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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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For future reference, I always plan for a 1-2 day delay on any holiday week. ESD doesn't do a great job communicating this, but after being on unemployment for a few months I've learned to budget accordingly. The worst delays tend to be around major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas - those can sometimes push payments out by 3-4 days. I recommend keeping a small emergency buffer if possible for these situations. And definitely file your weekly claim as early as possible on Sunday to get the process started sooner.
That's great advice, thank you. I just started unemployment last month so I'm still learning all the quirks of the system. Will definitely plan better for future holiday weeks!
Is your claim in adjudication or regular UI status? That can affect timing too. My sister's payments are always delayed by at least an extra day when there's some adjudication item pending, even a minor one. Might be worth checking if there's anything else going on with your claim besides just the holiday timing.
Mine's regular UI - no adjudication or issues showing. My payment actually just came through! But that's good to know about adjudication potentially causing extra delays.
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If you ever need to speak directly with ESD about payment timing or other issues, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. I was stuck in payment pending for weeks and couldn't get through on the regular ESD phone line. Claimyr got me connected to an actual ESD agent in about 20 minutes. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Much better than spending days hitting redial!
Does that service actually work? I've been trying to call ESD for THREE DAYS about my adjudication and can't get through!!!
Adding one more important detail: If you have urgent financial needs and your payment will be delayed due to a holiday, you might qualify for a hardship payment. You would need to call ESD and explain your situation (rent due, etc.). This isn't guaranteed, but in some cases, they can expedite payment processing. Keep in mind that hardship considerations are case-by-case, and you'll need to provide specific details about your financial emergency.
I didn't know about hardship payments - that's really good to know! Fortunately, since I got my dates mixed up and August 2nd isn't actually a holiday, I should be fine. But I'll remember this for future reference. Thank you!
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After my long wait, I found out from an agent that my claim got stuck because my married name is on my license but my birth name was on my SS card. So make sure all your docs match exactly! They never contacted me about this discrepancy - I had to call multiple times to figure it out.
Oh that's good to know. My docs should all match but I'll double check everything.
Update to my earlier comment - the ESD website now says verification timelines are "4-6 weeks" rather than "5-6 weeks" as of their April 2025 update. Small improvement but shows they're at least working on the backlog. Make sure you check your spam folder daily too - some ESD communications get filtered there.
Thanks for the update! Even shaving a week off would be super helpful. And good call on the spam folder check - I'll make sure to do that.
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Just following up - were you able to get this resolved? I'm curious because I may be in a similar situation soon.
Yes! Finally got it approved yesterday after using that Claimyr service to get through to ESD (regular phone method was impossible). The key was asking specifically for "Commissioner Approved Standby" like someone suggested above. They required my offer letter and called my new employer to verify. The agent said this is actually pretty common but not well-documented on their website. I'll get 2 weeks of benefits to bridge the gap until my job starts. Such a relief!
This reminds me of when I had to deal with ESD last summer... I was trying to get standby for a completely different reason (temporary layoff) and the whole system is so confusing! I spent hours reading their website and still couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do. Ended up having to get help from my state representative's office to resolve it. Why can't they make this stuff clearer??
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Ugh been there done that got the t-shirt. Benefits run out WAY TOO QUICK and then you're just left hanging. Start applying for literally everything now, even stuff you think is beneath you. Trust me.
thats what i had 2 do. retail, warehouse, anything. it sucks but beats being homeless
Just to summarize the options when UI benefits exhaust before your benefit year ends: 1. No automatic extensions are currently available 2. Consider part-time work to receive partial benefits (stretches your claim longer) 3. Look into Commissioner Approved Training (CAT) or Training Benefits if you're interested in retraining 4. Utilize WorkSource services fully - job search assistance, workshops, hiring events 5. Apply for other assistance programs (SNAP/Basic Food, housing assistance, etc.) 6. Continue required job search activities consistently 7. If you have unique circumstances, speak directly with an ESD specialist to review your specific situation Keep in mind that even after benefits exhaust, you should continue checking your ESD account and messages periodically, as policy changes sometimes occur that might affect your claim.
