whatever u do DONT agree to any payment plan until after ur appeal!!!! my friend did that and they used it against her saying she 'acknowledged the debt' or something stupid like that. fight it all the way!!!

u should call ur state representative too! my boyfriend did that when esd was being impossible and suddenly they fixed everything real quick lol. politicians hate bad press so they usually help

The WORST thing about ESD is that they never CLEARLY explain these timeframes ANYWHERE on their website!!! I changed my payment method THREE TIMES last year because I thought it wasn't working, only to discover later that I just hadn't waited long enough between changes! So annoying!

To clarify for everyone: Payment method changes in the ESD system typically take 1-3 business days to fully process. However, if a payment is already in process when you make the change, that payment will still go to your previous method. For the original poster, since you changed it Tuesday evening, your payment this week will most likely still go to direct deposit, and next week's will go to the debit card. You can verify this by checking your payment status in eServices - it will show which payment method is being used for each specific payment.

when i got laid off in january my claim got stuck in processing too but it was because i accidentally put the wrong social security number (transposed two digits lol). double check all the info you entered is 100% correct. sometimes the smallest error can hold things up for weeks!

Any updates? Did your partner's claim move from processing to paid yet? I'm in a similar situation now and wondering how long I'll be waiting...

QUICK UPDATE: I talked to our HR rep and you all were right! They received requests from ESD back in December for all of us but the new HR manager didn't know what to do with them and they've been sitting in her email. She's submitting everything today and apologized for the delay. I also submitted a formal complaint through the ESD website and contacted my state rep. Hoping something breaks loose soon. Thanks everyone for the advice!!

One more thing to consider - now that your HR is submitting the information, you might need to call ESD to have them expedite processing the employer's response. Otherwise, it can still sit in their queue for weeks. When you call, specifically mention that the employer has now provided the requested information and you'd like the claim to be reactivated. Use the phrase "economic hardship" when explaining your situation - that can sometimes flag your case for expedited handling.

I had something similar happen to me last year...tried calling for weeks and couldn't get through. My neighbor told me to try calling exactly at 7:59am right before they open, and then keep redialing continuously for the first 10 minutes. I finally got through that way after trying for 3 days. Sometimes their system lets a few calls through right when they open before it gets overwhelmed.

One more important tip: prepare for your hearing in advance! If your appeal gets accepted, you'll receive a hearing date with an Administrative Law Judge. You should: 1. Gather ALL documents related to your case 2. Write down a clear timeline of events 3. Be prepared to explain exactly why you meet the eligibility requirements 4. If your availability for work is the issue, bring examples of job postings that fit your availability The hearing is your chance to present your case, so be organized and factual. The judge won't know anything except what's in your file, so you need to clearly explain your situation.