Washington Unemployment
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Confused about ESD appeal hearing scheduling - how will I know my appointment time?
I received a letter saying my unemployment claim was denied and I filed an appeal right away (about 2 weeks ago). The letter mentioned something about a hearing, but I'm totally confused about how this works. Does ESD or OAH actually contact you with a specific date and time for the appeal hearing? Will someone call me? Email me? How much notice do they give before the hearing date? I've never been through this process before and I'm getting nervous because I really need to get this resolved. My rent is due next week and I'm counting on that backpay.
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ESD denied benefits after quitting job for family reasons - no hearing scheduled for months
I'm at my breaking point with ESD. I quit my previous job because of serious family issues that required my immediate attention (elderly parent needed care) plus some health issues of my own that were getting worse. My employer fought my claim and ESD automatically sided with them. I filed an appeal back in NOVEMBER and it's now MARCH 2025! It's been 4 months and I still don't even have a hearing date scheduled! I've called the OAH office at least 15 times, left messages, sent emails through eServices, and absolutely ZERO response. I've gone back to working at the same place because I was desperate, but they're only giving me 6-8 hours a week (basically one shift). I'm drowning financially and can't even get someone to TALK to me about when my hearing might happen. Has anyone dealt with this ridiculous wait time for appeals? Any suggestions before I call the Governor's office directly? I'm not kidding - I'm about to start making noise because this is unacceptable!
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i had almost the exact same situation last year except i quit because of workplace harassment not family reasons. took forever to get a hearing but when i finally did i won my case! hang in there and def keep all your documentation organized. the judge at my hearing was actually pretty fair once i got there.
How did your hearing work? Was it in person or over the phone? I'm still waiting for mine (different situation than OP but similar timeline) and getting nervous about the process.
Update: I contacted my state representative's office this morning and amazingly they were super helpful! The staff person took down all my info and said they'd reach out to ESD on my behalf. I also tried the Claimyr service that someone recommended here, and I FINALLY got through to an actual ESD agent. They told me my hearing is actually scheduled for April 8th but the notice was just sent out yesterday! Talk about cutting it close. Anyway, I'm now frantically organizing all my documentation. Thank you all for the advice and support. This system is absolutely broken, but at least I have a date now and can prepare my case.
Great news! Now that you have a date, here's what I recommend: 1. Create a timeline of events with specific dates 2. Organize your documentation by relevance to your reason for leaving 3. Practice explaining your situation concisely (the judge will appreciate brevity) 4. Be ready to explain why you're now working part-time at the same employer Good luck with your hearing, and let us know how it goes.
SEE! Being a squeaky wheel WORKS! Good for you! Make sure you call to confirm the hearing date the day before just to be SURE.
Reporting part-time remote job from out-of-state employer on ESD unemployment claim
I just got laid off from my full-time job in Washington and filed for unemployment, but I'm confused about how to handle my new part-time remote job with an out-of-state company. The ESD application is giving me trouble with a few questions: 1) When it asks "Have you ever worked out of state?" should I answer yes since my new part-time employer is based outside WA, even though I'm working remotely from Washington? 2) The system only showed my previous WA employer (the one I got laid off from) but not my current part-time job. Is this because the out-of-state company hasn't reported my wages to WA yet, or do I need to manually add them? 3) For "Did you work for any other company?" should I add my current part-time remote employer? I tried searching for them but couldn't find them in the system. 4) How do I properly report my part-time income each week? Will this significantly reduce my benefits? I don't want to mess up my claim or get accused of fraud, but the instructions aren't clear for remote work situations. Has anyone dealt with this before?
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To answer your follow-up question about documentation: You typically don't need to provide documentation upfront when adding an employer. However, ESD may contact you later for verification if they can't confirm your employment through other means. If they do request verification, pay stubs, an offer letter, or direct deposit records are usually sufficient. I recommend keeping these documents handy just in case. You might also want to inform your out-of-state employer that you've filed for unemployment in Washington, as ESD may contact them to verify your employment and earnings.
