One thing nobody told me during my appeal: THE HEARING IS RECORDED!!! Make sure you don't interrupt anyone, especially the judge. Let the employer finish talking even when they're lying. The judge kept telling me to wait my turn and I think it made me look bad. Also be ready for the employer to have their lawyer or HR person there who will sound all professional and prepared.

I went through a very similar situation about 18 months ago - new manager, private conversation about workplace concerns, immediate suspension, then termination for "insubordination." I was terrified going into the appeal hearing but I actually won! A few things that really helped my case: **Document the timeline NOW** - Write down every detail you can remember while it's fresh. Include the exact words you used in that meeting (as best you can recall), your tone, the supervisor's reaction, when the suspension happened, etc. **Request specific evidence from your employer** - During the hearing, you can ask the judge to require your employer to provide specific examples of the "insubordination" they claim happened. If they can't give concrete details with dates and witnesses, it weakens their credibility significantly. **Bring character evidence** - Any performance reviews, commendations, or emails showing you were a professional, cooperative employee before this incident. The contrast will be obvious to the judge. **Stay calm during the hearing** - I know it's hard when they're literally making stuff up about you, but the judge notices who stays professional and who gets defensive or emotional. The key thing to remember is that expressing legitimate workplace concerns in an appropriate, private setting is NOT insubordination under Washington law. You have to willfully refuse to follow a direct order or be deliberately disruptive. It sounds like you were trying to be constructive, not defiant. You've got this! The system isn't perfect but judges deal with these "he said/she said" situations all the time, and they can usually tell who's being truthful.

For future reference, you can also request these documents through the mail if you prefer physical copies. Just call the customer service line and ask them to mail you a benefit payment statement.

Another option if you need something that looks more professional is to ask Washington ESD for a "Monetary Determination" letter. This document shows your weekly benefit amount, total benefit year amount, and claim dates in an official letterhead format. I used this for a rental application and it looked much more formal than the basic payment history printout. You can request it through your online account under "Correspondence" or by calling their customer service line. It usually generates pretty quickly online.

I'm having this exact same problem right now! Been trying to log in for the past hour and getting the endless refresh loop. Reading through all these solutions, it sounds like the incognito/private browsing mode is the most reliable quick fix. I'm going to try that first, then work my way through the other suggestions if needed. It's really frustrating that ESD made these security changes back in January without properly informing users or ensuring the system worked smoothly. We're all just trying to file our claims on time and access benefits we're entitled to. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their workarounds - this community support is invaluable when the official support channels are impossible to reach! Will update once I try these solutions to let others know what worked for me.

I'm experiencing this exact same issue! Started happening to me yesterday and it's driving me crazy. I can log into SAW perfectly fine, but the moment I try to access E-Services it just keeps refreshing the login page with no error message whatsoever. Based on all the helpful suggestions here, I'm going to try the incognito browser mode first since that seems to work for most people. If that doesn't work, I'll try Carmen's method of going through the main esd.wa.gov site instead of directly to E-Services. It's absolutely ridiculous that ESD pushed out these security updates in January without proper testing or user communication. We shouldn't have to hunt down workarounds on community forums just to access our benefits! Thank you everyone for sharing your solutions - this thread is a lifesaver when ESD's phone support is completely unreachable.

Just wanted to add that if you're in a specialized field with limited local opportunities, you can expand your search geographically and include remote work options. I've been documenting remote job applications and they count the same as local ones. Also, don't forget that informational interviews are really valuable - they count as networking activities and sometimes lead to job opportunities that aren't even posted yet. I've had good luck reaching out to people in my field through LinkedIn for brief coffee chats about their company and industry trends.

Just a heads up for anyone dealing with work search requirements - I learned the hard way that you should also keep records of any job rejections you receive. During my audit, they asked about follow-up activities and outcomes for applications I'd submitted. Having email rejections or notes about phone calls where I was told the position was filled really helped demonstrate that I was actively engaged in the process, not just sending out applications and forgetting about them. Also, if you're using job search websites like Indeed or ZipRecruiter, take screenshots of your application confirmations because those emails don't always come through reliably.

As someone who's been through the ESD system many times, I can tell you that the best approach is to be proactive rather than waiting. When your status changes unexpectedly, it's almost always one of these three things: 1. Quarterly review flag (automated and usually clears within 4-5 business days) 2. Identity verification need (check your notices/letters section carefully) 3. Employer response (sometimes employers respond to claims weeks after you start receiving benefits) Since you've been receiving benefits consistently and this is a sudden change, it's most likely option 1 or 3. The fact that your benefit amount was calculated (showing the deduction from your balance) is actually a good sign - means the system has approved the payment but it's just being held for verification. Call ESD as early as possible (7:30am is best) and ask specifically about why your status changed from processing-web to pending. They can usually tell you exactly what triggered it and how long the review might take.

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! You guys were right - it was a quarterly review flag. The agent said it was completely routine and that it got flagged because I've had consistent claims with no changes for several weeks. She pushed it through manually and said the payment should arrive in my account within 48 hours. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!