While contacting the Governor's office can work in some cases, please be aware it's not a guaranteed solution. It's essentially an escalation path that can help when there are administrative delays, but it won't change legitimate disqualification decisions. If your claim is genuinely stuck in adjudication with no movement for 4+ weeks despite multiple contact attempts, this approach may help. But if you're in adjudication because of a quit, discharge, or availability issue, the Governor's office can only nudge ESD to process it, not change the outcome. In 2025, ESD is actually required to complete most adjudications within 21 days, but with current staffing issues, that timeline is often not met. Just be prepared that even with the Governor's intervention, some complex claims may still take time to resolve.

UPDATE: I called the Governor's office this morning after seeing this post. They took all my information and said they'd send an inquiry to ESD. Honestly didn't expect much, but I just got an email from ESD saying my adjudication has been assigned to an agent who will contact me within 24 hours! This actually works! Will update again when I hear from them.

ESD ALWAYS does this!!! Their system is designed to prevent people from filing! I had the exact same problem in January and guess what? My claim lapsed because I couldn't file on time and they denied my backdate request! Keep records of EVERYTHING - screenshots of errors, dates/times you tried to log in, and all your call attempts. You'll need this evidence when they inevitably try to blame you for their system failures.

Final update: SOLVED! I tried the Claimyr service someone suggested above and got through to ESD in about 15 minutes (after days of trying on my own). Turns out there WAS a security flag on my account because I had accessed the site from different IP addresses (home network and phone hotspot) which triggered their fraud detection system. The agent cleared the flag and had me reset my password, and now everything works! Thanks everyone for your help.

I don't see this option in his eServices account. Is this perhaps only available in certain counties or for certain types of claims? His claim is regular UI, not any special category.

It should be available statewide for all claim types. If he doesn't see it, it might be because his claim is already under some other special status. Have him call ESD directly to request the Conditional Job Search status - sometimes the online system lags behind what agents can do manually.

Just to provide some additional information: When you're partially employed, you can earn up to 1/3 of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction in benefits. Beyond that, each dollar reduces your benefit by about 75 cents. For example: - If your WBA is $675 - You can earn up to $225 (1/3 of $675) with no reduction - Since you earned $178, which is less than $225, you should actually receive your full benefit amount of $675 Make sure you continue completing your job search requirements each week until you're working full-time (defined as 35+ hours per week or earning more than your weekly benefit amount).

Update: Got my payment today! They took off $133.50 from my regular benefit amount, exactly like @practical_solution said. So the 75% formula is correct. Thanks everyone for your help!

THEY DENIED MY EXTENSION FOR NO REASON AT ALL!!!!! Had all the right paperwork and everything and still got screwed over. Now they want me to pay back $2300!!! The whole system is RIGGED against injured workers!!!!!

Update: I talked to my doctor and he's filling out the certification form tomorrow. He's specifying that I cannot work ANY job until at least February 15th due to my mobility limitations and pain management needs. I also talked to my employer, and they're holding my position for me (thankfully). Thanks everyone for the advice - I'll keep filing my weekly claims without interruption while waiting for the extension approval.