Perfect, thank you! I have my offer letter and first pay stub, so I'll keep those ready. I really appreciate all the detailed help!
You got the math right! If your weekly benefit amount is $750, you can earn up to $187.50 without reduction. If you earn $300 in a week, your benefit would be reduced to $637.50 ($750 - ($300 - $187.50)). I track mine on a spreadsheet each week to make sure I understand what my benefit should be. It helps catch any potential errors in the system before they become bigger problems. Also, an important tip: make sure you report your gross earnings for the week you WORKED, not when you got paid. This trips up a lot of people!
Weekly claims stuck in 'Disqualified' status for 4 weeks with ongoing adjudication - no way to contact ESD
I'm seriously at my wit's end here. For the past four weeks, every single weekly claim I file immediately shows as 'Disqualified' within minutes of submitting. I've checked every section of my eServices account and there's absolutely nothing in the appeals tab, nothing in the decisions tab - just a single note saying 'adjudication in process 1/24/25' that hasn't changed in almost a month. I've called the 800 number probably 50+ times, tried different times of day, different days of the week. Either I get an automated message saying call volume is too high or I get disconnected after waiting for 45+ minutes. My family is really struggling now. I've already had to borrow money from relatives just to cover basic expenses. My kid needs new glasses, and I had to tell him we have to wait. It feels like ESD doesn't care if families like mine sink or swim during this process. UPDATE: I finally got help through WorkSource live chat! The 'Disqualified' status is now gone from my account, but there's still an adjudication period happening. No idea how long that's going to take, but at least there's some movement. Has anyone been through this recently? How long should I expect to wait now?
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Stuck in ESD adjudication for 8 weeks with no explanation or payments - what can I do?
I'm seriously at my wits' end with ESD right now. I've been filing my weekly claims religiously for 8 WEEKS STRAIGHT and haven't received a single payment. My account shows multiple items in "Adjudication" but doesn't explain what they're even investigating! I managed to get through on the phone after a 3-hour wait two weeks ago, and the agent basically told me there's no one in the adjudication department I could speak with. Seriously???? Nobody has contacted me about needing additional documentation or information. I have no idea what's wrong or how to fix it. Meanwhile, I've been submitting WAY more than the required 3 job search activities each week (probably 8-10 applications weekly), but the job market is absolutely brutal in my field right now. I'm drowning financially. Rent is due in 5 days, and I've already maxed out my credit cards just trying to buy groceries. Does adjudication always take this long? Is there ANY way to contact someone who can actually help? I'm desperate for advice here.
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i dont mean to make u more stressed but u should also apply 4 food stamps while ur waiting!!! esd is taking forever these days and food stamps (SNAP) is much faster. also check if ur city has rent assistance programs cuz lots of places do
That's actually really good advice, thank you. I've been too proud to apply for assistance but at this point I need to swallow my pride. I'll look into SNAP benefits today.
Just checking back - were you able to get through to ESD? Any updates on your situation?
I tried calling right at 8am but couldn't get through. After trying for hours, I ended up using Claimyr like you suggested and got connected to an agent within 30 minutes! The agent was able to see exactly what was holding things up (they needed clarification on my job separation). I sent in my termination letter and they said they'd expedite the review. They couldn't give me an exact timeframe but said it should be much faster now that I've responded to their request. Fingers crossed! Thank you so much for suggesting Claimyr - it was a lifesaver.
Giovanni Marino
One more important tip: While waiting for your appeal hearing, make sure you're actively seeking work and documenting your job search activities (minimum 3 per week). Even though your claim is denied and under appeal, you'll need to show you've been meeting all requirements during this time if you want to receive backpay for these weeks once you win your appeal.
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Amara Okonkwo
Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I feel much better knowing what to expect now. I'll keep an eye on my mail, continue filing my weekly claims, and start gathering all my evidence to be prepared for the hearing. Really appreciate all of you taking the time to share your experiences!
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