Thank you so much for this clear summary! Based on everyone's advice, I'm going to 1) try to speak with an ESD specialist directly about possible training programs, 2) look for part-time work to extend my benefits, and 3) fully utilize WorkSource services. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me understand my options.
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anyone else notice how adjudication times get longer every year lol. in 2021 i got approved in 3 weeks. my brother just went through it in april and it took 9 weeks! ESD is falling apart
Exactly! They're deliberately understaffed to save money. I heard they lost a ton of staff after the pandemic and never replaced them. It's a broken system.
Quick update on current adjudication timeframes - I was at a WorkSource event last week and the ESD rep there said they're currently running about 8-9 weeks for most adjudications due to staffing shortages. However, they are prioritizing hardship cases, so definitely mention any urgent financial situation when you do get through. Regarding the hour reduction - that's definitely considered good cause for quitting in Washington, as long as it was at least a 25% reduction (which 40 to 15 certainly is). Make sure you emphasize that point when you speak with them.
Thanks for the current info! I'll definitely mention my hardship situation. My landlord is being somewhat flexible but I can't push it much longer.
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YES they do pay all the back weeks! I got a big lump sum payment for all 9 weeks at once when mine finally processed. Just make sure ur doing all the required job search activities each week (3 per week) and documenting them correctly. The system is annoyingly strict about that.
That's at least somewhat reassuring. I've been meticulously documenting my job search activities. I just hope I can hold out financially until they finally process my claim.
After you get through to someone, ask them to flag your account for expedited processing due to financial hardship. I did this and mentioned I was facing possible eviction (which was true). The agent added notes to my claim and it was resolved within 48 hours after weeks of waiting. They don't advertise this option but it exists for emergency situations.
Thanks for this tip! When I finally manage to speak with someone, I'll definitely ask about expedited processing. I am genuinely in a hardship situation now.
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Just went through this exact thing! The 1099-G for 2022 is actually showing the ADJUSTMENT to your 2020 benefits because of the overpayment determination. It's not saying you got new benefits in 2022. What happened in my case: I got benefits in 2020, then in 2022 they decided some was an overpayment. The 2022 1099-G reflects that adjustment. Confusing as hell, but that's how their accounting works. You need to call the ESD tax line specifically: 360-486-2252. Don't waste time with the regular unemployment line.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for the specific phone number! I'll try calling that tax line tomorrow. Did they end up sending you a corrected form, or did they just explain how to handle it on your taxes?
One important thing no one's mentioned yet - make sure you keep all documentation showing the timeline of events. This includes: 1. Your original 2020 1099-G 2. The overpayment notice you received in 2021 3. This new 2022 1099-G 4. Any appeal paperwork 5. Records of your employment during 2022 ESD is required to correct erroneous 1099-Gs, but the process can take time. If you're approaching the tax filing deadline, you might need to file Form 4868 for an extension. Don't file your taxes with incorrect information just to meet the deadline.
This is solid advice. I'd add that you should keep detailed notes of every conversation with ESD - date, time, name of representative, and what was discussed. I learned this the hard way when one rep told me one thing and another said something completely different a week later.
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when i reopened my claim last month the same thing happened but then i realized i reopened on a thursday and my filing day is sunday so i just had to wait. did u check ur correspondence folder? sometimes they send messages there about next steps but dont email u about them
Good point about checking the correspondence folder - I just looked and there's nothing new there. My filing day is tomorrow, so I'll try then and update this thread with what happens in case it helps someone else!
UPDATE: Everything worked exactly as you all said! I waited until my filing day (Wednesday) and when I logged in, I was able to file for last week with no issues. The system recognized that I had reopened my claim and let me complete everything normally. Thank you all so much for the help and reassurance! One less thing to stress about this week.
Great to hear! Glad it all worked out smoothly. Just remember to keep up with your job search activities each week so you don't run into any issues down the road.
Lucas Lindsey
Just checking back - were you able to get through to ESD? I hope some of these suggestions helped!
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Christian Bierman
Actually yes! I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got through to an agent yesterday. They told me my adjudication was held up because they needed proof of my last day worked, which I thought I'd already submitted. The agent helped me upload it correctly and said my claim should be processed in 72 hours. Fingers crossed! Thanks everyone for the advice.
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