Try calling early in the morning like 7:55am right before they open. That's the only way I ever got through when my claim went pending for no reason. Waited on hold for 2 hours but at least got answers. They told me mine went pending because my employer submitted something late but they never bothered telling me!

UPDATE: Finally got through to ESD this morning! Turns out it WAS a quarterly review thing. The agent told me they're doing extra verification on claims that cross into Q2 2025. My claim should be back to paid status by next Wednesday. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions!

Quick update to my earlier comment - I just checked with a friend who won their appeal in January 2025. They received their backpay exactly 12 business days after the judge's decision. They did call ESD once during that time just to confirm everything was processing correctly. Their payments came as one lump sum for all the weeks they claimed during the appeal waiting period.

UPDATE: Finally got through to ESD this morning! They confirmed they received the judge's decision but it was still in their processing queue. The agent was able to expedite it when I explained my housing situation. She said I should expect to see the payments in my account within 3-5 business days. Thank you all for your advice - especially the tip about mentioning hardship review!

That's awesome you got through! For anyone else reading this thread in the future - if you're struggling to reach ESD after multiple attempts, Claimyr really can save you hours of frustration. Unemployment is stressful enough without the added hassle of trying to reach someone.

Great news on getting through! Just an FYI for everyone: ESD has actually added more verification staff in 2025, so the backlog is slowly improving. Current average processing time is down to about 3 weeks from 6+ weeks last year. Still not ideal, but progress. Make sure to check your ESD secure message center daily once you've resubmitted documents - sometimes they'll send requests for additional information there.

ESD has been severely understaffed since the post-pandemic budget cuts in 2024. Their phone system is designed to manage call volume by disconnecting callers when all available agents are busy and queue times exceed 45 minutes. This is frustrating but actually more efficient than keeping people on hold for hours. Your best options are: 1. Call on Wednesday or Thursday between 8:00-8:30am or 3:30-4:00pm (avoid Mondays and Fridays completely) 2. Use the eServices message center for all issues that don't require immediate attention 3. Visit a WorkSource office in person if you have one nearby - they can sometimes help with basic claim issues or at least use their direct lines to connect you 4. Contact your state representative's office if your situation is dire (about to lose housing, utilities being cut off, etc.) - they have caseworkers who can escalate ESD issues ESD's current average response time for adjudication is 4-6 weeks, so unfortunately your 3-week wait is still within normal processing times.

Did you ever get through to someone? I'm curious which method ended up working for you.

I just wanna say congrats on the new job!! 🎉 That's awesome and must be such a relief after being on unemployment.

One more thing to be aware of: if you earned more than your weekly benefit amount in that final week, you won't receive payment, but it's still important to file and report. It properly closes out your claim cycle and prevents any issues down the road. Good luck with the new position!