new claim. This means: 1. You must meet eligibility requirements again 2. Your benefit amount may change based on your work history during the past year 3. You must serve another waiting week 4. Any ongoing issues like adjudication will usually need to be addressed again It helps to think of it as completely starting over rather than a continuation. The system is designed this way to ensure people are still eligible under current circumstances, not just based on their situation from a year ago.